by marcs77If you’re up with what’s going on among the European hardcore scene chances are you may have stumbled upon the name MuD, and perhaps, you’ve already got to attend one of the hundreds of shows this four-some played, in their country and around Europe, over the years, since band’s inception, in 2004.
Straight-forward hardcore/metal MuD hails from Teramo, Abruzzo, Italia and last fall put out their latest fatigue, and third full-length; the uncompromising brutal new album “The Sound Of The Province” –hardcore punk, metal and extreme underground music finest products don’t always come from the big cities but from the most forgotten areas.
I emailed Mauro AldoHC (vocals) –the current line-up of MuD is completed by Frankie (guitar), Pinto (bass) and Lucone (drums) –a battery of questions about their new record, the featuring of Raw Power’s Mauro Codeluppi, the cover of Impact’s “Solo Odio”, Straight Opposition calling it a day, “Head Down” music video and much much more.
Let the Sound Of The Province hammer you down to get back up stronger than ever!
gan: How’s life treating MuD?
Not bad, for me it's a bit tiring, I follow all the band's activities from many years, but the satisfactions always arrive.
The promotion of the new album is proceeding well, and the second video has just been released in the last days.
We're playing mostly around Italy, and in spring we'll leave for a new European tour, the 5th one. We will tour for a good piece of east Europe bringing our "sound of the province" from Abruzzo.
There's more harmony with this line up, there's more tranquility in the band, there's a good atmosphere and a good musical feeling.
gan: A few days ago a band from your area, which we recently interviewed (i.e. Straight Opposition) called it quits. I’m sure you’re friends with the guys, how did you take this news?
It was a bad news, I had some insight about it, but I never thought about a real breakup of the band. Ivan is a brother and we see each other often, I'm sorry that a band like the S.O. is no longer in circulation, it is a serious loss for hardcore in Italy.
In my personal point of view and for my band, I can tell you that we grew up with them here in Abruzzo and they have influenced us so much in the attitude especially, in the music and in the spirit. I only say that everything has a beginning and an end, at a certain point the motivations can decrease, but I'm sure that Ivan and the kids will find new positive input and new lifeblood in the new project that will carry on, and I'm sure that they will have the same true spirit of the S.O.
gan: Let’s talk about your last album “The Sound Of The Province” you released last November.How does this fit among your other releases? And what do you feel MuD are all about today compared to the very beginning?
"The Sound of the Province" is a book that tells what happened to "our area" in recent times... I like to think it in this way.
We limited ourselves to writing in the lyrics and putting in music what happened around us and consequently also inside us, it's a kind of concept album, the lyrics are also heavy sometimes.
Musically, the album has a style closer to metal than in the past, it's our most metal album.
This is the result of an evolution and the result of music listening and past experiences...everything we hear comes from the 90s, 80s and early 2000s, from punk to metal to hardcore to rap and so on… From my personal point of view I can say to catalog it as the best album, perhaps also because of the lyrics that are the most introspective and gloomy ever.
Compared to the past and the "debut" there's a growing musical path in my opinion, on all points of view, from music to lyrics to the way of approaching writing in the rehearsal room, live attitude... we've played hundreds of concerts and we've made hundreds of miles, remaining always ourselves without going into any kind of compromise with anyone. “This is it” (cit.)
gan: You released an official music video for the song “Head Down”. Watching the video, and being Italian, one can make his/her mind up about the concept behind it. Wanna go more in-depth on the concept of this video as MuD thought of and developed the same?
As you have seen in the video we have collected images of central Italy and Abruzzo hit by the earthquake, landslides, and other tragic events of recent times.
We wanted to try to sensitize with our music a topic that was showed in a wrong way by the media and on TV.
In the video there's also other shit not related to natural disasters, you can also see clash between demonstrators and police or a C.S. burned by presumed nazis... in short, the message that wants to give "Head Down" is to never lower your head, reacting to the shit that surrounds us, resist and face and defeat the reality with your head held high.
gan: The artwork of the album shows a road deeply cracked and devastated, because of the movement of fault plane during the earthquake, where a beautiful yellow-coloured flower tree grew up in the concrete's slit. How did you come up with this art and what does it mean to you personally?
So... the artwork represent the entrance road to a nearby village, where I spent part of my adolescence and where together with other (few) guys we listened to heavy music.
Last year due to a huge landslide this place was virtually destroyed, a very sad story that touched us almost in the foreground.
Therefore, it seemed more than appropriate to dedicate the artwork to all this, the foreground plant is a gentian seedling, symbolizing the rebirth and going on despite everything, is a hymn to the fight.
Our local liqueur is produced from the root of Genziana, of which we are great consumers and great promoters...
gan: I would say there’s some shared ideas behind the title of your album and the one from Straight Opposition I know it’s the second time I talk about them in your interview…
I would say yes... "The Fury From The (Abruzzo) Coast & "The Sound Of The (Abruzzo) Province... this last year was terrible for both bands...
gan: What are some of the bands you would mention as your main, personal, influences?
For the current MuD style, there are many old school bands: Sepultura, Hatebreed, Napalm Death, Slayer, Raw Power, Straight Opposition, Terror, Lou X, Pantera, Sick Of It All, Obituary...
gan: You’ve got Mauro Codeluppi of Raw Power's fame on the song “Full Speed Ahead” and covered a tune from Ferrara’s Impact –the song “Solo Odio” off their first LP record. The Italian hardcore new school meets the 80’s punk hardcore legends? How the contribution and the cover came about?
For the current MuD style, there are many old school bands: Sepultura, Hatebreed, Napalm Death, Slayer, Raw Power, Straight Opposition, Terror, Lou X, Pantera, Sick Of It All, Obituary...
gan: You’ve got Mauro Codeluppi of Raw Power's fame on the song “Full Speed Ahead” and covered a tune from Ferrara’s Impact –the song “Solo Odio” off their first LP record. The Italian hardcore new school meets the 80’s punk hardcore legends? How the contribution and the cover came about?
We met Raw Power in person in our festival that we organized in L'AQUILA (La Raje HC Fest).
From there a friendship was born and mutual esteem (not that we did not already have it towards the R.P., just to be clear...).
After that festival we played together again, drank together and the story of Mauro Codeluppi came to my mind before recording the album. I was already shaping this idea for a while and in the end I proposed it to Mauro and we recorded the featuring. The result is “Full Speed Ahead”, in every sense.
The thing that has upset us was the humility with which Mauro has addressed the thing... in short, we are talking about a legend of the hardcore world.
R.P. are an example to follow for all the hc / punk / metal bands in Italy, from all points of view.
The cover song of "Solo Odio" by Impact instead was initially proposed by Frankie, since he listened to Impact's tapes in his Fiat 126 when he was a little boy.
The lyrics of "Solo Odio" are self-commented, Impact is a seminal band for the Italian hc / punk and we ventured this cover, obviously with the approval of Don Diego.
I can say also, that a friendship was born with Impact, they're enthusiastic about our cover song and for us this is a reason of pride.
The old school Italian hardcore has dictated the law at international level, there's no need to add anything else.
gan: What’s the song off “The Sound Of The Province” you like playing the most and which one got the kids crazier?
It's difficult to choose one for me, let's say that I go to periods, in this period what I enjoy to play "The 4th World".
The one that most unleashes the pit is perhaps "The Thin Line" (Between Life And Death), that song kicks you in the ass from start to finish.
gan: In your view how much modern hardcore and punk is about clichés?
Unfortunately a lot, the real hardcore spirit has been lost, in the attitude and above all in the lyrics. Hardcore is more than music.
gan: Following you guys on facebook I know you play tons of shows and you’re currently playing gigs under the flag of “New album release tour”. What else have you lined up for this year? Do your plans include hitting any European countries?
The future and current plans of MuD are quite intense. The new video of the song "The Thin Line" has just been released and we will soon be back with new gigs in Italy, a tour to east Europe of 13 days, and other show in Italy until summer.
In the beginning of summer we should also make a new video and of course the digital and physical promotion of the album by THC DIY Prod label is continuing.
gan: Time to wrap this up, thank you for your time. Wanna close this interview with some words of wisdom?
Thank you very much "Gotanerve Zine" for this interview. Support DIY realities, DIY is a choice of life.
From there a friendship was born and mutual esteem (not that we did not already have it towards the R.P., just to be clear...).
After that festival we played together again, drank together and the story of Mauro Codeluppi came to my mind before recording the album. I was already shaping this idea for a while and in the end I proposed it to Mauro and we recorded the featuring. The result is “Full Speed Ahead”, in every sense.
The thing that has upset us was the humility with which Mauro has addressed the thing... in short, we are talking about a legend of the hardcore world.
R.P. are an example to follow for all the hc / punk / metal bands in Italy, from all points of view.
The cover song of "Solo Odio" by Impact instead was initially proposed by Frankie, since he listened to Impact's tapes in his Fiat 126 when he was a little boy.
The lyrics of "Solo Odio" are self-commented, Impact is a seminal band for the Italian hc / punk and we ventured this cover, obviously with the approval of Don Diego.
I can say also, that a friendship was born with Impact, they're enthusiastic about our cover song and for us this is a reason of pride.
The old school Italian hardcore has dictated the law at international level, there's no need to add anything else.
gan: What’s the song off “The Sound Of The Province” you like playing the most and which one got the kids crazier?
It's difficult to choose one for me, let's say that I go to periods, in this period what I enjoy to play "The 4th World".
The one that most unleashes the pit is perhaps "The Thin Line" (Between Life And Death), that song kicks you in the ass from start to finish.
gan: In your view how much modern hardcore and punk is about clichés?
Unfortunately a lot, the real hardcore spirit has been lost, in the attitude and above all in the lyrics. Hardcore is more than music.
gan: Following you guys on facebook I know you play tons of shows and you’re currently playing gigs under the flag of “New album release tour”. What else have you lined up for this year? Do your plans include hitting any European countries?
The future and current plans of MuD are quite intense. The new video of the song "The Thin Line" has just been released and we will soon be back with new gigs in Italy, a tour to east Europe of 13 days, and other show in Italy until summer.
In the beginning of summer we should also make a new video and of course the digital and physical promotion of the album by THC DIY Prod label is continuing.
gan: Time to wrap this up, thank you for your time. Wanna close this interview with some words of wisdom?
Thank you very much "Gotanerve Zine" for this interview. Support DIY realities, DIY is a choice of life.
Listen here to the entire record up at bandcamp thanks to Italian Thrash Attack https://italianthrashattack.bandcamp.com/album/mud-the-sound-of-the-province-cd-digipack-2017
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