Sofisticator is a totally old school-oriented thrash metal band from Florence (Italy) mainly influenced by the likes of Exodus, Slayer, Possessed, Overkill and Venom. Popi (guitar) and Disossator (vocals) decided to start Sofisticator as a real band with Cosimo (drums) and Panca (bass) in September 2009. This infamous first line-up wrote the band’s early songs but Panca soon left and the bass duties were handled by different players, while Roccio joined as a second guitarist to support the growing metal mayhem. As Cosimo left soon after, Peppe the Butcher (drums) and Prosciugator (bass) joined Sofisticator in July 2010 to play some gigs and work on new material, but they were already out in October. Once recruited bassist Atomik Bahnhof, the band began working together to complete some kickass new songs as well as searching for a drummer, which eventually arrived in February 2011 in the person of The Ripper. This line-up entered Putrido Records Recording Studio in July-August 2011 to record the debut full-length album ‘Camping the Vein’, released by EBM Records in April 2012, and gigged around until increasing problems led to Ripper’s dismissal in November 2012. Old time friend Crudelio Von Füst temporarily replaced him for the remaining shows scheduled and in January 2013 Fire Eater officially joined Sofisticator as the new drummer only to get fired four months later due to his disloyal behavior. Once called back Crudelio Von Füst as the official drummer, troubles seem not to have ended yet: shortly after playing a great gig supporting Exodus, guitarist Baron Roccio gives up the band to follow different life paths. Nevertheless Sofisticator played at Romanian Thrash Fest in October 2013 before announcing Don Hammier as the new stable member to join the army and kept kicking ass across Italy waiting to finally re-enter the studio in 2014. In the meantime the band shared the stage with some of nowadays most important thrash metal bands like Hirax, Toxik, Bonded By Blood, Hobbs’ Angel Of Death as well as taking part to Faust Extreme Fest V supporting Venom
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Hello , Welcome to Acier Doux , can you tell us how long has the band been together ?
Atomik : Since 2009, way too many minutes. Or maybe this band doesn’t exit at all, it’s just a product of your dirty minds.
Is there a particular story behind the band’s Name ?Atomik : We are very sophisticated people, of course. Don’t you see?? Aaah, you don’t understand…so we’ll tell you some nice (but false!) stories about this: the original line-up of Sofisticator used to drink (yes, decaffeinated green tea…) and play street violent soccer right out of heavy metal live clubs while listening to Gentle Giant and other very sophisticated 70’s prog rock bands on the car stereo, so that the idea of a sophisticated Thrash Metal band came to mind.
Since your band is underground in the initial meaning of the word, an introduction to you music would be necessary. Atomik : Well, you think so, not us. Thanks. Ok, just a hint: old-school Thrash we try to do o
ur own way, but we obviously love Slayer, old Sepultura, Possessed, Venom, Sodom, Celtic Frost, Dark Angel…why anybody shouldn’t ?
ur own way, but we obviously love Slayer, old Sepultura, Possessed, Venom, Sodom, Celtic Frost, Dark Angel…why anybody shouldn’t ?
The music of Sofisticator is always fast, fast, fast and thrashing, or almost always. Was your goal to be as extreme as possible? If the band had appeared a few years later, do you think you might have used blastbeats in a so extensive manner? (In the mid to late 90’s it was the way to be the most extreme (If it was well done).
We don’t really like happy/party/mid-paced so-called thrash metal, but blast beat is for pussies. It’s not just a matter of musical form (growling vocals, heavy distortion, fastened drum patterns…), we think being extreme depends more on intention and expression. That’s why Slayer’s Reign in Blood still sounds more extreme than any ordinary death metal release of these days.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpRE-ob3NPo&w=320&h=266]
The band originated from Italy. Were there cool metal bands in your area back then? Maybe there was something like a scene with bands worth the neckbreak ?Atomik : You know, we only have pizza, mafia and mandolin here in Italy…and also many cool heavy metal bands, ahahah! Sabotage (which our guitarist Popi also plays with), Bud Tribe, Strana Officina, Dark Quarterer and Death SS (all of them coming from Tuscany, the same region we’re from) started in the late 70s/early 80s and still play nowadays. From the rest of Italy there were (and still are) great bands as well, thrashier acts like Necrodeath, Bulldozer, Fingernails and Nuclear Simphony you’d better listen to !
Your last album ” Death by Zapping ” is listed as was recently released by Hells Headbangers Records . How did it happen and it was true ? are you happy with the release ?
Atomik : We don’t really know, since we’ve never released it through Hell’s Headbangers…as far as we know, it never happened, ahahah!! We’re very happy with the album, of course there are some things that could have come out better…some production/recording issues and some arrangements that could have been done differently, but it’s normal shit when referring to your own “creature”. Next time !
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICzKeZW0LDg&w=320&h=266]
What’s the most memorable show you guys have played and where are you scheduled to hit the stage in the near future ?
Atomik : We’re always fuckin’ drunk when we play so probably our most memorable show has yet to come, ahahah! However touring Europe with Solstice last year
was amazing, cool people and places (drugs, drinks, drinks, drugs…drugs, drugs, drinks and more)! We don’t really know where we’re going to play next gig…we must finish the songs for our third album and record it first, then we’ll plan our next liver destruction! We’re serious professionals.
was amazing, cool people and places (drugs, drinks, drinks, drugs…drugs, drugs, drinks and more)! We don’t really know where we’re going to play next gig…we must finish the songs for our third album and record it first, then we’ll plan our next liver destruction! We’re serious professionals.
How important are lyrics for the band ? Who writes them ? What kinds of themes inspire you guys to write about ?
Atomik : No one of us really knows how to write, we all are poor illiterates…so we just get drunk and write some shit on toilet paper, mainly Atomik, Popi and Disossator, even if Don Hammier is absolutely the main toilet paper user of the band – for other interesting purposes, of course. But they’re still very important lyrics !
How do you think your music will progress in the future ?
Atomik : Fuck progress, we’ll keep on playing this fuckin’ shit for the rest of our lives !
What are the next steps for your band ? Atomik : The next bar !! And a new album , by the way.
Thanks for your time answering my questions. I wish you the best of luck! Please close the interview in any way you like Atomik : Thank you man , keep on disgusting normal people with Metal ! Go alcohol ! Таны тархинд баас !!
Interviewer : Med Manef Slama
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