Malamorte

Alessandro Nunziati of Malamorte and Lord Vampyr Unleashes Omen

Interview by Ken Morton

MALAMORTE, led by heavy metal scene legend Alessandro Nunziati, was born in 2009. Fans of Italian metal will recognize Alessandro’s name; this is a man full of talent and dark creativity! He is a well-known musician, record producer and author, best known by the stage name Lord Vampyr (or L.V.). Internationally recognized from his bands Theatres des Vampires, Alex Nun-

ziati Project, Cain, Lord Vampyr, Nailed

God, Shadowsreign, and many others, Alessandro has garnered a huge global fan base. Malamorte has now unleashed Omen upon the world, their seventh intriguing masterwork now available via the mighty Moribund Records! Highwire Daze recently interviewed Alessandro Nunziati to find out more about the epic Omen from Malamorte, news on a future Lord Vampyr release, his tenure with Theatres des Vampires and more...

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Malamorte, and how long has the band has been together.

I decided to create this new project in 2014, to do something different than my main Lord Vampyr project

Where are you based out of and what is your local music scene like there?

There are several known bands here in Rome, I am part of the historical scene, having founded Sepolcrum together with a friend of mine, one of the first death bands in Rome. Then of course the Theaters des Vampires, which I founded in 1994 and left in 2004, Lord Vampyr, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Hideous Divinity, Novembre, Gravestone, Aborym, Stormlord and many others. As you can see it is a very active scene. As Malamorte is a studio project (at least for the moment), he is a little off the scene.

How did you wind up signing with Moribund Records?

I’ve known Odin for several years and we were also about to work together years ago, but then nothing came of it. This time he showed a great interest in my project, so much so that he treats it as one of Moribund’s priorities, and this can only make me happy.

Is there any overall story or concept behind the new Omen album. (The Omen is a classic movie!)

Absolutely yes, it’s all about 1976 movies. I tried to follow the story as closely as possible, trying to get me to convey the atmosphere of the film, which is one of my favorites.

How easy or difficult is it to write an album with one main concept in mind?

I think it’s one of the hardest things, after all it’s like writing a story. It has to be credible, it has to follow a plot and it has to complement the music, only in this way can it be effective and create the right emotions.

Who did the amazing cover art for the Omen album and how much input did you have on it?

It was created by Adi Dechristianize, who has been dealing with the covers of my projects for years now. Everything always comes from my indications or sketches They were fantastic years full of satisfaction and also of many sacrifices. It was really hard to leave the band I created, but the situation became unbearable. I no longer have contact with those who remained in the band.

Would you like to tour in support of Omen and maybe perform the album in its entirety?

Sure I’m very interested in doing lives, but since we are not a real band, we would be more inclined to play in festivals, so that we can use session musicians.

How close are you to doing new solo album?

This year was released the first album of ALEX NUNZIATI “Il mangiatore di Peccati”, and in these days I’m already finishing recording the new album, which will have a big change of style, while on the first album I played a lot on horror atmospheres, this new album will be pure thrash, being my solo project, I feel free to experiment.

I understand Lord Vampyr is back and may be doing another album as well. Is there any timeline on that, and what has it been like to revisit Lord Vampyr?

The pandemic has blocked all forms of entertainment and even the possibility of seeing each other with the band, we have also had some line-up changes. Now we are trying to reorganize ourselves, both for the live and for the new album, I hope to be able to make a new album within the next year.

When you look at your time spent with Theatres Des Vampires, what do you think of it now in retrospect? And do you still keep in touch with any of the band members? If you were invited to contribute a song to a King Diamond/Mercyful Fate tribute album, what song would you do and why?

It may seem trivial, but I’d do Evil, I’m very fond of it, also because Melissa was the first Mercyful Fate album I listened to as a kid. For King Diamond, perhaps make a more unusual one like Eye of the Witch.

What is your favorite vampire movie of all time? I am partial to The Hunger myself…

It is a very difficult question, obviously I cannot fail to mention Murnau’s Nosferatu and Dracula with Christopher Lee, also John Badham’s Dracula with Frank Langella and certainly also Coppola’s majestic Dracula, but also The Addiciton.

Are you involved with any other current bands or projects not mentioned in this interview?

My “active” projects are currently Malamorte, Alex Nunziati and Lord Vampyr, but who knows.

Any final words of wisdom?

I thank you for the interview and our fans and all those who have the desire to discover my projects. Everything I do, I do it with passion and honesty and I hope it pays off.