You asked for it ! Max and his metal roots.

[MaxCottica]

Hey lads and lasses.

Somebody, unfortunately for the rest of yous, asked me to put on the internet some of the material that is part of my music background.

I started erly, just 16, screaming and shouting and playing the bass guitar.

I have tons of stuff and I am gonna leave you only a few bits, mainly because I don't want to ruin your day, week, month and year.

Also it took me 3 hours with my crappy modem connection to upload these few songs and pictures ...

Let's start from the beginning :

HENKER.

That means something like "Executioner" in German, but I was never sure as I never asked the chap who came up with the name.

We formed in 1981 and went through a long series of demos and live performances. The "highlights" of the career were a good few songs published on local labels in various metal sampler vynils.

These are a picture of the band, a picture of the most famous Demo (entitled "Handling Obscenely Maleodorous Entrails" or HOME) and a song from the same entitled "Kill your Friends". Enough said.





http://www.irishspawn.com/KillYourFriends.mp3

MAD POLTERGEIST.

They formed in 1986 as Poltergeist (we added the MAD as there was a Poltergeist band in Switzerlad already). After loosing their lead singer they asked me to replace him. With this band we went almost to the top.

We opened and played with acts such as Morbid Angel, Holy Terror, Napalm Death, Hellbastards and la creme of the thrash italian scene of the time, Creeping Death, Hate, Bulldozer, Strana Officina, Sabotage ...

We signed a deal with the company making Dylan Dog (a comic that in Italy was selling an average of 800.000 copies a month) and we were supposed to record a 2 song 45rpm that was meant to be sold with the comic. Roughly we thought that out ot 800.000 buyers, if we managed to get 10% to buy the LP that was coming out after that, we would have considered ourselves happy. And rich.

It wasn't meant to be. One of our lead guitarist killed himself and the project went busted. We tho released "Mad'n'Damn" as a 4 track miniLP, but its content was just a demo version of the songs as opposed to the new recordings because Franco (RIP) never managed to finish his tracks.

What I can offer you of this band is the cover of the miniLP and a song from the Dylan Dog Horror Festival where we played 4 tracks back in 1988. The song was called "Harlequin" and we played in front of 2000 crazy crazy kids. No band pictures because when I see Franco my heart still bleeds.



http://www.irishspawn.com/Harlequin_Live.mp3

EXPIATORIA.

After loosing Mad Poltergeist (we never replaced Franco because that was mainly his band), I fucked off really pissed off and joined Expiatoria.

We mainly played for ourselves but we released a few demos and took part to a good few compilations and a thousand gigs, all local, nothing fancy, but we loved it that way.

What I can offer you from that band is a scummy picture and a couple of recordings, one from the demo "Simphonies of Decomposed Human Flesh" (entitled "Evilcation")and "Suffering Days" that was part of a compilation released in 1992.





http://www.irishspawn.com/Evilcation.wma

http://www.irishspawn.com/SufferingDays.wma

When I left Italy in 1996 the band was still playing. Unfortunately they broke up in 2002 and they never played an instrument again.

When I came to Ireland I formed a band called Thoth, brutal death metal a-la Cannibal Corpse where I was both growling and playing the bass. The drummer of the band has all reharsals and the only demo we made ("Altars of the Land of ThoTh"). Of that band I ve only a few memories as we lasted maybe a couple of years with no gigs and just a lot of alcohool and drugs consumed. A ThoThal waste of time if you ask me.

My metal background is far larger tho. I worked for 4 years with HM the most notorious metal magazine in Italy, I collaborated with Metal Shock mag in Italy and Metal Hammer in Germany (through the latest HM editors).

During that time I had the immense pleasure to interview Metallica, Motorhead, Black Sabbath, Testament, Nuclear Assault to name a few.

I also ran a local radio program 5 days a week called "Heavy Mass" for almost 3 years.

I produced and collaborated in different ways with 2 bands, Hate and the early Necrodeath, both local bands.

I played the bass with Black Prophecies on the only 2 demos they released (as a session musician).

I also ran for 7 years a fanzine firstly called SBM than reborn as UnderShout, that sold roughly 2500 copies every month (in the latest days).

All this spanning between 1981 and 1996, 15 years of madness.

Well dear boarders, I confess I shed a few tears while compiling this. I was THAT close to make it, tho in a very difficult genre, but THAT close nonetheless. But I have been left with loads of great memories and it was my pleasure to share a few of them with you guys.

You have a great day

Max

[*PORTHOS*]

just plain cool
[img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img] [img]smile.gif[/img]

[bonedust]

you are metal to the fucking core, mate!

i always wanted to get a gore band going, but there is such a small fanbase....let alone fans who can play at 100000000 miles an hour.

now sing us a christmas carol!!!

[DARTH POOH]

I'm hangin' in. Better since the rains have now left So CA. My chronic pain is getting back under control, so I'll gladly take that! I was getting sick of being a human barometer! [img]graemlins/whatever.gif[/img] [img]wink.gif[/img]

[MaxCottica]

ehm DP told ya you shouldn't put those barometers up there ... those go outside ! Is a THERMOMETER you can stick up your holy [img]smile.gif[/img] [img]biggrin.gif[/img]

Stupid jokes aside glad to know things are rolling somehow ! Bring me best to all yours [img]wink.gif[/img]

[Slytherin Snape]

Quite the metal pedigree you got there! [img]cool.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/beer.gif[/img] [img]cool.gif[/img]

[MaxCottica]

SNAPE ! Almost missed u there ! How is it going ?

YEAH ! {banging ferociously despite his bad neck ! }

Gosh gotta scoop. Chicken is getting cold ! yum yum ... wooooooooooooosh

[Slytherin Snape]

Going pretty well here. [img]smile.gif[/img] Thanks for putting your Metal Resume up for us. I particularly like the EXPIATORIA stuff. [img]cool.gif[/img]

[Mr. Bungle]

Wow- I would've never known you had such a history! [img]rolleyes.gif[/img]

[toymank]

sweet jeebus! I always thought you were puss! [img]wink.gif[/img]


that's insane man! I had no idea!
yer bones must be pure metal! [img]wink.gif[/img]