This tribute to Dario Argento is absolutely brutal. What inspired you most about his films? It seems pretty natural the way you guys translated Argento into the language of Death Metal.
Well, Dario is the architecture of horror... that’s how we like to call him. The camera shots, the lighting, the cinematography, the music, the final plot twists... all of it influenced us. We wanted to recreate his unsettling atmosphere in our own world, which is extreme music /
death metal. We also wanted to dedicate an entire album to him because no one ever did that. Most horror-death bands always refer to the same directors, like Lucio Fulci. We wanted to do something different. Plus, in the last year we celebrated the 40th anniversary of Phenomena and the 50th of Deep Red, two incredible films we incorporated into our latest album. Even though Dario is one of the most meticulous and influential giallo/thriller directors, we feel he doesn’t always get the recognition he deserves. This is our way of thanking him and paying homage.
What does Una Lama d'Argento represent compared to your previous musical works?
Honestly... nothing. Just the concept. Tenebro will always be Tenebro: dark, heavy, groovy, dirty, and brutal. But like any band, we evolve. This time, we added unsettling melodies, riffs, and sounds nothing technical or fancy, just organic growth. Every song is inspired by a movie. We try to capture its essence and translate it into riffs. Like our previous albums, there’s one slow track, Jennifer. Others may start slow but quickly descend into a nightmare. We like to keep it simple.
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| Il Becchino |
The new album was released by Time To Kill Records. How you guys were hook by them and from your perspective, how difficult is it for a band like yours to survive in a market where horror and extreme metal are, let's say, aimed at a very specific audience?
Enrico approached us last year, he had a clear vision for Tenebro and was doing amazing work. We gladly joined his roster. Extreme music has always been niche, and adding horror concepts makes it even more unique. But since the pandemic, there’s been a huge revival of Italian horror cinema, which has helped us a lot. Our visuals, artwork, and aesthetics also attracted attention... some people buy our merch even if they’re not metalheads, just because they love the films we reference. Horror death metal is in a strong spot now, and there’s an exciting wave of new bands emerging as well.
I understand the album was mastered at Toxic Basement Studio in Milan. But where was it recorded, and how important was that technical environment in achieving the sound you were looking for?
We always record ourselves at home, no professional studio. Not because we can’t afford it, but because we want a personal sound.Nowadays, many bands sound too clean, which we hate. Hannes (Il Beccamorto) handles everything, from recording to mixing. It’s a basement, also the HQ of Dismal Fate Records. Every release has a different sound, depending on the movie. We’re not chasing a specific tone; it comes naturally.
Looking back at your previous albums, have you done anything different this time? Or do you already have the formula and are just adding the known ingredients? How important is improvisation in TENEBRO's compositions? How do you guys write and compose your songs? Who does what?
Our process is simple. We watch Italian horror movies we love and write riffs inspired by them. Brutal riffs, relentless drums, catchy melodies, intense growls, and scary screams... that’s how we transcribe the movies into music. Since we aren’t a full band but a two-piece project, we don’t rehearse. We write riffs at home and send them to each other. Hannes handles the recording, mixing, and final touches. It keeps things simple and organic.
I read the band was formed in 2000, but only released the first demo until 2019, acting as a duo with Il Becchino & Il Beccamorto. Do you think it's easier to work with fewer members? This leads me to my second question: TENEBRO doesn't seem like a band very interested in playing live, does it? Or I’m wrong?
Yes, working as a duo keeps things simple. Tenebro was never meant to be a live band! it’s a project paying homage to Italian cinema. Over the years, we received offers to perform but always declined, until the NRW Death Fest in Germany in 2023. It went great, so now we play a few selected shows with session members, but only if the offer, venue, and line-up feel right.
Is it true that the band was inactive for a period of time due to some illegal extracurricular activities with former members? How did that hiatus influence the band's current identity? How bad was it?
No comment.
What was it like working with Dave Rotten and Xtreem Music, the label that produced your first albums? Tell us about the EPs known as Tenebro's trilogy of death, released also by Rottens Label.
Dave was a big fan after our first demo in 2019. He offered us a deal for an album, and we gladly accepted. He’s released some of the best records and EPs in the ’90s, so we trusted him. He released the trilogy digitally, but physically it was Dismal Fate Records that handled tapes and special limited editions. Seven Metal Inches Records released them on 7” vinyl.
The trilogy:
• Carne Umana – inspired by Umberto Lenzi’s Cannibal Ferox (2 songs, including an Impetigo cover)
• La Bestia dell’Isola Maledetta – inspired by Joe D’Amato’s Anthropophagus (2 songs)
• Inferno Contaminato – inspired by Bruno Mattei’s Virus (2 songs) All three EPs follow the cannibal movie genre.
The song "Lo specchio… omicida" has a sound very much like IMPETIGO, MORTICIAN, or NECROPHAGIA. I know TOP lists are cheesy, but sometimes necessary. SO…. if you had to record a cassette with bands that fused elements of horror films and extreme music, which ones would make the tracklist?
SIDE A
1.Impetigo – “Wizard Of Gore”
2.Mortician – “Chainsaw Dismemberment”
3.Necrophagia – “Cadaverous Screams Of My Deceased Lover”
4.Pungent Stench – “Shrunken And Mummified Bitch”
5.Autopsy – “Charred Remains”
6.Exhumed – “In My Human Slaughterhouse”
SIDE B
7. General Surgery – “Grotesque Laceration Of Mortified Flesh”
8. Baphomet – “Valley Of The Dead”
9. Deceased – “The Cemetery’s Full”
10. The Ravenous – “Keep My Grave Open”
11. Death Breath – “Death Breath”
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| Il Beccamorto |
The artwork on all your albums is amazing; they're like a museum of cool winks to films like Demons, House by the Cemetery, Blood Sucking Freaks, and many more. Italian horror and exploitation cinema is so vast; and I wonder if there's still a filmmaker about whom you want to write a song about but haven't got the chance yet?
There are so many! People usually think of Fulci, Argento, L. Bava, and Martino, but there are many more. One day we want to make a complete giallo album, paying homage to directors like Aldo Lado, Giuliano Carnimeo, Francesco Barilli, Antonio Bido, Pupi Avati... and of course, to gothic masters like Mario Bava, Riccardo Freda, Antonio Margheriti, Camillo Mastrocinque, and Massimo Pupillo. So much material to explore!
Julian Ibáñez's cover is a feast of Argento references. I don't know if I should say this, but Asia Argento turns me on, shes so damn hot…. Now…. Changing the subject a bit, there are many beautiful actresses in Italy. My favorite, a queen of Italian giallo films, is Edwige Fenech. Do you guys have any favorites?
Absolutely! Italy has produced some of the most iconic faces in giallo cinema. Edwige Fenech is an amazing choice she’s basically royalty of the genre, mixing elegance, danger, and that unmistakable ’70s intensity. Other favorites for us:
• Daria Nicolodi – Argento’s muse (Deep Red, Tenebre)
• Florinda Bolkan – haunting (A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin, Don’t Torture a Duckling)
• Barbara Bouchet – elegant and mysterious (Don’t Torture a Duckling, The Red Queen Kills Seven Times)
• Anita Strindberg – iconic in darker, sleazier gialli
• Mimsy Farmer – queen of psychological tension (Four Flies on Grey Velvet, The Perfume of the Lady in Black)
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| Il Beccamorto & Il Becchino |
Do you like animal-killing people cinema? Italy also has some good examples like the films of Bruno Mattei or Enzo G. Castellari with The Last Shark. Did you like that movie? And what do you think of the original Jaws movie?
No, we are against animal cruelty. But we can’t change the past, those scenes were part of what made these movies intense and famous. Bruno Mattei and Enzo G. Castellari are masters of tension and chaos. The Last Shark is over-the-top, thrilling, and unapologetically pulp. Jaws is a masterpiece in its own right: lean, terrifying, and precise. Both fascinate us one raw and delirious, the other surgical in suspense. Both feed the hunger for the sublime terror of the unknown.
If the audience doesn't understand the film references, can they still enjoy the music?... or do you think that perhaps without that cultural background, the essence of TENEBRO is lost?
Absolutely. Tenebro isn’t just about references; it’s about atmosphere, emotion, and the ritual of sound. The horror cinema we draw from shapes texture, darkness, and tension, but at its core, the music works on a primal level... fear, obsession, and the uncanny are universal. Knowing the films adds a hidden dialogue, but the essence of Tenebro the descent into shadow, intensity, and catharsis... can be felt even without the cultural background.
Many thanks for your time...Anything else to add?
Many thanks, Jorge! And big thanks to BN FANZINE and MIDNIGHT FUNERAL ’ZINE for supporting underground music. Our new album, Una Lama d’Argento, will be released on 12 December 2025 via Time To Kill Records. Eleven tracks, each a ritualistic journey through darkness, cinema horror, and obsession. Whether or not listeners catch all the references, the essence of Tenebro is universal. We hope to see you deep underground when the album drops.
TENEBRO LINKS:
https://tenebro666.bandcamp.
https://www.instagram.com/
Time To Kill Records
https://timetokillrecords.
https://www.instagram.com/
https://www.facebook.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/
https://timetokillrecords.com/https://timetokillrecords.com/
https://tenebrohorror.
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