There must be something in the water (or wine) in Italy that makes its classic metal bands completely bonkers. Milan’s Bulldozer emerged from the same ’80s movement that gave the world oddball bands like Paul Chain, Death SS, and Dark Quarterer. After a run of classic albums that drew from black metal, speed metal, and thrash and a bizarre middle period that saw them half-seriously dabbling in techno, Bulldozer released Unexpected Fate in 2009. Apart from 2014’s Jingle Hells, a Christmas-themed split 10-inch with Death SS – what did I say about those Italian bands? – that was the last we heard from them. Today, Decibel is stoked to premiere the video for their first original song in 12 years, “Heretic!”
Inspired by the deaths of Pomponio Algieri and Giordano Bruno at the hands of the Catholic Inquisition, the song is a return to classic form for Bulldozer. We asked the band’s longtime frontman AC Wild to tell us more about the song. Read the interview and watch the video for “Heretic!” below.
It’s been 12 years since Unexpected Fate. What made now the right time to come back with “Heretic!”?
The video and the audio were ready at least three years ago. We took many years to finish the recording because we added lots of modifications after discussions and discussions. Actually, it’s a kind of compromise among lots of disagreements. We took over 10 years (from the beginning of the composition of the track) to finally find the agreement to release it on August 19th, the anniversary of the execution of P. Algieri, burnt alive in boiling oil in Rome 1556. It’s certainly the longest work of Bulldozer. Moreover, this is the first video ever of Bulldozer. I think this video is very “deep” and violent but very realistic from a historical point of view.
The song is dedicated to two Italian heretics who were tortured and killed by the Catholic Inquisition. What about their stories inspires you?
These two Italian heretics were both born in Nola (NA) in the 16th century. The content of their heresies were different, but I was really impressed by the exceptional courage with which they refused to abjure and submit to the Catholic Inquisition. They defended their own ideas and freedom of conscience until the end and faced an atrocious death.
Pomponio Algieri was born in 1531 and sentenced to be burned alive in boiling oil in Piazza Navona, Rome on August 19, 1556 (Giordano Bruno was eight years old at the time). Algieri entered the cauldron willingly, without being pushed in by the executioner, after repeating his convictions to the crowd. He took 15 minutes to die but the great Algieri did not scream, which stunned the religious sadistic people who wanted to see a very painful punishment.
The other heretic Giordano (Filippo) Bruno, more famous and studied as a philosopher, was burned alive in Campo dei Fiori, Rome on February 17, 1600. To prevent him from shouting out his convictions to the crowd, they nailed his tongue to the roof of his mouth. We do not wish to forget what he said to the ecclesiastical Inquisition Court (recited in the video in original Latin language): “You are more afraid of issuing this sentence than I of receiving it.”
Now that the band is officially back in action, do you have any future plans for touring and recording?
We are seriously thinking about scheduling some tours/shows next year if COVID emergency will be over. Regarding our plans for releasing new songs, I made a calculation: we took 10 years to release one single. If we plan to complete one album with eight more songs, we could finish and release our next album in 2101. I will be 140 years old.
