Black Rainbows

Black Rainbows
Background information
Origin	Roma, Lazio, Italy
Genres	Stoner Rock
Years active	2006 - Present
Labels	Longfellows Deeds Records, Heavy Psych Sounds
Associated acts	Void Generator, Manoamara, The Pilgrim, Killer Boogie, White Ocean, Bottle Tree, Thrangh, Tribraco, The Wisdoom
Website	The Black Rainbows

Black Rainbows are a stoner rock band originating from Roma, Italy. Starting initially in 2006 as a tongue-in-cheek means to play heavy psych and desert rock, the trio would evolve into a sizable act in Europe's stoner rock scene. Notably the band draws influences from several psych, heavy rock and stoner acts such as MC5, Blue Cheer, Hawkwind, Black Sabbath, Kyuss, Monster Magnet, Fu Manchu and Nebula just to name a few.

To date the band has six studio albums, the most recent three with Heavy Psych Sounds, a label created and owned by Gabriele Fiori since 2011.

History

Black Rainbows would be established in 2006 initially as a means to jam out and have fun, performing music inspired by all the bands the trio initially enjoyed together. The founding lineup would be guitarist/vocalist Gabriele Fiori, bassist Luca Giancotti and drummer Tommaso Moretti. However the band would be quickly picked up by French label Longfellow Deeds and release their debut album Twilight in The Desert circa 2007. The band would quickly tour around various parts of Europe often as a support to touring acts, their earliest known festival appearances being the 2008 editions of Stoned From The Underground and the Italian Festival Stoned Hand of Doom.

Black Rainbows would tour more frequently as the band established more of a buzz, while quickly working on a second record. Carmina Diabolo saw release in 2010, with a release party on 15 January Carmina Diabolo would see positive reception from a handful of publications such as My Global Mind, Forced Exposure and Planet Fuzz Records among others. Black Rainbows would tour extensively in support of Carmina Diabolo, sharing the stage with the likes of Nebula and Fatso Jetson among others.

With building momentum, Black Rainbows quickly started work on a third album, recording between May and June 2011 amidst a heavier touring schedule and appearances the likes of Duna Jam among others. Black Rainbows would release their third album Supermothafuzzalicious!! on 12 December 2011, touring Europe alongside Naam to support it. This this album saw praise from the likes of The Obelisk, Sea of Tranquility and Rock Times among others. Notably a drastic change would happen with the bands around this time. Along with a couple changes in the rhythm section, bandleader Gabriele would establish Heavy Psych Sounds in 2011, the first releases with Black Rainbows on that label being a single known as C'mon, C'mon, C'mon and a split LP with Farflung, the two bands touring in support of the split. The band also returned to Duna Jam and toured more frequent than ever.

With the new label established also came reissues, namely Twilight in The Desert circa 2012 and Supermothafuzzalicious!! circa 2013. A new EP entitled Holy Moon also saw release in 2013 as the band would share the stage with the likes of Karma To Burn, Glowsun and Naam among others. The band's live activity would slow in 2014 as work began on a fourth album though notable appearances included DesertFest Berlin, Desertfest London and the inaugural Heavy Psych Sounds Fest as direct support for Ufomammut.

Black Rainbows would release their fourth studio album Hawkdope via Heavy Psych Sounds circa 14 March 2015 to positive reviews. In an interview with NCS, Fiori would explain the process in creating the fourth album:

“	“First of all, this album took almost two years and half. Since Supermothafuzzalicious!! we recorded tons of new songs, and we wanted to take time to record the best of them. To put all proper songs together, not just good songs, but songs which really work well together. So we started to rehearse a lot, started to craft songs, then we took the best ones and chose some of them, making arrangements for about 20 songs, as we started with 40-50 songs. So in the end we took only 9 songs from these 20. It was the first time when Black Rainbows recorded an album all together in one room. Usually we record songs part by part, separately for each instrument. So we spent five days together in my studio, which I crafted for better sound of Black Rainbows. And after these five days of recordings, we started with arrangements, vocals, and overdubs. Well, fuzz has been pretty important since its creation when it was a first pedal for rock music. And its sound can be so creamy and heavy. In fact I use a clean amplifier, just a pedal. I like a wide panel to put my own sound with my own pedal, and if you decide to use the pedal, and the amplifier is clear, you can have just the proper sound of the fuzz, maybe with some equalizing… You can use the fuzz in different versions, you can use the fuzz for ’70s acid rock, just riffing — it depends on the tuning of the guitar — or my use of it is like a wall of sound. It’s that I like to use, so I choose brief heavy riffs — not small riffs, not ’70s freak hippy riffs, but heavy riffs with fuzz sound. In the past Black Rainbows albums I didn’t use it always, I also used an overdrive, but for Hawkdope the sound is fully fuzz attended. There are no key studios. I record Black Rainbows in my studio and it’s not a big one, but I can work and get my sound that’s important. Some bands have to spend big money to go in a cool studio or to buy some expensive stuff, but it stops you from searching your own sound. I think that high-level recording isn’t necessary for this kind of music — at least too much of a clear and cool sound, because sometimes this music needs a more dirty sound.”	”
	— Gabriele Fiori, Scapegoat

Black Rainbows would tour heavily in support of Hawkdope, performing at several festivals including Duna Jam, Tube Cult Fest, Fuzztastic Planet, Up In Smoke and Lake on Fire Festival among others. In similar fashion to the two albums prior Black Rainbows would have another album recorded by the end of the year and Stellar Prophecy saw release the next April, just thirteen months after Hawkdope. Black Rainbows would tour through the summer with appearances at Freak Valley Festival, Into The Void, Desertfest Athens and Desertfest Belgium, closing out the year touring with Brant Bjork. Work would begin on a sixth record throughout 2017 as the band made notable appearances at Stonefall Festival supporting Monster Magnet and a return to Desertfest Athens.

Pandaemonium saw release via Heavy Psych Sounds on 6 April 2018 to positive reviews as the band returned to more frequent performing including a Spring tour surrounding an appearance at Desertfest London, an appearance at Hellfest and a return to Heavy Psych Sounds Fest, participating in the majority of the festivals the label would curate throughout Europe in 2019 and 2020. On 13 February 2020 the band would announce a new studio album in Cosmic Ritual Supertrip, with a release date set for May 2020. Extensive European touring would be announced soon after in support of the band's seventh album.

Discography

Studio Albums

• Twilight in The Desert (2007, Longfellows Deeds)
• Carmina Diabolo (2010, Longfellows Deeds)
• Supermothafuzzalicious!! (2011, Longfellows Deeds)
• Hawkdope (2015, Heavy Psych Sounds)
• Stellar Prophecy (2016, Heavy Psych Sounds)
• Pandaemonium (2018, Heavy Psych Sounds)
• Cosmic Ritual Supertrip (2020, Heavy Psych Sounds)

Other Releases

• Farflung & Black Rainbows (Split with Farflung) (2012, Longfellow Deeds; Heavy Psych Sounds)
• C'mon, C'mon, C'mon (7" Single) (2012, Heavy Psych Sounds)
• Holy Moon (EP) (2013, Heavy Psych Sounds)
• 4-Bands Split Vol. 1 (Split with Naam, The Flying Eyes, White Hills) (2014, Heavy Psych Sounds)

Members

Current Lineup

• Gabriele Fiori - Guitar, Vocals (2005 - Present)
• Filippo Ragazzoni - Drums (? - Present)
• Edoardo "Mancio" Mancini - Bass (2020 - Present)

Past Members

• Luca Giancotti - Bass (2006 - ?)
• Tommaso Moretti - Drums (2006 - ?)
• Daniele Conti - Drums (2012?)
• Marco De Massi - Bass (2012?)
• Alberto Croce - Drums (2013 - ?)
• Dario Iocca - Bass (2013 - ?)
• Giuseppe Guglielmino - Bass (? - 2019)

List of Known Tours

• Carmina Diabolo German Tour (2010)
• Carmina Diabolo Austria/Switzerland Tour (2010)
• 2011 European Tour (With Naam) (2011)
• Supermothafuzzlicious!! European Tour 2012 (2012)
• Farflung & Black Rainbows Tour(With Farflung) (2012)
• June 2012 European Tour (2012)
• November/December 2012 European Tour (2012)
• Hawkdope European Tour (2015)
• 2016 European Tour (With Brant Bjork) (2016)
• 2020 European Tour (2020)

External Links

• Black Rainbows Facebook
• Black Rainbows Twitter
• Black Rainbows Bandcamp
• Interview via Echoes and Dust
• Interview via the Black Planet