Bunker 66, based in Messina, Sicily, has been waging musical war on the world for more than a decade. Formed in 2007, this blackened thrash outfit unleashed their debut EP, Out of the Bunker, in 2009. Since then, the band has unleashed four full-lengths and a slew of thrashing compilations. Throughout it all, the band has managed to distinguish itself in a crowded genre with their highly memorable riffs, a high-speed tempo, and a throwback sound that manages to call back to some of the greats from the genre without feeling like a clone.
If you’re a fan of Venom, or any of the classic blackened thrash records from Kreator, Sodom, and Destruction, Bunker 66 needs to be in your rotation. If you ever wish you could get in a time machine and discover some lost records of the late ’80s/early ’90s extreme metal scene, you really can’t go wrong with Chained Down in Dirt or Beyond the Help of Prayers, the last two LPs from the band. I recently caught up with drummer and founding member Dee Dee Altar to get the story on how Bunker 66 came to be and where they are headed.
First off, how did the band get started? How did you guys meet and what made you want to start this kind of band together?
DD: It was 2007 and we already knew each other for a couple of years. At the beginning it was just me and Bone Incinerator, our first guitarist, jamming on Sundays. As soon as some songs took shape (the first was “Lurking Demons“) D.Thorne joined us in this crazy journey. We had and still have the same love for this kind of music, it’s in our blood and forming this band was a totally natural process.
How did you get into extreme metal? What led you to discovering it and who were some of the important early bands for you?
DD: One of my first memories is the refrain of Metallica’s “Ride the Lightning.” [It] was on some cassette of a friend of mine or of a friend of a friend of mine, music was something you craved, the less available it was the more you wanted to dig and records passed from hand to hand pretty fast. I remember also a Dio cassette and a killer VHS with lots of episodes of “Headbangers Ball.” I was shocked when I saw Sepultura’s Live in Barcelona. I wanted to play some instrument and had also the urge to mosh! The formative records were the first four Metallica albums, first five Slayer albums, first two Testament albums, first two Anthrax albums, and Sepultura up to Chaos A.D. It was a constant search for the most extreme music you can listen to and this lasted from 14 to approx. 22 years of age. I also liked MTV punk rock, especially ’90s Offspring, which later directed me towards ’70s and ’80s punk rock and the hardcore punk world.
You’ve had a mostly consistent lineup throughout the years. What makes you and Damien [D.Thorne] work so well together? How did J.J. [Priestkiller] end up in the band? How do you guys keep a healthy band dynamic?
DD: I know it is still not out there on the world wide web, but D.Thorne left the band in September 2022.
Our friend, C.Conqueror, from Gargoyle stepped in and saved lots of shows across Europe in 2022 and 2023.
We are slowly working on new songs with this line-up, let’s see and hear how everything will evolve, we never made concrete plans with Bunker 66.
We already knew J.J. since 2005, more or less, and it was a natural choice for me and D.Thorne to contact him in 2016 when Bone Incinerator left the band.
Well, at this point, I don’t know if we can talk about a healthy band dynamic [laughs]! I remained the only original member but there is absolutely no bad blood between me and the former band members, you know… we are all different individuals, with different lives and different mindsets, interests and so on…
How do you guys write the music and lyrics in the band? Do you jam together or present your own ideas? How do you come up with the lyrics and themes?
DD: Usually I present almost complete songs and then we work on them together in the rehearsal room. J.J. usually has either one or two riffs or just starts improvising in front of us and then we start jamming. C.Conqueror already did some cool riffs too!
The lyrics always come after the song is done. The music dictates the mood of the lyrics. Sometimes it happens that I just imagine the refrain and the rest of the lyrics will then be based on that.
What was recording the debut EP, Out of the Bunker, like? What did you learn from the process that you carried to future recordings?
DD: It was recorded at the rehearsal place we had back in 2009, a tiny room with pretty good acoustics. I remember not using the ride cymbal on that record for no reason [laughs]! Unfortunately I don’t remember much about those sessions. Bone Incinerator himself was behind the mixer, he had already recorded some albums with his previous band and was really into recording music.
This EP and the first two albums were recorded with a metronome, I was never good with that and in my honest opinion it decreased my instinctiveness behind the drums on those records, lesson learned!
How about writing/recording that first full-length, Infernö Interceptörs? What was that process like? Were you guys happy with the final recording? I personally love that one and it’s one of my favorites from your discography.
DD: We came from a very rough time due to the death of a dear friend of mine and serious health issues of D.Thorne. Finishing Infernö… was like a light at the end of the tunnel. If I’m not wrong, we started recording it before the dramatic events mentioned and then finished it months after. The process was the same like Out of the Bunker, same rehearsal/recording place and Bone recording and mixing it. We were pretty happy with the final recording and were beyond happy that High Roller Records took us under their steelwing.
What was the writing/recording process like for the most recent record, Beyond the Help of Prayers? Has it gotten easier or harder to make records now? I imagine it’s nice to have more experience under your belt but more difficult to keep things fresh, which you guys always manage to do.
DD: That was pretty different because it was recorded during the pandemic, I was working full-time from home (wonderful) and J.J. had way less work, that meaning we had a lot of time to rehearse and record. As soon as J.J. came into the picture we were lucky again to have a member of the band who is also good at recording music. Beyond… was recorded in J.J.’s rehearsal place, right beneath the mighty Etna. Doing new songs is a natural process for us and we hadn’t any issues of keeping things fresh, we just spat our metal out like we always did. Up until now it never got harder to make new stuff.
I wanted to ask about the lyrical and musical origins of some of my favorite tracks from your discography. How did you guys come up with “Night of the Scream Queen” [on Infernö Interceptörs]?
DD: That title was an idea of Bone Incinerator, as soon as he decided we had to use it I came up with the lyrics, which are pretty naive and primitive [laughs]. It’s a cool song though, all riffs were made by Bony. Maybe it’s the most sinister song on the record, the first riff reminds me of early Slayer. I remember I got goosebumps when I first heard Bone’s solo, especially the first part, it’s so simple but so full of feeling!
How about “Still They Lurk [also on on Infernö Interceptörs]?
DD: That was meant as a sequel to “Lurking Demons” of our previous output. First part of the song is total Hellhammer mid-tempo worship and then it bursts out into a metalpunk debauchery. The lyrics are from D.Thorne, very primitive stuff!
As me shouting “Here comes Bone Incinerator!” in our “Walpurgisnacht” song has always amused people, we decided to continue this tradition of guitar solos introductions also with “Still They Lurk,” this time with “Bone Incinerator storm the gates!” I admit I always love to do this shit while recording.
What’s the story behind “Screaming Rock Believers?”
DD: We went totally rock ‘n’ roll with that record and let our heavy metal influences loose.The first part of the title-track has an almost fist-pumpin’ early Motley Crue-ish vibe, like “Looks that Kill” for instance. Then it becomes faster in the refrain and has a very metalpunk feel, like Atomkraft, Warfare, English Dogs, and the likes. It’s a great track, we should take it back in our setlist.
What’s the origin of “Satan’s Countess” [on Chained Down in Dirt]?
DD: I came up with the refrain while I was in the office, it was initially “Lady Mantis” but I thought “Satan’s Countess” sounded better. We decided to start it abruptly with a ripping guitar solo like Agent Steel’s “Children of the Sun,” yes! I guess it’s the first Bunker 66 song which has also a pre-chorus.
You guys always have really striking and memorable album covers. Who does them and how much direction do you give them for what you’re looking for? Do you have a favorite cover of yours and, if so, why?
DD: The Out of the Bunker cover was originally a photo of us (only the self-released CD has it), then Reinig Records (JoJo, are you still alive?) went for a killer drawing by Impaled’s Digestor.
Infernö… cover artwork was done by D.Thorne, very Mad Max inspired stuff, as all our early stuff. Screaming… was a photo inspired by Thin Lizzy’s Bad Reputation; it was shot by our friend Skullcrusher. Chained Down in Dirt was done by JDW Death my only Friend Artworks and Beyond…by Vhan Artworks. Our latest CD compilation Portraits of Dismay is a killer drawing by Claudio Elias Scialabba, totally inspired by Sodom’s Obsessed by Cruelty. Basically we just give an initial idea to the artist and then we deal with various drafts, comments, adjustments, and so on.
My favorite artwork is that of Claudio, I hope we’ll work together again for our next album!
I’m a diehard Celtic Frost fan (who isn’t?) and loved the tribute you put out last year. How much does Celtic Frost mean to you and how did you get into them? What led to the decision to make the cover record and what was it like to record those classics?
DD: Hellhammer and Celtic Frost mean the world to us! We have soooooo many CF inspired riffs, it’s in our blood. We even like the hated stuff, particularly Cold Lake. Our love for that record was already showed by choosing “Seduce me Tonight” as the opening track of our second album.
I discovered Celtic Frost thanks to Obituary’s cover of “Circle of the Tyrants.” We were invited to take part in this CD tribute compilation by our friend Alberto Penzin (former Schizo bassist, now in CO2) and went again for a more obscure track like “Juices Like Wine.” It was our first recording with C.Conqueror on vocals. It was recorded in a chaotic period for the band, among all the early rehearsals and gigs with him as our new vocalist.
What’s your local scene like there in Italy? Do you get to play live a lot and what effect has your area had on the shape of the band?
DD: We live on a beautiful island, Sicily. The other side of the coin is that we are far away from northern Italy and northern Europe, where all the cool gigs mostly happen.
There are often cool local gigs here but if you want to see bigger bands or a more sectoral festival you have to travel a lot. The positive aspect of this is that we always stay hungry and feel the fire [laughs]! We really felt to be out of a bunker back in 2009 when our first EP was published and gave us the opportunity to play quite often abroad.
Lastly, what’s next for Bunker 66? What are your plans for the rest of 2024?
DD: We had some gigs in southern Italy in the past months and now we’ll have a summer break. We will play in September at the “In the Best Tradition” festival in central Italy, awesome line-up it has!
In October, we’ll play in Germany at the “Spirit of Metal” festival and we are looking forward to our first show in Portugal, in January, at the “Hardmetal Fest.” As already said, we are slowly working on new tunes and have three song skeletons waiting to be completed by our slowasses.
Photo at top: Portraits of Dismay album cover (as discussed in the interview above).
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