After 3 decades of his unique brand THE BLACK is the most important Italian Heavy Doom band. The moniker was adopted by Mario Di Donato that called himself "THE BLACK" in his Metal band "REQUIEM" just before "THE BLACK" project. The Band was founded in 1988 by Mario Di Donato, former band leader of "UNREAL TERROR" and the "REQUIEM" who is widely known on the international Rock scene. Mario writes all the band's texts and music and paint himself the bands album cover. THE BLACK play a Mystic and Artistic Heavy, which is sung in Latin to blend Rock and Art together. Art, music and mysticism are the essence of the artistic journey of Mario "The Black" Di Donato. The pictorial art of Mario Di Donato was born in the 70s and led him to be recognized and appreciated throughout the world. He has coined his art in "Fantastic Art of the Soul" (Ars Mentis). Also the parallel adventure, the music, has this art, has to be indivisible and inalienable, and Mario Di Donato coined their music "Metal Of Soul" (Metal Mentis). All this makes him the forerunner of a new international movement "Art and Soul's Metal" (Ars et Metal Mentis).THE BLACK's first album, RELIQUARIUM was released in 1988. "Infernus, Paradisus et Purgatorium" the 2nd album was released in the 1990. The 3rd "ABBATIA ST. CLEMENTIS" in 1993 closes the first part of the story of THE BLACK, in fact in 1995 he met his Historic label Black Widow Records that takes a concretization of this meet with the album "REFUGIUM PECCATORUM". With this album, and with the support of the BWR, the sound of Mario becomes even more obscure and sabbathian, reaching the pinnacle of creativity and depth with the excellent album "APOCALIPSYS" in 1996. In this album the heavy doom music is encountered in some way with the progressive and a truly shocking development as a great artist who continues with the next "GOLGOTHA" in 2000, there are two Italian covers one of the band "CORVI" and the other one of "IL ROVESCIO DELLA MEDAGLIA" two bands that represented a strong influence for MARIO DI DONATO. In this period the band played several gigs and appears on Italian's TV show "HELP" of the famous Red Ronnie, where he presented an excellent new song "OBSCURA NOCTE". The band was invited to play in the famous German festival "Headbangers Open Air" where they enjoyed an incredible success. The thickness creativity of an artist like MARIO DI DONATO seems unstoppable, in his paintings and music, in fact he receives numerous internationally awards for hes paintings. After born two works in one "PECCATIS NOSTRIS" and "CAPISTRANI PUGNATOR" out on vinyl separately and together on CD in 2004. The Metal Mentis Doom of THE BLACK is now at the highest expression levels, no one had ever dared so much musically in this genre. Especially in "CAPISTRANI PUGNATOR", dedicated to the powerful statue of the Capestrano's Warrior, where the mighty of the worlds have stopped by and been marvel, the music touches the top, unthinkable managing to combine metal music with the wonder of progressive and even medieval folk. In 2010 MARIO DI DONATO collaborated with the doom band SANCTA SANCTORUM founded by Steve Sylvester (DEATH SS) where he played two songs on their debut album "The Shining Darkness". We arrive now at the last great THE BLACK album "GORGONI" out in 2010 in Vinyl for BLACK WIDOW RECORDS (A special very limited edition Lp with the cover in real canvas) and Cd. Meanwhile in december 2010 MARIO DI DONATO receive in Pescara (Italy) an INTERNATIONAL AWARD the "PREMIO DANTE ALIGHIERI", as Musician for helping to spread the good name of the ABRUZZO region beyond the borders of itself. THE BLACK keep with his music magical sensations and vibrations resulting from the grooves of these new compositions that taste arcane and touch the sun, death and life after death. MARIO's guitar playing become always more personal, doom riffs, some irregular but also exciting, blend with his voice sung in Latin where hope and fear are combined to perfectly. Crepuscular visions, spiritual ecstasy, epic melodies create exciting music that is perhaps no longer defined heavy or doom, his greatness leaves us amazed, shocked and just forces us to listen in silence.

Source: Official website