Doomed Confessionary: MoMo & Lele (Di’Aul)
Ever since their inception in 2010, Milan, Italy based quartet Di’Aul have strived to write heavy, catchy music underlaid with subtle complexities. The band had a distinctive and fully-formed sound right from the start: a mix of ’70s rock songwriting and 90’s metal groove.
Di’Aul has performed on numerous stages across Italy and Europe, sharing the stage with bands such as Crowbar, Messa, Goblin, Jex Thoth, The Ossuary, Geoff Tate, Nibiru, Ahab, and many others, cementing their position as a commanding presence in the doom/sludge scene.
The band released their fifth full-length album »EvAAvE« on February 7th, 2025 via Minotauro Records. Recorded entirely live and using only analog equipment, the album was shaped within the walls of the legendary Vacuum Studio in Bologna, under the expert guidance of Enrico Baraldi. Mastered by Esben Willems (Monolord, Slower), »EvAAvE« blends the heavy soul of doom and sludge with a production that highlights every detail, from the lowest frequencies to hypnotic reverbs.
Di’Aul consists of MoMo on vocals, Lele on guitars Jeremy on bass and Rex on drums.
Can you say a few words about your band?
MoMo: There is a strange sense of freedom in spending years swimming just beneath the surface – never truly emerging, yet never fully sinking. It’s a suspended state, made of waiting and endurance, missteps and small victories.
I believe this image perfectly captures more than ten years of Di’Aul’s music: perpetually emerging, to the point of almost seeming like we’re repeating the process over and over again.
Lele: We love playing in solitude, surrounded by the grime of this world.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
MoMo: The biggest challenge for the band has been staying true to our vision while navigating the difficulties of being a DIY band. Balancing our personal lives, day jobs, and the demands of making music – especially in a niche genre like doom/sludge – requires constant effort. Finding the right opportunities for live shows and reaching a wider audience without compromising our sound and identity has always been a challenge, but one we face with passion and determination.
Lele: To play our own music.
What can you be most proud of so far?
MoMo: I am proud of all these years in which, together with my bandmates, we have had the opportunity to grow both personally and musically. We have found the right formula that allows each member to contribute their own ideas. We have lost and won together.
What was your biggest regret?
MoMo: I don’t really have big regrets. Every experience, whether good or bad, has shaped us into who we are today. Of course, there have been missed opportunities or choices that could have been different, but in the end, everything has led us here, and I wouldn’t change that.
Lele: Not having written the soundtrack for the end of the world yet.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
MoMo: I believe I speak for everyone when I say that the most emotional concert for us was opening for Crowbar: they have always been one of our favorite bands.
Tours are always both amazing and challenging at the same time, you appreciate them even more once they’re over. However, the escape from everyday life that touring gives you is truly unmatched
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
MoMo: If you’re referring to music in general, I am amazed by the renewed interest from younger generations in rediscovering “live music.” What I mean is that you can feel the desire of younger people to play an instrument. What’s surprising is that today, we have access to an infinite library of music, so you might find yourself listening to a high school band playing in the style of the Melvins or Area. It’s a period of rediscovery, even for us older folks: we now have the chance to finally listen to albums that we had only heard about, albums that without the internet wouldn’t have been reissued, like The Trees or Sir Lord Baltimore, for example.
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
MoMo: DITZ, Karate, Blind Melon.
Lele: Type O Negative and David Gilmour.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
MoMo: Enjoying it, from the moment you write a song to when you perform it in front of someone.
Lele: Breath.
What are your guilty pleasures?
MoMo: As a band, we’re pretty open about our love for all sorts of music. Some of our guilty pleasures would definitely be cheesy 80s rock, pop hits from the 90s, and maybe even a bit of eurodance here and there. It’s all about enjoying what makes you feel good, no matter how ridiculous it may seem to others! Ah, and drink a lot of beer.
Lele: One of our guilty pleasures is definitely cranking the volume up to max and just letting the sound rip through us. Nothing beats that feeling when the bass is so heavy, it literally shakes your body – especially the backside! The power of music at full volume is unmatched.
Can you say something more about current music scene in Italy?
MoMo: In Italy, we actually have a lot of great bands, like Messa, Tenebra, Thedus, Crysalis, Black Rainbows, and many others. However, talking about a “scene” is a bit tricky: I don’t think there’s much collaboration. The journey of a band today is quite solitary, from production to recording to live shows… It’s nice to run into each other by chance at some event, but as far as moving together as a real “scene,” that doesn’t really exist at the moment.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
MoMo: At the moment, we are trying to organize some promotional shows in Europe and Italy, but as you can probably imagine, being completely DIY, it’s always a long and uncertain process.
Lele: Where the wind blows.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
Lele: Keep writing music.
How can people best support your band?
MoMo: Listening our music.
Lele: One of the best ways would definitely be to invite us to perform at some special event.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Lele: You never know what can happen, we’re on a mission from God.
MoMo: Keep listening to music: search for it, discover it, share it, and talk about it.
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well