Hello! I am Matthew Pungitore! In this article, Howie Bentley talks to me about music, sword-and-sorcery, and more! Without further ado, let the thunder commence!

Please tell me about yourself, who you are, where you’re from, what you do?
I am a heavy metal musician. I am originally from the mountains of Southeastern Kentucky, though I spent almost thirty years of my life in the Atlanta area before moving back to Kentucky in 2016. I became obsessed with heavy metal music when I heard Ozzy Osbourne’s Blizzard of Ozz album in 1981. Hearing Randy Rhoads’ blazing guitar solos set me on fire to learn to play the guitar. I used to come home after school and practice five hours every day. I was even skipping school to stay home and practice. I would practice up to fifteen hours some days. When one does this, the guitar almost becomes sort of an extra appendage.

After high school I moved to Atlanta to attend the Atlanta Institute of Music. I graduated in 1989. I got a teaching gig and taught guitar lessons full-time, then started looking around for bands to join. None of the metal bands in Atlanta were any good, so I formed my own.

How long have you been in Cauldron Born, and what position are you?
I formed Cauldron Born in 1994. I play guitar and write all the music, lyrics, and basic vocal melodies.

Have you ever been in any other bands or music groups?
Mostly just shitty cover bands that didn’t amount to anything. It took me years to find the right musicians for Cauldron Born.

When creating music, would you say you have a muse of any kind?
Yes! Definitely! And the muse tends to come around at night. That is why it is best if a creative person who is serious about his craft keeps late hours and sleeps in the day if he can. Here is a quote from H.P. Lovecraft regarding writing that should be taken to heart by all those who are serious about their art (whatever it is): “At night, when the objective world has slunk back into its cavern and left dreamers to their own, there come inspirations and capabilities impossible at any less magical and quiet hour. No one knows whether or not he is a writer unless he has tried writing at night.”

What can you tell me about Echoes of Crom Records?
I started Echoes of Crom Records in 2010 to release my own music because I was tired of shelling out money to release my albums and not even breaking even, licensing my releases with other labels. Echoes of Crom is a CD only label. I fund my own projects, then license the vinyl and cassette releases with European labels. This works out a lot better.

What can you tell me about Underground Symphony?
Underground Symphony was (maybe still is) a record label based in Basaluzzo, Italy that specialized in power metal and progressive metal, mostly. I released the first three Cauldron Born albums with them.

How often do you practice on your craft? on music, writing, performing?
Every day, as much as I can.

What is the funniest experience you’ve ever had while performing live?
It is a pain in the ass to play live. That’s why I don’t do it anymore. All I remember is grief. I guess that is kind of funny in itself.

I believe you also write stories, correct? Can you tell me more about that?
Because all the lyrics I write deal with sword-and-sorcery, Dave Ritzlin with DMR Books approached me about contributing a tale for the first volume of his anthology, Swords of Steel, in 2014. I sent him my tale, “All Will Be Righted on Samhain”. The story is set during the aftermath of the Iceni revolt against imperial Rome and featured the Cauldron Born mascot, Thorn. Thorn is the Thorn rune incarnate. He appears on the Cauldron Born album covers. Some readers liked the story, so I continued writing for the two subsequent volumes. In the meantime, I decided to try a few more markets and managed to sell my other stories, as well. I have written a number of tales about the Cauldron Born mascot, Thorn. My most well-received tales are about a barbarian swordsman named Argantyr who transforms into a werewolf by means of an ensorcelled wolf skin. I am currently working on an Argantyr novel entitled Cold Steel for the Necromancer. This is also the title of the new Cauldron Born album. The album can be purchased at the Echoes of Crom website.

In addition to Swords of Steel, DMR Books published my sword-and-planet novella Under a Dim Blue Sun and the gothic horror/sword-and-sorcery novel I collaborated on Karnov: Phantom-clad Rider of the Cosmic Ice. They can be purchased from the DMR website.

My collection, The Snake-Man’s Bane, is available at Amazon.

What is sword-and-sorcery to you? How do you translate its spirit via music form?
Sword-and-sorcery is masculine fiction with a historical or pre-historical setting that includes malefic supernatural elements, battles with bladed weapons of iron or steel, and incorporates a strong sense of individualism triumphing over collectivism.

Final remarks? Anything to tell the world? What makes life sublime?
Be sure to check out the new Cauldron Born album, Cold Steel for the Necromancer. What makes life sublime? My dog, Howler. She’s the reason I still wake up every day.

And that’s a wrap! Did you have fun, all you rockers and metalheads, or what? I would like to thank Howie Bentley for taking time to talk with me. It was a pleasure and a wicked killer experience that I’m thankful for! Good luck with your future work, Howie!

Matthew Pungitore’s short story “Wychyrst Tower” appeared in Cirsova (Winter 2021). He has written various essays and articles for the DMR Books blog. He does volunteer work for the Hingham Historical Society. Matthew is also the author of The Report of Mr. Charles Aalmers and other stories, Fiendilkfjeld Castle, and Midnight's Eternal Prisoner: Waiting For The Summer. Matthew graduated with a Bachelor of Science in English from Fitchburg State University.

You can also visit Matthew’s BookBaby author-page.

You can contact Matthew Pungitore at: matthewpungitore_writer@outlook.com