Stormlord - Biography
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Biography
[ 1 9 9 1 ]
LINE UP: Cristiano Borchi (Bass, Vocals), Claudio Di Carlo (Guitar), Riccardo Montanari (Drums)
Stormlord project starts in September 1991 from an idea of Cristiano Borchi after a meeting with Claudio Di Carlo. Few days later, the drummer Riccardo Montanari joins the band and, after a short period of playing covers, the three guys start to write some original songs: the sound is raw and heavily influenced from the rising Death Metal scene
[ 1 9 9 2 ]
LINE UP: Cristiano Borchi (Bass, Vocals), Claudio Di Carlo (Guitar), Riccardo Montanari (Drums)
The band enters in studio to record the first demo, simply titled "Demo '92", recorded and mixed in just one day. This demo isn't professional, it was meant just to take confidence with the recording studio and to start spreading the name of the band. "Demo '92" is released in April.
In July Andrea Cacciotti joins the band as second guitar player.
[ 1 9 9 3 ]
LINE UP: Cristiano Borchi (Bass, Vocals), Claudio Di Carlo (Guitar), Andrea Cacciotti (Guitar), Riccardo Montanari (Drums)
In the first half of the year Stormlord finish the songwriting for the new demo, "Black Knight", recorded in May and released in September. In "Black Knight" can be heard the first epic atmospheres: it's a concept demo based on an easy fantasy story (really unusual in that period, when writing concepts about knights and battles wasn't a trend yet, expecially in the extreme music). The sound is quite unusual and original, some magazines classify the band as "Epic Death Metal" combo; the demo turns out to be a good success, selling more more than 1000 copies.
[ 1 9 9 4 ]
LINE UP: Cristiano Borchi (Bass, Vocals), Claudio Di Carlo (Guitar), Andrea Cacciotti (Guitar), Riccardo Montanari (Drums)
During the first months of the year Claudio Di Carlo leaves the band. With the new guitar player Dario Maurizi the band writes a new instrumental song, "The Spirit Of The Storm" (never recorded or published) and gets in touch with an italian label, Metal Horse Productions, making Stormlord appear in a cd sampler, "Dawn Of Gods". The band writes the new song "Cataclysm", officially avaliable on this compilation only. In the meantime Riccardo Montanari quits the band and is quickly replaced by Gabriele Valerio.
[ 1 9 9 5 ]
LINE UP: Cristiano Borchi (Bass, Vocals), Andrea Cacciotti (Guitar), Dario Maurizi (Guitar), Gabriele Valerio (Drums)
With the new line up the band records the song "Cataclysm" for the "Dawn Of Gods" sampler. This song is far from the epic style of the band and much more into typical death metal sound. Quite after that, Dario Maurizi and Gabriele Valerio chose to leave Stormlord. The new drummer is found in Marcello Baragona (one the few 44 years old death metal drummers!). Stormlord starts to compose the new material with the help of Riccardo Montanari on the second guitar: after leaving Stormlord, Riccardo changed from drums to guitars, becoming quickly a good performer. The new songs are influenced from the black metal scene, but the feeling of the music is also epic and atmospheric. For the first time in the history of the band, a keyboard player, Fabrizio Cariani, joins the line up. At the end of the year the guitar player Andrea Cacciotti leaves the band.
[ 1 9 9 6 ]
LINE UP: Cristiano Borchi (Bass, Vocals), Fabrizio Cariani (Keyboards), Marcello Baragona (Drums), Riccardo Montanari (guitar session)
The band records the songs for the debut miniCd "Under The Sign Of The Sword". As told before, the sound is enriched by melodies, epic parts, choirs and female voices, not forgetting the black metal influences. Cristiano quits the bass and changes his vocal attitude, skipping from the death metal growling to the black metal screaming. After a few months the line up is fixed and ready for the live activity: Dux Tenebrarum (currently in Art Inferno) and Pierangelo Giglioni join the band as guitar players while Fabban (from Funeral Oration) is added as session bass player.
[ 1 9 9 7 ]
LINE UP: Cristiano Borchi (Vocals), Pierangelo Giglioni (Guitar), Dux Tenebrarum (Guitar), Fabrizio Cariani (Keyboards), Marcello Baragona (Drums), Fabban (Bass session player)Raffaella grifoni (Female Vocals)
The miniCd is released and Stormlord starts the first italian tour: they play gigs and festivals in Italy (some of them with bands like Overkill, Death SS, Domine...) and they take part to the "Italian Gods Of Metal" festival.
Dux Tenebrarum leaves the band and Pierangelo becomes the only guitar player of the band.
Stormlord records a promo with 3 new songs and send it to foreign labels, signing for the german label Last Episode. After the recording of the promo, Fabban quits the band to concentrate himself on his project Aborym and is replaced by Francesco Bucci.
[ 1 9 9 8 ]
LINE UP: Cristiano Borchi (Vocals), Pierangelo Giglioni (Guitar), Francesco Bucci (Bass), Fabrizio Cariani (Keyboards), Marcello Baragona (Drums)
Due to the excellent sound quality of the three-tracks promo, Last Episode prints the promo Cd as the "Where My Spirit Forever Shall Be" miniCd.
In the meanwhile, the band replaces the drummer Marcello Baragona with David Folchitto. With this new line up Stormlord starts to tour Italy and Europe supporting main acts like Atrocity and Sacred Steel.
At the same time Stormlord work on the new material for the first full lenght cd.
[ 1 9 9 9 ]
LINE UP: Cristiano Borchi (Vocals), Pierangelo Giglioni (Guitar), Francesco Bucci (Bass), Fabrizio Cariani (Keyboards), David Folchitto (Drums)
On the 8 of January Stormlord enter the Temple Of Noise studio to record "Supreme Art Of War". The recording sessions are over on the 24 of April, on the first days of August the cd is released.
The keyboard player Fabrizio Cariani leaves the band quite before the tour, and is quickly replaced by Simone Scazzocchio.
In October the band joins Mystic Circle, Graveworm and Suidakra in the fist Stormlord's european tour.
[ 2 0 0 0 ]
LINE UP: Cristiano Borchi (Vocals), Pierangelo Giglioni (Guitar), Francesco Bucci (Bass), Simone Scazzocchio (Keyboards), David Folchitto (Drums)
After the european tour, Stormlord start to write the material for the new album and splits from Last Episode. The group signs a new deal with the italian label Scarlet Records and record the material for "The Curse Of Medusa" EP.
At the same time, the band play some gigs and Festivals in Italy with Domine and Vision Divine.
[ 2 0 0 1 ]
LINE UP: Cristiano Borchi (Vocals), Pierangelo Giglioni (Guitar), Francesco Bucci (Bass), Simone Scazzocchio (Keyboards), David Folchitto (Drums)
Stormlord finish the songwriting for the new album in the first months of the year and enter the Outer Sound studios (Novembre, Thy Majestie, Rosae Crucis, DGM, Necrodeath etc.), in Rome, to record the second full lenght album "At The Gates Of Utopia", between 15/3 and 25/5. The production is handled by Giuseppe Orlando and Max Pagliuso (respectively the drummer and the guitar player of Novembre).
The cover artwork is made by Joe Petagno (Motorhead, Marduk etc.).
At the same time the EP "The Curse Of Medusa" is released for Scarlet Records.
"At The Gates Of Utopia" is out on the 23 of November (except for Japan, where the album is out through Soundholic on the 24 of October).
The second Stormlord european tour starts on the 26 of November, seeing the band giving hell to Germany, Italy, Holland, France, Austria, Croatia and Hungary together with Ancient and Thyrane.
[ 2 0 0 2 ]
LINE UP: Cristiano Borchi (Vocals), Pierangelo Giglioni (Guitar), Giampaolo Caprino (Guitar) Francesco Bucci (Bass), Simone Scazzocchio (Keyboards), David Folchitto (Drums)
The band adds a new guitar player to the official line up: Gianpaolo Caprino (Run With Wolves, The Legend Of The Sleeping River, Perfidy Biblical).
The highlights of the italian tour happen during two crowded festivals: the first one in Milan - here Stormlord played in the "Un Dia De Leones" festival sharing the stage with Soulfly, Arch Enemy, Extrema and Necrodeath etc. - and the second one in Chiaromonte during the Agglutination open air festival, probably the most important metal festival in the whole south of Italy - here Stormlord share the stage with Destruction, Vicious Rumors, Undertakers, Heimdall, Infernal Poetry and other killer acts, kicking the ass of a large, loud and crazy crowd of die-hard fans!
After all this madness, the band takes a little rest before the beginning of the songwriting for the next album, in the meanwhile some of the members follows their own side projects.
At the end of the year the band is gathered again to compose the material for the new album and to make some new promotion (Stormlord was invited from the satellite musical network "Rock Tv").
In the end of November Stormlord shoot their first video, "I Am Legend", under the guide of the well skilled movie director Brigida Costa.
[ 2 0 0 3 ]
LINE UP: Cristiano Borchi (Vocals), Pierangelo Giglioni (Guitar), Giampaolo Caprino (Guitar) Francesco Bucci (Bass), Simone Scazzocchio (Keyboards), David Folchitto (Drums)
In the early months of 2003 the "I Am Legend" videoclip is unleashed. Quickly it became one of the Stormlord biggest hits, thrilling both the disciples of the majestic band's sound and the horror/splatter movies fanatics.
After the break, the band begin to write new songs for the third album, titled "The Gorgon Cult". Once again the chosen studios are "The Outer Sound", due to the great feeling that the group has set up with the skilled producer Giuseppe Orlando. The new guitar player, Gianpaolo, takes some new influences completing the killer guitar-work of Pierangelo with new armonies and ideas Stormlord have never explored before.
On The 28 of June Stormlord plays at "A Summer Day In Hell" in Italy (Bologna), one of the biggest european open air festival, featuring bands like Blind Guardian, Type O Negative, Opeth, Virgin Steele, Lacuna Coil, Annihilator and more: the response of the crowd is amazing, expecially when the band presents "Wurdulak".
On the 3 of November, after the songwriting process has been completed, the band enter the studio holding in the sleeve 9 brand new songs featuring the Iron Maiden cover "Moonchild".
This time the artwork is up to J. P. Fournier (Immortal, Impaled Nazarene, Avantasia etc.)
[ 2 0 0 4 ]
LINE UP: Cristiano Borchi (Vocals), Pierangelo Giglioni (Guitar), Giampaolo Caprino (Guitar) Francesco Bucci (Bass), Simone Scazzocchio (Keyboards), David Folchitto (Drums)
After a full immersion in the Outer Sound Studios, and some great times spent with the producer Giuseppe Orlando (also featured as a special guest on the album), the band is ready to unleash "The Gorgon Cult" wordwide. The album is released on the 26 of April (once again Japan has the chance to listen to the Cd long before the other countries, having the album released on 15 March, eriched by a bonus track) and it's distributed from Europe to U.S., from Japan to Russia and so on; in a short time "The Gorgon Cult" turns out to be one of Stormlord's most appreciated works ever, as the high ratings of enthusiastic reviews on countless magazines and webzines testify. Stormlord celebrate the album release with two crowded shows, first one in Roma, second one in Lugano (CH), gaining an amazing feedback.
On the 6 of June Stormlord attend their biggest open air festival ever, playing at the "Gods Of Metal" together with legends like Motörhead, Sodom, Alice Cooper, Twisted Sister, Testament, Judas Priest, Symphony X, Nevermore, Naglfar, Stratovarius and many more.
After the summer time, the band shoots the video for the song "Under The Boards (195, M.A.)", taken from "The Gorgon Cult". Once again is Brigida Costa behind the camera, supported by the amazing special fx's of David Bracci's Fanta-X and a special help from the horror legend Sergio Stivaletti (often at work with Darion Argento and not only). This time the things are even more professional than the "I Am Legend" clip, so the video is enriched by the presence of two great actors: Giuseppe Oppedisano ("Cari Fottutissimi Amici", "The English Patient", "Demonium" etc.) and Irene Turati (already seen on Pupi Avati's set). Due to its heavy contents, the video is banned from the tv channels, but it quickly reachs a cult status all across the internet being spread through thousand of downloads, thrilling legions of fans and splatter/gore freaks.
At the end of the year the band get in touch with Scarlet Records in order to organize their next tour, starting in March 2005 together with Necrodeath.
In the meanwhile, Stormlord begin to work on the new songwriting process for the fourth full lenght album.
LINE UP: Cristiano Borchi (Bass, Vocals), Claudio Di Carlo (Guitar), Riccardo Montanari (Drums)
Stormlord project starts in September 1991 from an idea of Cristiano Borchi after a meeting with Claudio Di Carlo. Few days later, the drummer Riccardo Montanari joins the band and, after a short period of playing covers, the three guys start to write some original songs: the sound is raw and heavily influenced from the rising Death Metal scene
[ 1 9 9 2 ]
LINE UP: Cristiano Borchi (Bass, Vocals), Claudio Di Carlo (Guitar), Riccardo Montanari (Drums)
The band enters in studio to record the first demo, simply titled "Demo '92", recorded and mixed in just one day. This demo isn't professional, it was meant just to take confidence with the recording studio and to start spreading the name of the band. "Demo '92" is released in April.
In July Andrea Cacciotti joins the band as second guitar player.
[ 1 9 9 3 ]
LINE UP: Cristiano Borchi (Bass, Vocals), Claudio Di Carlo (Guitar), Andrea Cacciotti (Guitar), Riccardo Montanari (Drums)
In the first half of the year Stormlord finish the songwriting for the new demo, "Black Knight", recorded in May and released in September. In "Black Knight" can be heard the first epic atmospheres: it's a concept demo based on an easy fantasy story (really unusual in that period, when writing concepts about knights and battles wasn't a trend yet, expecially in the extreme music). The sound is quite unusual and original, some magazines classify the band as "Epic Death Metal" combo; the demo turns out to be a good success, selling more more than 1000 copies.
[ 1 9 9 4 ]
LINE UP: Cristiano Borchi (Bass, Vocals), Claudio Di Carlo (Guitar), Andrea Cacciotti (Guitar), Riccardo Montanari (Drums)
During the first months of the year Claudio Di Carlo leaves the band. With the new guitar player Dario Maurizi the band writes a new instrumental song, "The Spirit Of The Storm" (never recorded or published) and gets in touch with an italian label, Metal Horse Productions, making Stormlord appear in a cd sampler, "Dawn Of Gods". The band writes the new song "Cataclysm", officially avaliable on this compilation only. In the meantime Riccardo Montanari quits the band and is quickly replaced by Gabriele Valerio.
[ 1 9 9 5 ]
LINE UP: Cristiano Borchi (Bass, Vocals), Andrea Cacciotti (Guitar), Dario Maurizi (Guitar), Gabriele Valerio (Drums)
With the new line up the band records the song "Cataclysm" for the "Dawn Of Gods" sampler. This song is far from the epic style of the band and much more into typical death metal sound. Quite after that, Dario Maurizi and Gabriele Valerio chose to leave Stormlord. The new drummer is found in Marcello Baragona (one the few 44 years old death metal drummers!). Stormlord starts to compose the new material with the help of Riccardo Montanari on the second guitar: after leaving Stormlord, Riccardo changed from drums to guitars, becoming quickly a good performer. The new songs are influenced from the black metal scene, but the feeling of the music is also epic and atmospheric. For the first time in the history of the band, a keyboard player, Fabrizio Cariani, joins the line up. At the end of the year the guitar player Andrea Cacciotti leaves the band.
[ 1 9 9 6 ]
LINE UP: Cristiano Borchi (Bass, Vocals), Fabrizio Cariani (Keyboards), Marcello Baragona (Drums), Riccardo Montanari (guitar session)
The band records the songs for the debut miniCd "Under The Sign Of The Sword". As told before, the sound is enriched by melodies, epic parts, choirs and female voices, not forgetting the black metal influences. Cristiano quits the bass and changes his vocal attitude, skipping from the death metal growling to the black metal screaming. After a few months the line up is fixed and ready for the live activity: Dux Tenebrarum (currently in Art Inferno) and Pierangelo Giglioni join the band as guitar players while Fabban (from Funeral Oration) is added as session bass player.
[ 1 9 9 7 ]
LINE UP: Cristiano Borchi (Vocals), Pierangelo Giglioni (Guitar), Dux Tenebrarum (Guitar), Fabrizio Cariani (Keyboards), Marcello Baragona (Drums), Fabban (Bass session player)Raffaella grifoni (Female Vocals)
The miniCd is released and Stormlord starts the first italian tour: they play gigs and festivals in Italy (some of them with bands like Overkill, Death SS, Domine...) and they take part to the "Italian Gods Of Metal" festival.
Dux Tenebrarum leaves the band and Pierangelo becomes the only guitar player of the band.
Stormlord records a promo with 3 new songs and send it to foreign labels, signing for the german label Last Episode. After the recording of the promo, Fabban quits the band to concentrate himself on his project Aborym and is replaced by Francesco Bucci.
[ 1 9 9 8 ]
LINE UP: Cristiano Borchi (Vocals), Pierangelo Giglioni (Guitar), Francesco Bucci (Bass), Fabrizio Cariani (Keyboards), Marcello Baragona (Drums)
Due to the excellent sound quality of the three-tracks promo, Last Episode prints the promo Cd as the "Where My Spirit Forever Shall Be" miniCd.
In the meanwhile, the band replaces the drummer Marcello Baragona with David Folchitto. With this new line up Stormlord starts to tour Italy and Europe supporting main acts like Atrocity and Sacred Steel.
At the same time Stormlord work on the new material for the first full lenght cd.
[ 1 9 9 9 ]
LINE UP: Cristiano Borchi (Vocals), Pierangelo Giglioni (Guitar), Francesco Bucci (Bass), Fabrizio Cariani (Keyboards), David Folchitto (Drums)
On the 8 of January Stormlord enter the Temple Of Noise studio to record "Supreme Art Of War". The recording sessions are over on the 24 of April, on the first days of August the cd is released.
The keyboard player Fabrizio Cariani leaves the band quite before the tour, and is quickly replaced by Simone Scazzocchio.
In October the band joins Mystic Circle, Graveworm and Suidakra in the fist Stormlord's european tour.
[ 2 0 0 0 ]
LINE UP: Cristiano Borchi (Vocals), Pierangelo Giglioni (Guitar), Francesco Bucci (Bass), Simone Scazzocchio (Keyboards), David Folchitto (Drums)
After the european tour, Stormlord start to write the material for the new album and splits from Last Episode. The group signs a new deal with the italian label Scarlet Records and record the material for "The Curse Of Medusa" EP.
At the same time, the band play some gigs and Festivals in Italy with Domine and Vision Divine.
[ 2 0 0 1 ]
LINE UP: Cristiano Borchi (Vocals), Pierangelo Giglioni (Guitar), Francesco Bucci (Bass), Simone Scazzocchio (Keyboards), David Folchitto (Drums)
Stormlord finish the songwriting for the new album in the first months of the year and enter the Outer Sound studios (Novembre, Thy Majestie, Rosae Crucis, DGM, Necrodeath etc.), in Rome, to record the second full lenght album "At The Gates Of Utopia", between 15/3 and 25/5. The production is handled by Giuseppe Orlando and Max Pagliuso (respectively the drummer and the guitar player of Novembre).
The cover artwork is made by Joe Petagno (Motorhead, Marduk etc.).
At the same time the EP "The Curse Of Medusa" is released for Scarlet Records.
"At The Gates Of Utopia" is out on the 23 of November (except for Japan, where the album is out through Soundholic on the 24 of October).
The second Stormlord european tour starts on the 26 of November, seeing the band giving hell to Germany, Italy, Holland, France, Austria, Croatia and Hungary together with Ancient and Thyrane.
[ 2 0 0 2 ]
LINE UP: Cristiano Borchi (Vocals), Pierangelo Giglioni (Guitar), Giampaolo Caprino (Guitar) Francesco Bucci (Bass), Simone Scazzocchio (Keyboards), David Folchitto (Drums)
The band adds a new guitar player to the official line up: Gianpaolo Caprino (Run With Wolves, The Legend Of The Sleeping River, Perfidy Biblical).
The highlights of the italian tour happen during two crowded festivals: the first one in Milan - here Stormlord played in the "Un Dia De Leones" festival sharing the stage with Soulfly, Arch Enemy, Extrema and Necrodeath etc. - and the second one in Chiaromonte during the Agglutination open air festival, probably the most important metal festival in the whole south of Italy - here Stormlord share the stage with Destruction, Vicious Rumors, Undertakers, Heimdall, Infernal Poetry and other killer acts, kicking the ass of a large, loud and crazy crowd of die-hard fans!
After all this madness, the band takes a little rest before the beginning of the songwriting for the next album, in the meanwhile some of the members follows their own side projects.
At the end of the year the band is gathered again to compose the material for the new album and to make some new promotion (Stormlord was invited from the satellite musical network "Rock Tv").
In the end of November Stormlord shoot their first video, "I Am Legend", under the guide of the well skilled movie director Brigida Costa.
[ 2 0 0 3 ]
LINE UP: Cristiano Borchi (Vocals), Pierangelo Giglioni (Guitar), Giampaolo Caprino (Guitar) Francesco Bucci (Bass), Simone Scazzocchio (Keyboards), David Folchitto (Drums)
In the early months of 2003 the "I Am Legend" videoclip is unleashed. Quickly it became one of the Stormlord biggest hits, thrilling both the disciples of the majestic band's sound and the horror/splatter movies fanatics.
After the break, the band begin to write new songs for the third album, titled "The Gorgon Cult". Once again the chosen studios are "The Outer Sound", due to the great feeling that the group has set up with the skilled producer Giuseppe Orlando. The new guitar player, Gianpaolo, takes some new influences completing the killer guitar-work of Pierangelo with new armonies and ideas Stormlord have never explored before.
On The 28 of June Stormlord plays at "A Summer Day In Hell" in Italy (Bologna), one of the biggest european open air festival, featuring bands like Blind Guardian, Type O Negative, Opeth, Virgin Steele, Lacuna Coil, Annihilator and more: the response of the crowd is amazing, expecially when the band presents "Wurdulak".
On the 3 of November, after the songwriting process has been completed, the band enter the studio holding in the sleeve 9 brand new songs featuring the Iron Maiden cover "Moonchild".
This time the artwork is up to J. P. Fournier (Immortal, Impaled Nazarene, Avantasia etc.)
[ 2 0 0 4 ]
LINE UP: Cristiano Borchi (Vocals), Pierangelo Giglioni (Guitar), Giampaolo Caprino (Guitar) Francesco Bucci (Bass), Simone Scazzocchio (Keyboards), David Folchitto (Drums)
After a full immersion in the Outer Sound Studios, and some great times spent with the producer Giuseppe Orlando (also featured as a special guest on the album), the band is ready to unleash "The Gorgon Cult" wordwide. The album is released on the 26 of April (once again Japan has the chance to listen to the Cd long before the other countries, having the album released on 15 March, eriched by a bonus track) and it's distributed from Europe to U.S., from Japan to Russia and so on; in a short time "The Gorgon Cult" turns out to be one of Stormlord's most appreciated works ever, as the high ratings of enthusiastic reviews on countless magazines and webzines testify. Stormlord celebrate the album release with two crowded shows, first one in Roma, second one in Lugano (CH), gaining an amazing feedback.
On the 6 of June Stormlord attend their biggest open air festival ever, playing at the "Gods Of Metal" together with legends like Motörhead, Sodom, Alice Cooper, Twisted Sister, Testament, Judas Priest, Symphony X, Nevermore, Naglfar, Stratovarius and many more.
After the summer time, the band shoots the video for the song "Under The Boards (195, M.A.)", taken from "The Gorgon Cult". Once again is Brigida Costa behind the camera, supported by the amazing special fx's of David Bracci's Fanta-X and a special help from the horror legend Sergio Stivaletti (often at work with Darion Argento and not only). This time the things are even more professional than the "I Am Legend" clip, so the video is enriched by the presence of two great actors: Giuseppe Oppedisano ("Cari Fottutissimi Amici", "The English Patient", "Demonium" etc.) and Irene Turati (already seen on Pupi Avati's set). Due to its heavy contents, the video is banned from the tv channels, but it quickly reachs a cult status all across the internet being spread through thousand of downloads, thrilling legions of fans and splatter/gore freaks.
At the end of the year the band get in touch with Scarlet Records in order to organize their next tour, starting in March 2005 together with Necrodeath.
In the meanwhile, Stormlord begin to work on the new songwriting process for the fourth full lenght album.