power metal
Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...
band formed in 1991 in
Massa
Massa may refer to:
Places
*Massa, Tuscany, the administrative seat of the Italian province of Massa-Carrara.
*Massa (river), river in Switzerland
* Massa (Tanzanian ward), administrative ward in the Mpwapwa district of the Dodoma Region of Ta ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. The band underwent a change in style and themes after the departure of Olaf Thorsen in 2002.
History
1990s
Labyrinth formed in 1991 with a lineup of Franco Rubulotta (Frank Andiver-drums), Luca Contini (Ken Taylor-keyboards), Andrea Bartoletti (bass guitar), Andrea Cantarelli (Anders Rain-lead guitar), Carlo Andrea Magnani (Olaf Thorsen-lead guitar), Fabio Tordiglione (Joe Terry-vocals).
The band released their first demo "Midnight Resistance". The demo got enthusiastic reviews in major metal magazines in Italy and Germany and that gave them the chance to sign with
Underground Symphony
Underground Symphony is an Italian record label specialised in metal productions.
It is best known for having launched artists such as Labyrinth, Skylark, White Skull, Fabio Lione and Olaf Thorsen
Olaf or Olav (, , or British ; Old Norse: ''Á ...
, a new indie record label. Andrea Bartoletti left the band and was replaced by Chris Breeze (Cristiano Bertocchi). ''"Piece of Time"'', their first EP, marked the direction the band was taking: pure melodic speed metal with a keyboards-background.
In 1995, ''"No Limits"'' was released and the interest in the band grew among metal fans and independent labels. The popularity of the band increased not only in the Italy and in Europe, but also overseas where some labels (
Teichiku Records
is a Japanese record label, run by , that specializes in enka, kayōkyoku, and similar music. Teichiku is an abbreviation for , the former name of the company. Teichiku Entertainment also runs the record labels Imperial Records, Takumi Note, ...
in Japan) offered to distribute the album. The band was in the metal magazine ''
Burrn!
is a monthly Japanese magazine for fans of heavy metal music, published since September 1984. It is the major publication on heavy metal music in the country. As of 2013, it is published by Shinko Music Entertainment in Tokyo. The magazine's c ...
s top ten charts for almost six months. Joe Terry (Fabio Tordiglione) left the band and later becoming the frontman with
Rhapsody of Fire
Rhapsody of Fire (formerly known as Rhapsody) is an Italian symphonic power metal band formed by Luca Turilli and Alex Staropoli, widely seen as a pioneer of the symphonic power metal subgenre.
Since forming in 1993 as Thundercross, the band h ...
.
In 1997, Frank Andiver (Franco Rubulotta) and Ken Taylor (Luca Contini) left the band (however they took part in the composing of "Return to Heaven Denied"); and Rob Tyrant (Roberto Tiranti), Mat Stancioiu (Mattia Stancioiu) and Andrew McPauls (Andrea De Paoli) were brought in as their replacements. All the while, some of the big metal labels showed an interest on the band's new demo and finally
Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records is an American independent record label founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The US office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distrib ...
made an offer and the band joined the label. It took six months to record the second album ''Return To Heaven Denied'' and before its release the band took part in that summer's metal main event: "
Gods of Metal
Gods of Metal is the biggest Italian metal festival, held annually since 1997. It takes place in early summer, usually on the first or second weekend of June. It is most often held at venues in or near Milan, but took place in Bologna three tim ...
", together with some of heavy metal's biggest acts such as
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...
,
Pantera
Pantera () is an American heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas formed in 1981, and currently comprised of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-kn ...
,
Helloween
Helloween is a German power metal band founded in 1984 in Hamburg by members of bands Iron Fist, Gentry, Second Hell and Powerfool. Its first lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Kai Hansen, bassist Markus Grosskopf, guitarist Michael Weik ...
,
Blind Guardian
Blind Guardian is a German power metal band formed in 1984 in Krefeld, West Germany. They are often credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in the power metal and speed metal subgenres.Domine who was with Labyrinth throughout the whole European tour as supporting act with
Pegazus
Pegazus is an Australian heavy metal band from Melbourne. The band was formed in late 1993 by guitarist Johnny Stoj came to international notice in 1998 after being signed to Nuclear Blast records. The band has released five studio albums, the ...
of the most popular bands
HammerFall
HammerFall is a Swedish power metal band from Gothenburg. The band was formed in 1993 by ex-Ceremonial Oath guitarist Oscar Dronjak.
History
Early days (1993–1996)
HammerFall was formed when rhythm guitarist Oscar Dronjak quit Ceremonial ...
and Primal Fear. After a few months, it followed an Italian tour with Heimdall. Then, Rob Tyrant returned to the band. After a short break the band entered the recording studio to release the new Mini CD ''Timeless Crime'', containing new and old tracks from the first demotape ''Midnight Resistance'' to LPs ''No Limits'' and ''Return to Heaven Denied''.
2000s
After these festivals, the band entered the recording studio again to release the new full-length album ''Sons Of Thunder''. As a showcase for the new album, the band played at important European festivals, like WACKEN 2000 and Rock Machina 2000 in Spain. At the end of August 2000, ''Sons Of Thunder'' went to No. 52 on the Japanese charts and at No. 26 on the Italian charts. The band then toured
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
with
Vision Divine
Vision Divine is an Italian power/progressive metal band formed in 1998.
History
Originally a solo project from Olaf Thörsen (born Carlo Andrea Magnani). Soon, Fabio Lione rejoined him after the first Labyrinth period ("No Limits"), and the ...
.
The band organized an Italian tour first, in February 2001, with supporting band Sigma (ex Love Machine), and then a European tour, supporting Helloween first and then with
Nocturnal Rites
Nocturnal Rites is a Swedish power metal band formed in 1990.
Biography
The band started off under the name ''Necronomic'' playing death metal, as can be heard on their demo (''The Obscure'', 1991). This attracted some independent labels' at ...
supporting
Iron Savior
Iron Savior is a German power metal band that was formed in Hamburg in 1996. Following a period of several years working behind the scenes in music production, multi-instrumentalist and producer/engineer Piet Sielck joined with former Helloween ...
.
The band organized, in March 2002, a tour called "Italian Attack". A festival in which Domine,
White Skull
White Skull is an Italian power
Power most often refers to:
* Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work"
** Engine power, the power put out by an engine
** Electric power
* Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or e ...
,
Skylark
''Alauda'' is a genus of larks found across much of Europe, Asia and in the mountains of north Africa, and one of the species (the Raso lark) endemic to the islet of Raso in the Cape Verde Islands. Further, at least two additional species are ...
, Novembre, and Centurion appeared. Their participation in these tours help raise the popularity of Labyrinth. In May of that year, the band began writing new material.
In the meantime, Olaf Thorsen left the band to join Vision Divine, whereas Mat Stancioiu and Andrew McPauls left Vision Divine to dedicate all their attention to Labyrinth. In July the first demo of the new Labyrinth album appeared. For the first time, the members decided to use their Italian names: Andrea Cantarelli, Roberto Tiranti, Andrea De Paoli, Cristiano Bertocchi, and Mattia Stancioiu.
The clear and sharp recording of the new demo procured them three of the most important deals of their career:
Century Media Records
Century Media Records is a heavy metal record label with offices in the United States, Germany and London. In August 2015, Century Media was acquired by Sony Music for US$17 million.
Background
Century Media was founded by Robert Kampf and Oli ...
for Europe and Americas, V2 for Italy and King Records for Japan.
In January, Labyrinth began recording the new self-titled album, with the band self-producing again. It was recorded at the Noise Factory in
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
, Italy, and it was mastered at House of Audio in Germany.
On April 24, 2003 Labyrinth signed a record deal with Century Media Records. The release date for their next album was set for June 30, 2003. The release of ''Labyrinth'' originally set for June 30, was postponed in Italy to July 4.
On August 9, 2003, Labyrinth performed at the 9th
Agglutination Metal Festival
Agglutination Metal Festival is an Italian heavy metal music, metal music festival, festival held annually in Basilicata, among the towns of Senise, Chiaromonte and Sant'Arcangelo (province of Potenza, Potenza). Born in 1995 as an event to promote ...
in Chiaromonte, Italy. Other bands set to appear at the event included Vader,
Virgin Steele
Virgin Steele is an American heavy metal band from New York, originally formed in 1981.
The band released a few career highlights albums (''Noble Savage'', '' The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I'', '' The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II ...
and Elvenking.
Roberto Tiranti took part in the musical "The Ten Commandments" until the beginning of the year 2004.
The next step was finding another good guitarist for the live dates. The band found in
Pier Gonella
Pier Gonella (born Pierangelo Gonella) is an Italian guitarist, composer, arranger, producer and founding member of the heavy metal band Mastercastle and the black metal band Necrodeath.
Biography
Pier Gonella began playing guitar at the age ...
, Roberto and Andrea De Paoli. The first show with Pier was the IX Agglutination Metal Festival in
Chiaromonte
Chiaromonte is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Under the pseudonym "Montegrano", it was the case study for Edward C. Banfield's ''The Moral Basis of a Backward Society
The ''Moral ...
(PZ), where Labyrinth would have been the third band, before Vader and Virgin Steele.
After the summer, the band began preparations for the live shows to support the new album. It was a tour out of the usual standard, without an estimated end: The Maze On Tour 2003/2004. From December 2003, with the tour, also began the work on the new album foreseen for Fall 2004, during which the band celebrated 10 years together. The new work was a prosecution of the way begun with ''Labyrinth'', with songs of deep atmosphere and tracks like "Just Soldier", but with a deeper introspection. Taking part with good and dense ideas to the writing of the new tracks,
Pier Gonella
Pier Gonella (born Pierangelo Gonella) is an Italian guitarist, composer, arranger, producer and founding member of the heavy metal band Mastercastle and the black metal band Necrodeath.
Biography
Pier Gonella began playing guitar at the age ...
with the beginning of 2004 joined the band as sixth official member. Also in December, Rob Tyrant (Roberto Trianti) recorded guest vocals on the rock opera "Genius 'Episode II'" along with people such as Eric Martin (formerly of Mr. Big),
Russell Allen
Russell Allen (born July 19, 1971) is an American singer best known as the vocalist of the progressive metal band Symphony X. He has also worked with the supergroups Star One, Allen-Lande, Level 10, and as one of fourteen vocalists in the pr ...
(from
Symphony X
Symphony X is an American progressive metal band from Middletown, New Jersey. Founded in 1994, the band consists of guitarist Michael Romeo, keyboardist Michael Pinnella, drummer Jason Rullo, lead vocalist Russell Allen and bassist Michael Lep ...
Mark Boals
Mark Robert Boals (born December 5, 1958) is an American heavy metal vocalist and occasional bassist, best known for his vocals with Yngwie Malmsteen. He is currently a member of the band Foundry.
Boals' first album with Malmsteen, 1986's '' ...
(formerly of Yngwie Malmsteen),
Daniel Gildenlöw
Pain of Salvation is a Swedish progressive metal band led by Daniel Gildenlöw, who is the band's main songwriter, lyricist, guitarist, and vocalist. Pain of Salvation's sound is characterised by riff-oriented guitar work, a broad vocal range, o ...
(of
Pain of Salvation
Pain of Salvation is a Swedish progressive metal band led by Daniel Gildenlöw, who is the band's main songwriter, lyricist, guitarist, and vocalist. Pain of Salvation's sound is characterised by riff-oriented guitar work, a broad vocal range, o ...
),
Liv Kristine
Liv Kristine Espenæs (born 14 February 1976) is a Norwegian singer who has performed and composed songs mostly for various subgenres of heavy metal music. She started her career in the music industry as a vocalist for the gothic metal band Thea ...
(formerly of
Theatre of Tragedy
Theatre of Tragedy was a Norwegian band from Stavanger, active between 1993 and 2010. They are best known for their earlier albums, which influenced the gothic metal genre.
History Formation (1993)
Theatre of Tragedy was founded on 2 October 19 ...
), and
Edu Falaschi
Eduardo Teixeira da Fonseca Vasconcellos, known as Eduardo "Edu" Falaschi (born May 18, 1972), is a Brazilian musician. He is best known as the former lead singer and songwriter of São Paulo-based heavy metal band Angra. With Angra, Falaschi r ...
(of Angra).
''Labyrinth'' put the band to work one more time, with big support of Century Media, in Japan good sales with King Records and then in the month of May a tour in
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
called "Banzai Tour" in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
and
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...
, Japan,
Taipei
Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...
,
Taichung
Taichung (, Wade–Giles: ''Tʻai²-chung¹'', pinyin: ''Táizhōng''), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality located in central Taiwan. Taichung has approximately 2.8 million residents and is the second most populous city of Taiw ...
,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, and
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
and also
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
.
After some shows in Italy, Labyrinth played in
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
at More Than Festival 2004 with bands like
Lost Horizon
''Lost Horizon'' is a 1933 novel by English writer James Hilton. The book was turned into a film, also called '' Lost Horizon'', in 1937 by director Frank Capra. It is best remembered as the origin of Shangri-La, a fictional utopian lamas ...
s,
Destruction
Destruction may refer to:
Concepts
* Destruktion, a term from the philosophy of Martin Heidegger
* Destructive narcissism, a pathological form of narcissism
* Self-destructive behaviour, a widely used phrase that ''conceptualises'' certain kind ...
, and
Freedom Call
Freedom Call is a German power metal band formed in 1998. The band tours regularly and the current line-up includes two original members including lead vocalist and songwriter, Chris Bay. Freedom Call has released 12 albums in total, nine ...
.
On December 9, 2004, they performed a show in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
at Underworld Cadmen together with
Dream Evil
Dream Evil is a Swedish heavy metal band, assembled by producer Fredrik Nordström in 1999.
History
Producer Fredrik Nordström had the ambition of creating a power metal band of his own for a long time, but had difficulty finding anyone ...
. One week later Labyrinth signed a deal with the label Arise records.
With ''Freeman'', there was a new look with strength-jackets and more wish of freedom in the lyrics; both for Italian and Japanese releases, there is a normal version and one with a bonus
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
.
On February 22, 2005, Labyrinth announced the dates of an Italian tour in support of their upcoming album, ''Freeman''. The tour would consist of, seven total shows, ranging from March 25, 2005 through and including April 16, 2005. The follow-up to 2003's ''Labyrinth'', ''Freeman'' was recorded at Elnor Studios and scheduled for release on March 4, 2005 by Arise Records. ''Freeman'' was released in March 2005, in which the band showed more aggressive riffs and melodic parts at the same time. The album, was released in 2005 through Arise Records. The Italian version of the album contained the exclusive bonus DVD with a Tokyo show (Banzai Tour 2004), "best of" London Cadmen Underworld (from November 13, 2004), the "L.Y.A.F.H." and "Freeman" videos, pictures and discography.
Later that month on March 21, 2005, Headrush, an Italian hard rock band featuring ex-
Dokken
Dokken is an American glam metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. It split up in 1989 and reformed four years later. The band had several hit singles which charted on the Billboard Hot 100, such as " Alone Again", " In My Dreams", and " Burn ...
guitarist Alex De Rosso and Labyrinth singer Roberto Tiranti, released their debut album in Europe via
Frontiers Records
Frontiers Music – formerly Frontiers Records – is an Italian record label, predominantly producing hard rock. It was founded in 1996 by Serafino Perugino and is based in Naples.
History
In 1996, Serafino Perugino started working in the m ...
(and in Japan via King Records). Also, in March 2005 singer Roberto Tiranti appeared on Secret Sphere album ''"Heart & Anger"''.
That summer after the Lorca Rock Festival, Labyrinth played a tour in Italy (a total of 17 shows) and supported
Dream Theater
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of the ...
and Angra in Italy for three shows (June 21–23), in Italy (June 21, 2005 in
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
, on June 22, 2005 in
Ascoli Piceno
Ascoli Piceno (; la, Asculum; dialetto ascolano: Ascule) is a town and ''comune'' in the Marche region of Italy, capital of the province of the same name. Its population is around 46,000 but the urban area of the city has more than 93,000.
Geo ...
, and on June 23 in
Padova
Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...
) with Angra. Later, on August 14, 2005, Labyrinth took part in the Metalway Festival in
Gernika
Guernica (, ), official name (reflecting the Basque language) Gernika (), is a town in the province of Biscay, in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, Spain. The town of Guernica is one part (along with neighbouring Lumo) of the mu ...
Manowar
Manowar is an American heavy metal band from Auburn, New York. Formed in 1980, the group is known for lyrics based on fantasy (particularly sword and sorcery) and mythology (particularly Norse mythology and Greco-Roman mythology), as well as ...
,
Saxon
The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic
*
*
*
*
peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...
,
Accept
Accept may refer to:
* Acceptance, a person's assent to the reality of a situation etc.
* Accept (band), a German heavy metal band
** ''Accept'' (Accept album), their debut album from 1979
* ''Accept'' (Chicken Shack album), 1970
* ACCEPT (or ...
,
Motörhead
Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a precu ...
, W.A.S.P. and more.
2006 started with bad news, Cristiano Bertocchi left the band, to pursue a solo career. After few days of Mattia suggested Roberto to become the new bass player. They played only two shows with this new line up, one at Mesiano in
Trento
Trento ( or ; Ladin and lmo, Trent; german: Trient ; cim, Tria; , ), also anglicized as Trent, is a city on the Adige River in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol in Italy. It is the capital of the autonomous province of Trento. In the 16th centu ...
and another at the
Evolution Festival
Evolution Festival was a music festival held annually across Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead, England, from 2002 until 2013. The festival attracted tens of thousands of attendees every year and usually took place on the Quayside. Evolution Fe ...
, then spent the rest of the year writing and recording ''
6 Days to Nowhere
''6 Days to Nowhere'' is Italy, Italian power metal band Labyrinth (band), Labyrinth's sixth album, released February 26, 2007 on Scarlet Records.
Track listing
#"Crossroads" – 4:03
#"There Is a Way" – 3:36
#"Lost" – 4:24
#"M ...
''.
In December Heraldry released their album ''Delirium'', which featured guest vocals by Roberto Tiranti.
In late 2006, Labyrinth signed a record deal with
Scarlet Records
Scarlet Records is an Italian independent record label based in Milan. It is most notable for featuring two side projects from Soilwork front-man Björn "Speed" Strid, as well as bands like Agent Steel, Royal Hunt, Skyclad, Eldritch, Hatespher ...
, to release ''6 Days to Nowhere''. Between February 26, and March 9, the album ''6 Days To Nowhere'' was released worldwide. The album's mastering took place at the famous
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music c ...
in London. Following the album's release the band announced a tour of Europe (only one date in
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
and the rest in Italy) and Japan, between October 27, 2007 and March 2, 2008.
On November 3, 2007 Labyrinth appeared at the Växjö Metal Festival III, in Växjö, Sweden. Also scheduled to appear were
Jorn
The Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN) is an over-the-horizon radar (OHR) network that can monitor air and sea movements across . It has a normal operating range of to . It is used in the defence of Australia, and can also monitor mar ...
,
Grave
A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as grave ...
,
Heed
Heed or HEED may refer to:
People
* Anneli Heed (born 1978), Swedish stand-up comedian impersonator and voice actress
* John Clifford Heed (1862–1908), American composer and musician
* Jonas Heed (born 1967), Swedish former professional ice ho ...
,
Bloodbound
Bloodbound is a Swedish power metal band formed in 2004 in Bollnäs.
History
They released their first studio album, ''Nosferatu'', in 2005 and their second, ''Book of the Dead'', in May 2007. The brainchild of former Street Talk members Fr ...
, Engel and
Pagan's Mind
Pagan's Mind is a progressive metal band from Skien, Norway. They have released five studio albums, and the current line-up only features original members.
Biography
Founded in 2000 from the band Silverspoon by Nils K. Rue, Thorstein Aaby, and St ...
, among others.
Pier Gonella
Pier Gonella (born Pierangelo Gonella) is an Italian guitarist, composer, arranger, producer and founding member of the heavy metal band Mastercastle and the black metal band Necrodeath.
Biography
Pier Gonella began playing guitar at the age ...
handled the guitar duties, on the
Necrodeath
Necrodeath is an Italian extreme metal band from Liguria. It is one of the first extreme metal bands originating in Italy. They take inspiration from Slayer, Dark Angel, Possessed, Venom, Kreator, Celtic Frost, Bathory and Sodom. The band ...
album ''" Draculea"'' While Pier performed on that album, Roberto Tiranti appeared on Ranfa's album ''Little Hard Blues''. Tiranti appeared on the album's fifth track entitled ''"It Will Be Not This Blues"''.
On January 22, 2008, it was announced that Andrea De Paoli would be making a guest appearance on the debut album of Expedition Delta, which is being released by ProgRock Records.
In summer 2008
Pier Gonella
Pier Gonella (born Pierangelo Gonella) is an Italian guitarist, composer, arranger, producer and founding member of the heavy metal band Mastercastle and the black metal band Necrodeath.
Biography
Pier Gonella began playing guitar at the age ...
left the band to dedicate himself totally to
Necrodeath
Necrodeath is an Italian extreme metal band from Liguria. It is one of the first extreme metal bands originating in Italy. They take inspiration from Slayer, Dark Angel, Possessed, Venom, Kreator, Celtic Frost, Bathory and Sodom. The band ...
Mastercastle
Mastercastle is a heavy metal band formed in 2008 in Italy by the guitar player Pier Gonella and the singer Giorgia Gueglio.
History
Mastercastle was founded in January 2008 by the guitar player Pier Gonella and the singer Giorgia Gueglio. The ...
.
On September 11, 2009 Olaf reunited with Labyrinth to record '' Return to Heaven Denied Pt. II: "A Midnight Autumn's Dream"'', a follower of their successful album from 1998. In October 2009 was also announced the new bassist Sergio Pagnacco (with courtesy of Vanexa historical italian metal band)). Also, drummer Mattia Stancioiu left the band to be a full-time sound engineer and producer and be a part-time drummer.
2010s
In 2011 they toured with
Sonata Arctica
Sonata Arctica is a Finnish power metal band from the town of Kemi, Finland. Created as a hard rock band named Tricky Beans, they later changed to Tricky Means and finally to Sonata Arctica, when they shifted to power metal. The current lineup ...
.
In 2014, Roberto Tiranti announced that he was leaving the band to embark on a solo career, but the new announced vocalist
Mark Boals
Mark Robert Boals (born December 5, 1958) is an American heavy metal vocalist and occasional bassist, best known for his vocals with Yngwie Malmsteen. He is currently a member of the band Foundry.
Boals' first album with Malmsteen, 1986's '' ...
never joined the band.
In 2016, the band announced they are working on a new album which is planned for release with record company Frontiers Music Srl in 2017. It was also announced the band's line-up reunion of founding members Olaf Thorsen and Andrea Cantarelli on guitars with Roberto Tiranti on lead vocals, along with
John Macaluso
John Macaluso (born January 21, 1968) is an American drummer who has played for bands such as Ark, TNT, and Yngwie Malmsteen. Born in Commack, New York, Macaluso started playing drums at age 11. He has recorded over 200 records and played multi ...
(former
Ark
Ark or ARK may refer to:
Biblical narratives and religion Hebrew word ''teva''
* Noah's Ark, a massive vessel said to have been built to save the world's animals from a flood
* Ark of bulrushes, the boat of the infant Moses
Hebrew ''aron''
* ...
,
Yngwie Malmsteen
Yngwie Johan Malmsteen ( ; born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck, 30 June 1963) is a Swedish guitarist. He first became known in the 1980s for his neoclassical playing style in heavy metal, and has released 22 studio albums in a career spanning ov ...
,
James Labrie
Kevin James LaBrie (born May 5, 1963) is a Canadian singer, best known as the lead singer of American progressive metal band Dream Theater, which he has been fronting since 1991.
Early life
Kevin James LaBrie was born in Penetanguishene, Ontar ...
,
Riot
A riot is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people.
Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The property targete ...
TNT
Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...
) on drums, Oleg Smirnoff (former
Vision Divine
Vision Divine is an Italian power/progressive metal band formed in 1998.
History
Originally a solo project from Olaf Thörsen (born Carlo Andrea Magnani). Soon, Fabio Lione rejoined him after the first Labyrinth period ("No Limits"), and the ...
Death SS
Death SS (later also intended as a contraction of In Death of Steve Sylvester) is an Italian heavy metal band.
Biography
Death SS was formed in 1977 in Pesaro by Steve Sylvester (born Stefano Silvestri), a future member of the Ordo Templi Ori ...
) on keyboards and Nik Mazzucconi on bass. In February 2017, the album' title ('' Architecture of a God''), track-list and cover were revealed.
In 2019, the drummer Matt Peruzzi joined the band.
In January 2021, they released their ninth studio album, '' Welcome to the Absurd Circus''.
Discography
EP
*''Midnight Resistance'' (1994)
*''Piece of Time'' (1995)
*''Timeless Crime'' (1999)
Studio albums
*''No Limits'' (1996)
*''
Return to Heaven Denied
''Return to Heaven Denied'' is the second album by Italian power metal band, Labyrinth. It was the first album to feature Rob Tyrant on vocals. In 2010, the band released a follow-up to the album, titled '' Return to Heaven Denied Pt. II: "A Midn ...
Labyrinth
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the ...
'' (2003)
*''
Freeman
Freeman, free men, or variant, may refer to:
* a member of the Third Estate in medieval society (commoners), see estates of the realm
* Freeman, an apprentice who has been granted freedom of the company, was a rank within Livery companies
* Free ...
'' (2005)
*''
6 Days to Nowhere
''6 Days to Nowhere'' is Italy, Italian power metal band Labyrinth (band), Labyrinth's sixth album, released February 26, 2007 on Scarlet Records.
Track listing
#"Crossroads" – 4:03
#"There Is a Way" – 3:36
#"Lost" – 4:24
#"M ...
Pier Gonella
Pier Gonella (born Pierangelo Gonella) is an Italian guitarist, composer, arranger, producer and founding member of the heavy metal band Mastercastle and the black metal band Necrodeath.
Biography
Pier Gonella began playing guitar at the age ...
John Macaluso
John Macaluso (born January 21, 1968) is an American drummer who has played for bands such as Ark, TNT, and Yngwie Malmsteen. Born in Commack, New York, Macaluso started playing drums at age 11. He has recorded over 200 records and played multi ...