ELDRITCH
(Italy)
www.eldritchweb.com
Back in 1991, vocalist Terence Holler, guitar player/songwriter Eugene Simone and drummer Adriano Dal Canto established ELDRITCH from the remainders of their former band ZEUS - and the history of one of Italy's most successful Metal bands began... Right from the beginning, the target was to mix the influences of bands like QUEENSRYCHE, ANNIHILATOR, CORONER and FATES WARNING with own ideas to create a new, original sound. Already the first demo "Reflections Of Sadness" was received very well by the media, and 1992 the line-up was completed by Martin Kyhn (bass) and Oleg Smirnoff (keys). With their tape "Promo Tracks 93", ELDRITCH introduced themselves to the musical world as a real band, and the music publisher Limb Music Publishing included them in their roster.
It was Limb Schnoor himself who made it possible for them to release their debut album "Seeds Of Rage" on InsideOut Music in 1995. This album sold really well, and was followed in 1997 by "Headquake" which not only got excellent international reviews - the album set the basis for a huge, worldwide fan community, too. Additionally, the European tour with ANGRA increased the sales figures steadily, and ELDRITCH could conclude that extraordinarily successful year with a performance in front of more than 10.000 fans at the famous "Gods Of Metal" festival in Milano, Italy.
In 1998 ELDRITCH released "El Nino" - the band presented itself even more multi-faceted. There were not only influences of DREAM THEATER, QUEENSRYCHE and FATES WARNING, but clearly harder and thrashier passages which remind you of METALLICA, CORONER, ANNIHILATOR, and even PANTERA. The media showered the band with good reviews and attention. The following European tour with THRESHOLD and PAIN OF SALVATION has been the most successful one for ELDRITCH so far and established the band as one of the trendsetters in the international ProgMetal scene. In the meantime, keyboarder Oleg Smirnoff had been replaced by Sean Henderson, and after that tour, drummer and co-founder Adriano Dal Canto had to leave due to health problems, too. But the band landed a more than equally matched substitute: "young & wild" talent Dave Simeone who had honed his skills for a long time in the United States.
During the years after, they concentrated on songwriting and a label change. With the release of "Reverse" in May 2001, it became evident once more that ELDRITCH couldnīt be compared with a conventional Metal band. Influenced by MACHINE HEAD, TESTAMENT and PANTERA, the Italians showed off a harder and more modern side of their creativity. Even though this raised some criticism, ELDRITCH werenīt annoyed by that - and the sales figures proved them right. On top of all, the bandīs creative courage paid off: they got booked for the "Gods Of Metal" festival again. With Rob 'Peck' Proietti, the line-up was reinforced with an additional rhythm guitar.
During the next three years, ELDRITCH prepared for the next level. Again, it was time for changes: Sean Henderson (keys) and Martin Kyhn (bass) left the band due to personal reasons, so the remaining members decided to carry on without a keyboarder and to recruit a female bass player, Lisa Oliviero, which was a temporary solution until the discovering of the young and talented John Crystal. Finally, the Italians signed a new deal with LIMB MUSIC PRODUCTS and polished up the material for "Portrait Of The Abyss Within"which is not only a well done mixture of all their former creative phases but a perfect balance between aggressive and progressive parts and a lot of catchy tunes.
The guys played up and down Italy always as headliners, but decided to wait after the next release to go back to tour Europe. This because the new members need time before hitting the international road. The title of the bands 6th album is "Neighbourhell" and it's like a big milkshake of all the previous releases! The sound in the years has turned into a more technical thrash. We can say that Eldritch created their almost unique sound, which can be defined as modern/technical/melodic/power/thrash!
ELDRITCH's seventh studio album "Blackenday" will raise the bar for their future work again. The songs are extremely catchy, yet the album is still as aggressive as their previous work and will make this album something special for listeners who enjoy a mixture of Annihilator, Fates Warning, Metallica, Queensryche and some sane hard rock from the 80's and 90's.
Line-Up:
Terence Holler - Vocals
Eugene Simone - Lead and Rhythm Guitars
Roberto "Peck" Proietti - Rhythm and Harmony Guitars
John Crystal - Bass Guitars
Dave Simeone - Acoustic and Electronic Drums, Percussions