Stormlord

Formed in Rome, Italy, in 1991, Stormlord toiled in obscurity for many years, quietly recording numerous demos and shuffling musicians before turning their collective gaze northwards to Scandinavia's bustling extreme metal scene. There they found like-minded accomplices in up-and-coming symphonic black metal bands like Dimmu Borgir and Borknagar, and, after dispensing with their death metal roots on 1997's Under the Sign of the Sword EP, Cristiano Borchi (vocals), Pierangelo Giglioni (guitar), Francesco Bucci (bass), Fabrizio Cariani (keyboards) and Marcello Baragona (drums) began establishing their future sound on the following year's Where My Spirit Forever Shall Be promo CD. Signed to Last Episode Productions, Stormlord unleashed their full-length debut album, Supreme Art of War in August 1999, and, with new members David Folchitto (drums) and Simone Scazzocchio (keyboards) in tow, set out on their first European tour supporting Mystic Circle, Graveworm and Suidakra. The year 2000 saw them moving to Scarlet Records for the release of their The Curse of Medusa EP, and, along with 2001's At the Gates of Utopia, these established Stormlord as top metal contenders across the Italian boot, earning them appearances at many major festivals in the process. Second guitarist Gianpaolo Caprino was brought on-board for ever-increasing touring engagements, and, following a short break, Stormlord delivered their third and possibly best album in 2004's The Gorgon Cult.