Handful of Hate

Handful of Hate emerged from Lucca, Italy, as a black metal act whose thematic focus on tragedy and horror mirrored its own origins, since founding bassist Ugo Pandolfini suffered an untimely death in 1993. This loss left vocalist and guitarist Nicola Bianchi to sustain the project amid frequent shifts in supporting players. Over time Bianchi steered the group into one of Italy’s most consistent and productive extreme metal outfits, releasing a series of albums that recurrently explored deviant sexuality: Qliphothic Supremacy in 1997 and Hierarchy in 1999, both inscribed to Pandolfini, followed by Vicecrown in 2003 and Gruesome Splendour in 2006, along with assorted EPs issued in between. In 2009 Bianchi entered the studio for the band’s fifth album, You Will Bleed, backed by guitarist Deimos, bassist Nicholas, and his brother Andrea Bianchi on drums.