Necrodeath

Although little known beyond Italy's borders, Necrodeath originated in 1984 when thrash metal acts such as Slayer and Kreator prompted vocalist Ingo, guitarist Claudio, bassist Paolo, and drummer Peso to unleash their own brand of sonic violence. Strong critical notices for the four-track demo The Shining Pentagram led the quartet to issue two now-scarce albums, 1987's Into the Macabre and 1989's Fragments of Insanity, which fused vintage speed and thrash with the black metal aesthetic first forged by Venom and Bathory. Label disputes and commercial setbacks pushed the group into a decade-plus hiatus until Claudio and Peso reassembled the lineup with Flegias handling vocals and John on bass. Italy's Scarlet Records signed the revived band, reissued both 1980s LPs on CD for the first time, and oversaw the release of three further albums: Mater of all Evil in 2001, Black as Pitch in 2002, and Ton(e)s of Hate in 2003. Each of these broadened the group's stylistic palette while refreshing its post-thrash approach for evolving tastes of the new millennium.