Stormlord

Stormlord originated in Rome, Italy during 1991 and spent numerous years in the shadows, producing several demos while cycling through musicians, before directing attention toward Scandinavia’s thriving extreme metal environment. There the group aligned with kindred spirits among emerging symphonic black metal acts including Dimmu Borgir and Borknagar. Following the 1997 EP Under the Sign of the Sword, which marked their departure from death metal origins, the lineup of Cristiano Borchi on vocals, Pierangelo Giglioni on guitar, Francesco Bucci on bass, Fabrizio Cariani on keyboards and Marcello Baragona on drums began defining their subsequent direction via the 1998 promo CD Where My Spirit Forever Shall Be. After signing with Last Episode Productions, Stormlord issued their debut full-length Supreme Art of War in August 1999. With David Folchitto replacing drums and Simone Scazzocchio handling keyboards, they launched their first European tour in support of Mystic Circle, Graveworm and Suidakra. The year 2000 brought a move to Scarlet Records for the EP The Curse of Medusa, and alongside 2001’s At the Gates of Utopia these releases cemented Stormlord’s status among Italy’s foremost metal acts while securing appearances at major festivals. Gianpaolo Caprino joined as second guitarist to accommodate expanding live commitments, and after a brief pause Stormlord returned in 2004 with their third album The Gorgon Cult, widely regarded as their strongest work.