CRUZ DEL SUR MUSIC To Reissue Early Demos And EP Of Legendary Italian Metal Band ASTAROTH

A special thank you to Saverio Principini, Bob Cattani and Jack Haustinx (Rave On Records) for making it possible!

Cruz Del Sur Music is proud to announce the reissue of legendary Italian metal band ASTAROTH’s cherished and highly-influential early demo recordings, including a vinyl edition of the long out-of-print “The Long Loud Silence” EP. The reissue campaign will kick off in 2023.

Formed in 1982 in Rome by drummer John Panko Onofri and original guitarist Steve Lenti, ASTAROTH became Italy’s answer to the great American and British bands of the time, diving headlong into a mix of speed and thrash, all with a distinct sense of melody. Rounded out by vocalist Bob Cattani, second guitarist Simone Triscari and bassist Saverio “Sage” Principini, “The Long Loud Silence” became a watershed moment for many Italian metallers. The group disbanded in 1988 but reformed in 2005 and released “The End Of Silence” LP in 2012.

ASTAROTH fans have been clamoring for the band’s old recordings to be brought back to life. Cruz Del Sur has gone to great lengths to secure the rights from Rave-On Records, the label that originally released “The Long Loud Silence”. Cruz Del Sur and the band also tracked down many hard-to-find demos and photos to complete the package.

“Cruz Del Sur got in touch with us via Facebook,” says Principini. “Max Cipicchia [guitar] has been keeping alive a Facebook page as a tribute and to reconnect with some old fans. I’m not too ‘social,’ so I didn’t take much interest in the beginning. But eventually, Max put me in touch with the label and they explained to me the project. I totally flipped out! I think it’s amazing the work they are doing.

“I think they are dope for investing time and energy into giving poetic and historical justice to bands that were largely ignored in their time,” he continues. “See, back then, we didn’t have all the media tools bands have now. There was no internet, no cell phones — we hardly ever had the chance to record or videotape anything. The only memory of our gigantic efforts is from the people who saw us onstage. What Cruz Del Sur is doing is remarkable.”

The ASTAROTH reissue campaign should prompt renewed interest in the 1980s Italian metal scene. While it never received the same attention as its British and German counterparts, the Italian metal scene was filled with hardworking bands and devoted fans who never passed up an opportunity to bang their heads.

“It was a relatively small scene, but the bands were intense,” notes Principini. “We all took it very seriously. We were committed to be great and so most bands went to great sacrifices to get the right equipment, practice as much as possible and play live. We loved our fans — the real headbangers — those kids were wild and committed. They would travel by train and pack the small theatres we would play. An ASTAROTH concert was like a function in some way. I know it transformed me and I know it transformed the lives of many kids who found purpose and strength at the concerts and friends and a way to escape the everyday conflicts some were living at home. There were bands in all of Italy, even in small towns. Metal was infectious, metal was a faith, metal was a real way of life!”

Principini’s enthusiasm is easy to detect now that ASTAROTH’s early recordings and images will be available for the entire metal world to see. It’s all being done 40 years after their formation. “I’m more than excited!” he exclaims. “There are live demo recordings that hardly anyone has ever heard and pictures few have seen. I look back at those times and, man, we were the real thing. I think it will give an opportunity to the new metal fans to know what we did. You know, in some way, we were precursors and contributed to the development of the metal scene in Europe in the 1980s. It’s about time before we die of old age!”

CARDINALS FOLLY & LUCIFER’S FALL Bring The Doom Via A Split Release Due In March

On March 22, Cruz Del Sur Music will pair Finland’s CARDINALS FOLLY and Australia’s LUCIFER’S FALL together for a split of monolithic proportions.

Formed in 2007 in Helsinki, CARDINALS FOLLY has four full-lengths to its credit, including their most recent effort, 2017’s “Deranged Pagan Sons”. Releasing the split on vinyl was their primary reason for signing with Cruz Del Sur, not to mention their affinity for the label’s previous output. CARDINALS FOLLY’s three-song contribution features songs that expand upon the undeniably heavy and dark feel found on “Deranged Pagan Sons”.

“This time it felt inspiring to create a smaller release of just three song with a singular theme that remains basically the same throughout the release,” says bassist/vocalist Count Karnstein. It also features the Nordic mysticism in our music. We’ve had it before on few songs of our catalogue, but this time, it was given priority which was the knot we used to tie it all together. So, in a way, it came naturally through some of the stuff you hear on ‘Deranged Pagan Sons’, especially the last songs of that album, but I don’t see it as a new direction, but rather feeding more influence from a certain side of our music that was always there, but not so much present before.”

One of the secrets to CARDINALS FOLLY’s sound is their ability to avoid the traditional trappings of doom metal. The Finns, who played major festivals like Doom Over Vienna and Doom & Bloom in addition to trekking over to America for an appearance at the Doomed And Stoned festival, aren’t interested in long, laborious songs, nor are they afraid to incorporate influences from other forms of metal, in particular black metal, which Count Karnstein cites as a spiritual influence.

“We rely on showmanship, catchy songs, fearlessness a and ride-or-die attitude,” he says. “I am merely following the path set out to me by the bands that I used to look up to as a very young man and that doesn’t just include legends from the genre known as doom metal, but also BATHORY, VENOM, MERCYFUL FATE, IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST. NWOBHM is a very important influence in our riffs, even if we don’t play that fast. I’m doing heavy metal in a way I see as true, and that doesn’t just mean the music, but also how to perform it and carry it forward. And that’s all you need, in my opinion.”

Hailing from Adelaide, LUCIFER’s FALL was formed in 2013 and have been prolific ever since. The band has released two full-lengths in addition to numerous demos, singles and splits, and were brought to the attention of Cruz Del Sur by CARDINALS FOLLY’s Count Karnstein. The band’s most recent album is 2016’s “II: “Cursed & Damned”.

According to vocalist Deceiver, the three songs LUCIFER’s FALL provided for the split were born out of simple band rehearsals, reflecting the lively and dynamic sound. “Heavy metal is just as important to us as doom,” he says. “This release leans more to the metal than the doom. There’s nothing really that slow this time around. We didn’t think too much. We just wanted to write some simple aggressive, catchy headbanging tunes.

‘Die Witch Die’ is an anti-stoner rock song written in a stoner rock language. ‘Call Of The Wild’ is about a beast/man who escapes his tormentor, wreaks havoc on the moors and also on his master. ‘The Gates Of Hell’ is about an escaped lunatic searching for the gates of hell in the nearby woods. He rides through the imaginary gates and then hangs himself in disappointment.”

The band’s split with CARDINALS FOLLY will be preceded by demo compilation that includes rehearsals and live recordings that is due this December. They have also started writing for their third full-length album, “III: From The Deep”.

CARDINALS FOLLY/LUCIFER’s FALL split release track listing:

CARDINALS FOLLY:

  1. Walvater Proclaimed
  2. Spiritual North
  3. Sworn Through Odin And Satan’s Blood

LUCIFER’s FALL:

  1. Die Witch Die
  2. Call Of The Wild
  3. The Gates Of Hell

WALPYRGUS stream “Somewhere Under Summerwind” from forthcoming album “Walpyrgus Nights”

We’ve all heard the stories of legendary antics and debauchery backstage at Metal concerts – and while that is exciting to read or gossip about, very often there’s another conversation that happens back there, on the tour bus, or at a local backyard BBQ party over some beers – while you’re hanging out with fellow musicians you respect, blasting a classic Maiden, Lizzy, or Priest album – it’s almost inevitable that someone says “we should jam together sometime” and while this may be well-intentioned or naively inspired, it seldom comes to fruition. WALPYRGUS is an exception.

When these veterans of Twisted Tower Dire, While Heaven Wept, Daylight Dies, and Viper (amongst a long list of many others) broached this subject, it actually came to fruition with a very real mutual ambition and respect for both each others’ talents and the musical influences that made them who they are.
When you hear those passages recalling the aforementioned Maiden, Lizzy, Priest, Fate, etc…it’s truly coming from the hearts of musicians who have been performing this kind of music their entire lives.
The eponymous demo-turned-EP confirmed that these guys were serious but was really only a litmus test merely hinting at what was to come; their debut album “Walpyrgus Nights” represents the full realization of the potential of this dangerous meeting of Metal minds. Hook after hook, cascading guitar harmonies, anthemic soaring vocals, epic unexpected twists and turns abound, this 8 song opus is truly a genuinely inspired, wild, and I daresay fun ride through the annals of classic Hard Rock and early Metal with a distinct personality.
This effort gradually matured over a span of no less than five years and recorded in a variety of locations over the course of two intense years under the guidance of Tom Phillips (While Heaven Wept mastermind) was mixed by longtime collaborator Kevin “131” Gutierrez (Raven, Deceased, Believer) and features the artwork of Gustavo Sazes (Morbid Angel, Arch Enemy, Firewind).

So when the when the stars are right and you’re alone, take a journey, lock the world tight and prepare yourself for the tales of demons, spectres, and witches rising on Walpyrgus Nights!

“Walpyrgus Nights” will be released on compact disc, vinyl (featuring a 56-page comic book with lyrics!) and digital on June 9, 2017.

PRE-ORDER HERE:

Tracklist:
1. The Dead Of Night
2. Somewhere Under Summerwind
3. Dead Girls
4. Lauralone
5. Palmystry
6. She Lives
7. Light Of A Torch
8. Walpyrgus Nights

Musicians:
Jonny Aune – Vocals
Scott Waldrop – Guitars
Charley Shakelford – Guitars
Jim Hunter – Bass
Peter Lemieux – Drums
Tom Phillips – Keyboards, Guitars