Italy: A country synonymous with mouthwatering cuisine, heart-stopping horror films, and some of the most unsung metal on the planet. With the UK, Sweden, Norway, and the good ol’ US of A dominating the metal pantheon for 50+ years now, sometimes it’s easy to look over the Boot, although you shouldn’t. This country has been singlehandedly responsible for some of the most unique and mesmerizing metal ever made, as exemplified by the diverse selection of bands who make up this list. On the cusp of the first Mortuary Drape album in nearly a decade (Spoiler alert: They’re #3.), here are our Top 10 Italian Metal Bands.
10. Fingernails
Kicking off our list at #10 are cult speed metal lunatics, Fingernails. Their penchant for sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll was truly hall of fame worthy, matched only by their heroes MotΓΆrhead and Tank. Formed in 1981, the band spent the better part of the decade releasing one demo after the next, before finally releasing their self titled debut album in ’88. Unfortunately, Fingernails were far too late to the game, as death metal was starting to take hold. Thrash would soon become yesterday’s news, which in turn made speed metal a relic of yore. Despite these setbacks, Fingernails would reunite for a 21st century run before disbanding in 2021. Founding guitarist/vocalist Maurizio “Angus” Bidoli stays active today in the similarly named Raffingernails, so keep an eye out for them!
9. Vanadium
Formed in 1980, Vanadium are widely regarded as one of the earliest Italian metal bands in existence. With their emphasis on dramatic arrangements, virtuosic musicianship, and driving Hammond organs, it’s easy to draw comparison to Deep Purple. No doubt, Vanadium took the Purple formula and revved it up for the ’80s. Whether the rest of Italy was ready or not, heavy metal was here to stay and Vanadium was the music’s torchbearers. A string of classic albums were released in the ’80s, before the band folded come 1990. A brief reunion ensued in the mid ’90s, only for the band to again fade into obscurity. If any of the members of Vanadium are reading this, hit us up. We’d love to set up an interview and learn more about your band!
8. Black Hole
What happens when you mix the darkest moments of Sabbath with the harrowing atmosphere of Italian prog? You get Black Hole. Make no mistake: This arcane outfit listened to as much Goblin and Premiata Forneria Marconi as they did Vol. 4. Their inclusion on this list is solely because of their unforgettable debut album, Land of Mystery (1985). Despite being released in ’85, one could be forgiven for thinking it was recorded in ’75. All of the earmarks of ’70s prog and metal are present with a raw, stripped down production to boot. Black Hole mastermind “The Mysterious Future” Robert Measles keeps the band alive today as a one man project. However, few within the realms of doom, prog, and psych music have touched the brilliance of Land of Mystery since.
7. Schizo
Schizo are perhaps best known as the band Chuck Schuldiner almost joined in ’89, but they are so much more. Formed in May, 1984, their early demos proved to be pivotal to the development of black and death metal, eventually leading up to the release of their debut opus, Main Frame Collapse. While the Norwegians were forging their own black metal sound, Schizo unleashed an absolute hellstorm of blasting drums, thrashing riffs, and raspy shouts, creating a brand of black metal that was truly, you guessed it, Schizo! Led by founding guitarist S.B. Reder, the band is still active today, expected to make their debut U.S. appearance at next year’s edition of the Metal Threat Festival in Lombard, Illinois.
6. Necrodeath
Right alongside Schizo in the ’80s were Necrodeath. Formed in ’84 under the moniker Ghostrider, the band rebranded themselves the far more sinister sounding Necrodeath in ’85, quickly striking with their The Shining Pentagram demo. Far to infernal and barbaric to merely be labelled thrash, Necrodeath too found themselves pioneering both black and death metal, especially on their debut album, Into the Macabre (1987). Coming off as an unholy hybrid of Kreator’s first two albums, but with an even rawer production, Into the Macabre cemented Necrodeath as an underground force. 1989’s Fragments of Insanity would further explore the blackened side of their sound, before they split in 1990. Come ’98, they’d reunite and have been performing and recording ever since.
5. Strana Officina
While Vanadium drew inspiration from the organ-heavy sound of Deep Purple, fellow Italian metal pioneers Strana Officina played an energetic brand of archetypal traditional metal akin to UFO and Judas Priest. Formed in ’77 by brothers Fabio Cappanera (guitars) and Roberto Cappanera (drums), Strana Officina spent years tearing up the underground before their classic self titled EP hit shelves in 1984. Despite the dominance of thrash, death, and glam metal, Strana Officina stayed true to their metal roots, soldiering on until the tragic 1993 passing of the Cappanera brothers in car accident. Today, the Strana Officina legacy lives on, thanks to Roberto’s son, Rolando, on drums, and nephew Dario on guitars, alongside classic members Enzo Mascolo (bass) and Daniele “Bud” Ancillotti (vocals).
4. Paul Chain / Paul Chain Violet Theatre
For simplicity’s sake, this entry includes the project Paul Chain, as well as the various projects and bands affiliated with the man known as Paul Chain, most notably Paul Chain Violet Theatre. If that first sentence sounded confusing, it’s no coincidence. Following his departure from Death SS (more on them later), guitarist Paul Chain spent the next 40 years crafting some of the most bizarre and psychedelic metal ever made, evoking occult and esoteric feelings with his Sabbathian riffage, Hendrix-esque leads, and unintelligible vocals, the latter consisting of a phonetic language made up by Chain himself. In other words, despite the appearance of proper lyrics, it’s up to us, the listener, to decipher these messages. It’s no wonder this musical direction was too much for even Death SS, who would more or less reinvent themselves time and time again over the years.
3. Mortuary Drape
Speaking of the occult, the nether realm have had perhaps no greater champions than Mortuary Drape. Following in the tradition of Mercyful Fate and Death SS, the band has spent nearly 40 years playing black metal with emphasis on the musicianship and spirit of traditional metal. As mystifying as their music is the band themselves, led by sole original member, Wildness Perversion (How’s that for a pseudonym?). Handling both their vocals and, up until 2019, their drumming, WP has served as a grandmaster of wicked metal mastery, leaving the Norwegians in the dust with classic releases like Into the Drape (1992) and All the Witches Dance (1994). There’s no doubt their next album, Black Mirror, will be another fitting entry into their legendary canon.
2. Bulldozer
Widely regarded as “the Italian Venom”, Bulldozer are black metal legends in their own right. Despite being “too punk” for King Diamond, it was Tank founder Algy Wild who took these feral Italians under his wing, helping bring their debut classic, The Day of Wrath (1985), to life. A string of equally ripping, yet less blackened, albums followed. No matter the trajectory this band was headed, one thing was for certain: If you picked up a Bulldozer album, it was going to be fast and filthy. Over 40 years later, these legends are still tearing up the globe, playing their ’80s classics to maniacs the world over. Here’s to hoping one day I can finally see them!
- Death SS
Behold the masters! Death SS was the stuff of true Italian horror come to life. Assembled in 1977 by singer Steve Sylvester, the band melded their obsession with heavy metal and the occult to create an aesthetic and sound light years ahead of its time. I’ve said it time and time again: This band was “kvlt” before “kvlt” was a thing. During their initial 1977-1984 run, the band unintentionally helped birth black metal, both musically and lyrically.
Their late ’80s/early ’90s rebirth would see them co-opt a more thrash oriented sound, yet with equal emphasis on macabre subject matter. Nowadays, the band plays a melodic metal/hard rock sound akin to the bands of Sylvester’s youth, but don’t let that dissuade you of their kvlt credentials. Whether they know it or not, everyone from Mayhem to Ghost owes a debt to the greatest Italian metal band of all time, Death SS. Without them, there’s no telling how the course of metal over the past 45 years could’ve been drastically altered.
I got to see Bulldozer! Deceased opened for them and they were awesome!!