Post Description

Some years ago Francesco Lombardo and Michele Panepinto decided to undertake a path of musical growth which would soon bring them to their first self-production. The result of this decision is the band Vitriol, which soon involved Gianluca Pappalardo, Pierangelo Carvello and Alessandro Sanfilippo. These musicians contributed their professional influences to enrich the style of the new band, inspired by the modern progressive rock & metal genre and by the musical experiences of the 70’s historical bands.
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      V.i.t.r.i.o.l. is the acronym of one of the most famous mottos of Renaissance alchemy: “Visita Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem” (Enter the bowels of the Earth and, through your purification, you will find the hidden stone). It is a metaphor representing the path of man inside his own Ego in order to finally find the philosophical Truth.
      In the same way, the main character of the story of their first EP, called Knowledge, has a quests for his beloved, Truth; he reaches the destination after a number of pitfalls and after meeting some allegorical characters (such as Faith and Insanity) he’s also wrong-footed by the words of his beloved.
     The double meaning of the term “vitriol” (corrosive chemical element and acronym of the renaissance motto) can describe well the essence of the band, constantly hanging in the balance between its aggressive component and its introspective/reflective one.
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       Once the first collected work of the band was distributed to media, it immediately generated lots of good reviews by the alternative rock and metal magazines in both paper and digital media: the EP received 15.5/16 in issue #59 of the prestigious Progression Magazine, the best score as “independent release” and one of the best scores among 200 label’s supported albums.
It is considered the "Best Demo of the Month" in the November issue of Metal Maniac, one of the most important magazine in Italy, and received 8 out of 10 in a majority of the most famous international webzines, such as UsaProgressiveMusic, Rock Hard, Progressive Ears, MetalWave, Unprogged, TrueMetal, Metallo Italiano, Eutk, Nova Muzique as well as many others.
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      Subsequently, the band caught the attention of the American label Melodic Revolution Records which has added Vitriol to their roster in 2010. During the same year Tommaso Semrov joined the band as guitarist and Vitriol started pre-producing their first full-length album "Into The Silence I Sink" which was released in November 2012.
      Recorded, mixed and mastered at Fear Studio in Ravenna and at the band's studio in Bologna, published by Melodic Revolution Records, it's a concept album revolving around the theme of Silence, metaphorically approached as "deep absence of communication".
10 songs, conducive to an analysis of the different causes of this absence of communication: the anonymity of the urban environment, the historical contraposition of Ideologies (Outward Silence, between person and person), differences between who we are and who we appear to be (Inner Silence, between the own appearance and essence). Concluding the album, the last song analyzes what must have been the most atrocious communicative Silence that has ever happened: a bewildered Christ asking "My God, my God, why did you abandon me"?
 
      “Into The Silence I Sink" was evaluated by the international press as one of the best albums of 2012. The American radio show Prog Metal Show put the album at the 8th place in the "Top 50 progressive metal albums of the year".       
      The band promoted their work with two official videos, "The Frozen Wind" and "Slowly She Dies", and the "Making of" the album.
In 2013-2014 Vitriol toured Europe across Italy, UK, Poland, Austria and in 2015-2016 performed as opener of Pain of Salvation, Evergrey, Soen, Kingcrow.
      At present they're working on their next album, with Gabriele Gozzi as new lead vocalist of the band.


1. Behind the electric veil
2. Slowly she dies
3. Arabesque
4. Sinking
5. The frozen wind
6. Endless spiral
7. Despite your cries
8. Oceans
9. The continuous struggle
10. Three times

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Gabriele Gozzi – Lead vocals
Fausto De Bellis – Guitars and vocals
Francesco Lombardo – Bass and vocals
Michele Panepinto – Drums and vocals



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