DIGGIN' ITALIAN
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\r\nWhen in 1969 Coven, a band of 60’s from U.S.A. released their first album under the name “Witchcraft Destroys Minds And Reaps Bodies” they surely couldn’t imagine that they are gonna establish a whole school which will be named Οccult rock and will occupy itself with dark music and apocryphistic themes. Maybe one tear later, Black Widow from Britain released the album “Sacrifice” and they were immediately accused from the english media as satanists and occultists, they surely wondered that something was going on with their release. With the contibution of Alice Cooper (Original Band of 70’s) and Atomic Rooster (from Britain) this movement was established. Maybe the only country in which this kind was prospered to a great extent is Italy, maybe because of their idiosuncracy or of other factors, which are meaningless to be mentioned.\r\n \r\n
\r\nIn Italy and more specific in Milano in 1968, Antonio Bartoccetti and Doris Norton create the group Jacula (later it was renamed to Antonius Rex). With their first album “In Cauda Semper Stat Venenum”, which is a classic progressive Οccult Rock album, they overthrow the facts of underground scene. It’s an album full of pipe organ, bizarre sounds which are heard fron underground, narrations in latin language and few guitars (but in style of Iommi). This was followed by the second also amazing album of the group “Tardo Pede In Magiam Versus” (1973) in the same style and after this they were splitted. In the decade of 70’s another group from Italy, the early Death SS, gave impulse to this movement mainly with their demos, which was a product of the great Paul Chain. Death SS altered this kind of Occult Rock to Occult Metal. When Chain created Paul Chain Violate Theater in 1984 and released his first historical EP “Detaching From Satan” and his first album “In the Darkness” showed that he coninued extremely well this which he had begun with Death SS and even better. In 1986 the italian Black Hole release the album “Land Of Mystery”, maybe the darkest album which they have ever released and the best album of Italy and Occult rock in general.\r\n \r\n
\r\n1989 is the year in which The Black release their first E.P. named “Reliquarium” and next year their first LP under the title “Infernus Paradisus et Purgatorium”, where both albums are flirting with Οccult Rock and, why not, with Black Metal. The same period, the Slovnian / Italian Devil Doll release their epic “The Girl Who Was Death” and they mix soundtrack elements with Occult Prog. Rock, which already existed.\r\n \r\n
\r\nIn the decade of 90s, the bursting really takes place, as a lot of group follow this style, groups as Malombra, Abiogenesi, Antonius Rex (a band of Antonio Bartoccetti) and later Abysmal Grief, the french group Northwinds and of course classic group such as The Black, Paul Chain, GOAD continue the tradition of Occult Rock. \r\n \r\n
\r\nIn our decade, groups as Tony Tears and undoubtly L’ Impero Delle Ombre are the hope for the future of the stage. \r\n \r\n
\r\nFinally, I would like to tell, that it’s better not to loose time by trying put on labels in the music, so lets name all this simply as Occult Rock. Onother thing I would like to mention is that, in case somebody thinks that Βlack Widow for example isn’t a good band because it plays pop rock instead of metal, it would be better to stay away from this kind of music, because all the groups mention abive have progressive rock influencec to a great extent. Yes, we are metal, we like metal, but we like also the good music. \r\n \r\n
\r\nAn indicated discography for anyone who wants to occupy himself with this kind is:\r\n \r\n \r\nCoven: Witchcraft Destroys Minds and Reaps Souls – 1969 \r\n \r\nBlack Widow: Sacrifce 1970 \r\n \r\n \r\nJacula : In Cauda Semper Stat Venenum 1969 \r\n \r\n \r\nJacula : Tardo Pede in Magiam Versus 1972 \r\n \r\n \r\nAlice Cooper: Welcome To My Nightmare 1975 \r\n \r\n \r\nGoblin: Profondo Rosso 1975 (Soundtrack) \r\n \r\n \r\nGoblin: Suspiria 1977 (Soundtrack) \r\n \r\n \r\nDeath SS: Horned God Of Withes 2004 \r\n \r\n \r\nPaul Chain: Detaching From Satan EP 1984 \r\n \r\n \r\nPaul Chain: In The Darkness 1986 \r\n \r\n \r\nThe Black Hole: Land Of Mystery 1989 \r\n \r\n \r\nDevil Doll: The Girl Who Was Death 1989 \r\n \r\n \r\nThe Black: Abbatia Scl. Clementis 1994 \r\n \r\n \r\nThe Black: Apocalypsis 2000 \r\n \r\n \r\nMalombra: Malombra 1991 \r\n \r\n \r\nL’ Impero Delle Ombre : L’impero Delle Ombre 2004 \r\n \r\n \r\nAbiogenesi : Abiogenesi 1995 \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\nTranslation in English: Aliki Maxoutoglou \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n
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