Mediterranean scene
Encyclopedia
The Mediterranean Scene is a musical collective
created in Sciacca
, Sicily, in the early 90's by Michele "Agghiastru" Venezia.
The collective's goal is to experiment with the fusion of extreme metal
and Mediterranean folk influences.
Since then they formed several bands, a dedicated label (INCH production, distributed worldwide by Audioglobe) and they built a musical studio (CASTIU Studios).
It comprises also some soloist project by its members: Agghiastru, Maleficu Santificatu, 3 - Rosario Badalamenti, Addraunara.
Two more projects (Vasamatri and Il Vitello d'Oro) were announced in the first months of 2011 without any other information.
Almost all lyrics are in italian or in the Sicilian dialect.
The scene since its foundation got coverage on Italian metal magazines, such as Flash, Grind Zone and Psycho.
Agghiastru, with other members of the scene, toured Italy extensively, playing in important festivals like Agglutination
and opening for acts like Afterhours
and Luca Madonia.
, reaffirming, at the same time, the uniqueness of his own band.
In an interview for Grind Zone in 2007, Fernando Ribeiro
of Moonspell
talked about what he called the "Mediterranean black metal" and reaffirmed the role of Moonspell as the forerunner of this new direction in black metal.
The sound of Inchiuvatu is often compared with that of many other symphonic black metal bands like Emperor
or Dimmu Borgir
, but their continuous link with the sicilian traditions make their compositions unique.
The principal lyrical themes are sex, anti-Christianity and existential drama, synthetised with the expression "Drama-Sex-Christ".
"Inchiuvatu" (nailed) isn't related only to Jesus but express the inability of the man to face and sort out the great existential question of the meaning of life.
The story of a great warrior named Keleo, which mission is to liberate his conscience from the oppression of the gods, unfolds during the releases of La Caruta, with plenty of epic battles in the Mediterranean sea.
and Morbid Angel
. They started as a classical black metal band with Opus I & II. Since Hammurabi their sound has some Mesopotamian folk influences. They also played some songs in the Inchiuvatu album Viogna (2000).
and Il Balletto di Bronzo
.
They record only in places strongly connected with evil forces, like graveyards, catacombs and deconsacrated churches.
.
.
Their lyrics are about Liack-Aru (an ancient african demon) and his ancient african kingdom.
Musical collective
Musical collective is a phrase used to describe a group of musicians in which membership is flexible and creative control is shared. Such entities have transitioned from the traditional hierarchical configuration that features either a frontman , or a plurality of band members in tension for...
created in Sciacca
Sciacca
Sciacca , also Schiacca, is a town and comune in the province of Agrigento on the southwestern coast of Sicily...
, Sicily, in the early 90's by Michele "Agghiastru" Venezia.
The collective's goal is to experiment with the fusion of extreme metal
Extreme metal
Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. The term usually refers to a more abrasive, harsher, underground, non-commercialized style or sound nearly always associated with genres like black metal,...
and Mediterranean folk influences.
Since then they formed several bands, a dedicated label (INCH production, distributed worldwide by Audioglobe) and they built a musical studio (CASTIU Studios).
The Scene
The Mediterranean Scene is formed by eight projects: Inchiuvatu, La Caruta di li Dei, Astimi, Visina, Ultima Missa, Lamentu, Inquietu and Lava.It comprises also some soloist project by its members: Agghiastru, Maleficu Santificatu, 3 - Rosario Badalamenti, Addraunara.
Two more projects (Vasamatri and Il Vitello d'Oro) were announced in the first months of 2011 without any other information.
Almost all lyrics are in italian or in the Sicilian dialect.
The scene since its foundation got coverage on Italian metal magazines, such as Flash, Grind Zone and Psycho.
Agghiastru, with other members of the scene, toured Italy extensively, playing in important festivals like Agglutination
Agglutination Metal Festival
Agglutination Metal Festival is a metal festival held annually in Italy since 1995. The 2007 edition will take place on August 11 in Sant'Arcangelo.-2009:Held on 10 August 2010 at Campo Sportivo, Sant'Arcangelo *U.D.O.*Vader*Extrema*Fabio Lione...
and opening for acts like Afterhours
Afterhours (band)
Afterhours is an Italian alternative rock band. The name is a tribute to the same-titled Velvet Underground's song.-Biography:The Afterhours were formed in 1985 in Milan around Manuel Agnelli, a Velvet Underground fan...
and Luca Madonia.
Relationship between the Mediterranean Scene and other bands
In an interview with the Italian magazine Flash in 2002, the guitarist of Lamentu, LiotruM, talked about the relationships between Agghiastru and other major metal bands in the first years of the "Scene" and the common musical ideas shared by early Moonspell, Inchiuvatu and NightfallNightfall (band)
Nightfall is a Greek heavy metal band from Athens. Formed by vocalist/bassist Efthimis Karadimas in 1991, the group is currently signed to Metal Blade Records.- History :...
, reaffirming, at the same time, the uniqueness of his own band.
In an interview for Grind Zone in 2007, Fernando Ribeiro
Fernando Ribeiro
Fernando Ribeiro is a Brazilian artist, designer, photographer, geographer and professor. He is the fourth son of artists Beatriz and Milton Ribeiro, and lives and works in Brasilia, capital city of Brazil...
of Moonspell
Moonspell
Moonspell is a Portuguese gothic metal band from Brandoa, Lisbon. Formed in 1992, the group released their first EP Under the Moonspell in 1994, a year before the release of their first album Wolfheart...
talked about what he called the "Mediterranean black metal" and reaffirmed the role of Moonspell as the forerunner of this new direction in black metal.
Inchiuvatu
Inchiuvatu (In Sicilian "Nailed") is the most important band of the scene. They play symphonic black metal mixed with sicilian folk melodies played with friscalettu, a traditional sicilian flute.The sound of Inchiuvatu is often compared with that of many other symphonic black metal bands like Emperor
Emperor (band)
Emperor was a Norwegian black metal band formed in 1991. They dissolved in 2001, but reunited in 2006 and again in 2007 for a few festival dates and brief US tours. The group was founded by Samoth and Ihsahn .-Biography:...
or Dimmu Borgir
Dimmu Borgir
Dimmu Borgir is a Norwegian black metal band from Oslo, Norway, formed in 1993. Dimmu borgir means "dark cities" or "dark castles/fortresses" in Icelandic, Faroese and Old Norse. The name is derived from a volcanic formation in Iceland, Dimmuborgir...
, but their continuous link with the sicilian traditions make their compositions unique.
The principal lyrical themes are sex, anti-Christianity and existential drama, synthetised with the expression "Drama-Sex-Christ".
"Inchiuvatu" (nailed) isn't related only to Jesus but express the inability of the man to face and sort out the great existential question of the meaning of life.
Releases
- TrinaKa (EP, 1993)
- Strurusia ["Mischievousness"] (EP, 1994)
- Demoniu ["Demon"] (EP, 1994)
- Venniri Santu ["Holy friday"] (Live EP, 1994)
- Inchiuvatu ["Nailed"] (Demo album, 1995)
- Addisiu ["Desire"] (Album, 1996)
- Viogna ["Shame"] (Album, 2000)
- Piccatu ["Sin"] (Album, 2004)
- Miseria ["Poverty"] (Album, 2008)
- 33 (EP, 2008)
- Ecce Homo ["Behold the Man"] (EP, 2011)
La Caruta di li Dei
La Caruta di li Dei (In Sicilian "The Fall of the Gods") is an epic black metal project with prog influences and with lyrics based upon Roman and Greek mythologies.The story of a great warrior named Keleo, which mission is to liberate his conscience from the oppression of the gods, unfolds during the releases of La Caruta, with plenty of epic battles in the Mediterranean sea.
Releases
- La Caruta di li Dei ["The Fall of the Gods"] (Demo album, 1997)
- Mediterraneo Atto I ["Mediterranean: Act I"] (Album, 1999)
- Scilla & Cariddi ["ScyllaScyllaIn Greek mythology, Scylla was a monster that lived on one side of a narrow channel of water, opposite its counterpart Charybdis. The two sides of the strait were within an arrow's range of each other—so close that sailors attempting to avoid Charybdis would pass too close to Scylla and vice...
& CharybdisCharybdisCharybdis or Kharybdis was a sea monster, later rationalised as a whirlpool and considered a shipping hazard in the Strait of Messina.-The mythological background:...
"] (EP, 2002) - La Coscienza ["The Conscience"] (EP, 2005)
- Era ["HeraHeraHera was the wife and one of three sisters of Zeus in the Olympian pantheon of Greek mythology and religion. Her chief function was as the goddess of women and marriage. Her counterpart in the religion of ancient Rome was Juno. The cow and the peacock were sacred to her...
"] (EP, 2011)
Astimi
Astimi (In Sicilian "Curses" or "Imprecations") is a death metal band strongly influenced by DeicideDeicide (band)
Deicide is an American death metal band formed in 1987. Their first two albums, Deicide and Legion, are ranked second and third place in best-selling death metal albums of the SoundScan era.-As Amon/Carnage :...
and Morbid Angel
Morbid Angel
Morbid Angel is an American death metal band based in Tampa, Florida. UK music magazine Terrorizer ranked one Morbid Angel album in its “Top 40 greatest death metal albums”, with their 1989 debut Altars of Madness appearing at number 1...
. They started as a classical black metal band with Opus I & II. Since Hammurabi their sound has some Mesopotamian folk influences. They also played some songs in the Inchiuvatu album Viogna (2000).
Releases
- Opus I (EP, 1996)
- Opus II (EP, 1997)
- Opus I&2 (Compilation, 1999)
- Demo (Demo, 1999)
- TrinaCapronuM (Album, 2001)
- Hammurabi (EP, 2005)
Visina
Visina (Name of a mythological Mediterranean snake) is a project that tries to mix eighties gothic rock and EBM with modern black metal.Ultima Missa
Ultima Missa (In Sicilian "The last mass") is a project that tries to mix seventies prog rock with modern doom metal. Among their influences there are Death SSDeath SS
Death SS is an Italian heavy metal band.-Biography:Death SS was formed in 1977 by Steve Sylvester. The band combined elements of horror and heavy metal to become a pioneer in horror metal and gothic metal, as well as doom metal and black metal. Death SS were one of the first...
and Il Balletto di Bronzo
Il Balletto di Bronzo
Il Balletto di Bronzo was an Italian progressive rock band from Naples. They formed in the mid 1960s, and released two albums, Sirio 2222 and Ys, before disbanding in 1973....
.
They record only in places strongly connected with evil forces, like graveyards, catacombs and deconsacrated churches.
Releases
- L'Abbandono della Gioia ["To give up the joy"] (EP, 2006)
- In Assenza di Luce ["Without light"] (EP, 2008)
Agghiastru
Agghiastru (In Sicilian "Wild olive") is the solo project by Michele Agghiastru Venezia. In his first album he plays piano rock, while in the second he shifted genre to alternative rock in the veins of singer-songwriters like Nick CaveNick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
.
Releases
- Incantu ["Enchantment"] (Album, 2007)
- Straviari (EP, 2007)
- Agghionna ["Sunrise"] (EP, 2008)
- Disincantu ["Disenchantment"] (Album, 2008)
Maleficu Santificatu
Maleficu Santificatu (In Sicilian "Evil santified") is one of the two soloist project by Rosario Badalamenti. He plays raw black metal. Sometimes his production is compared to early ImmortalImmortal (band)
Immortal is a black metal band from Bergen, Norway, founded in 1990 by current frontman/guitarist Abbath Doom Occulta and former guitarist Demonaz Doom Occulta...
.
Releases
- Il Male ["Evil"] (EP, 2004)
- Il Dolore ["Pain"] (EP, 2005)
- L'Odio ["Hate"] (EP, 2005)
- La Pietà ["Piety"] (EP, 2006)
- Il Rancore ["Grudge"] (EP, 2011
3 - Rosario Badalamenti
3 (Like the divine perfect number) is the other soloist project by Rosario Badalamenti. He plays industrial black metal/splittercore.Releases
- Antichristian Kaos (EP, 2001)
- 666 Knives to the Son's Heart (EP, 2003)
- Onnipotenza III ["Almightiness III"] (EP, 2005)
- Santu Rusariu ["Rosario the Saint"] (EP, 2008)
- Il Braccio Sinistro ["The Left Arm"] (EP, 2011)
Lamentu
Lamentu (In Sicilian "Lament") plays black metal heavily influenced by the tribal music from Africa, to create an occult, ritualistic music.Their lyrics are about Liack-Aru (an ancient african demon) and his ancient african kingdom.
Releases
- Erva Tinta + Aggrissu (Double EP, 1998)
- Liack (Album, 2001)
- niurAfrica (EP, 2005)
- taButu (EP, 2011)
Inquietu
Inquietu (In Sicilian "Not quiet") plays classic black metal, influenced by psychedelia.Addraunara
Addraunara (name of a mythological Mediterranean storm) is the soloist project of Nadur. He plays symphonic black metal.Lava
Lava is the name of a trio formed by Agghiastru, Fabrizio Salina and Rosario Badalamenti. Rooted in some experimental projects of the early nineties, Lava plays drone doom.INCH Productions
INCH Productions it's the official record label of the Mediterranean Scene. It produces and distributes all the EP of the scene, and produces all the official albums (distribuited by Audioglobe).Catalogue
| No. | Artist | Title | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| INCH 001 | La Caruta di li Dei | Mediterraneo Atto I | CD |
| INCH 002 | Inchiuvatu | Viogna | CD |
| INCH 003 | Lamentu | Liack | CD |
| INCH 004 | Astimi | TrinaCapronuM | CD |
| INCH 005 | Inchiuvatu | Piccatu | CD |
| INCH 006 | Inchiuvatu | Addisiu+Demoniu | CD |
| INCH 007 | Agghiastru | Incantu | CD |
| INCH 008 | Inchiuvatu | Miseria | CD |
| INCH 009 | Agghiastru | Disincantu | CD |