The Descent

Butterflies

Devoured

The Cave

Vitriol

Steps

Visions

Paths

The Veil

Rays

Touch

Home Concept Bio Media Influences Reviews Links Contact The Cave No Frame

News

NEWS

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News

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01-12-2010 /New Management

The renowned management/promotion agency Alkemist Fanatix Europe starts from this moment on to cooperate with the band. The perfect agency for the Vitriol's alchemic concept...

27-10-2010 /Distribution

The band is proud to announce a new collaboration with the American label Melodic Revolution Records, which will be involved in the Vitriol's EP distribution and promotion.

28-07-2010 /Review on Progression Magazine

Vitriol's debut album got 15.5/16 on the #59 issue of the prestigious Progression Magazine, the topmost score as independent release and one of the best 10 scores among about 200 albums. You can find an excerpt and in "The Veil".

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News

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18-03-2010 /Line-up change

We're glad to announce officially that Tommaso Semrov has joined the band as the new guitarist. We've already set to work on the new live set which will be available from April.

12-03-2010 /New on-line reviews

A series of new reviews of the band's debut album this week. You can find all the excerpts and the concerning links in "The Veil".

09-03-2010 /Interview on Metal Maniac

The famous magazine "Metal Maniac", in its April issue, has released an interview in which Vitriol talk about the backstage of their first EP and next news.

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Vitriol

Whisper

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Visita Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultam Lapidem

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Visita Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultam Lapidem

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Penetrate Into The Bowels Of The Earth And Purifying You Will Find The Hidden Stone

My Journey My JourneyToday raindrops are fallinglike sharp-bladed knives,I feel them come whistling from far away, I'm waiting to be wounded no way of escaping Once again Once again Once more on this testing road,the wandering of my soul in search of its Light.Paths tangled with thorny brambles and dark woods will be the only way to reach my love. I am Knowledge, with an aching body because of my journey And with a guitar on my shoulder more and more scratched by rocks and crystal tearsdesperately I'msearching from the first sunrise on this earththe one my heart burns for, Truth, the aim of all my dreams. (I only believe in her. and its her I love alone)My search is tough,the path is dark, I well know, but walking with care does not appeal to lovers.A glowing sun will blind my eyes,and raindrops will cut deep furrows in my tired face.(Ill climb thousands and thousands of mountains to reach her) But Truth is always slipping from my eyes . She vanishes, a fleeting shadow, like a shell among stormy sea waves. I sufferNow she lies in a deep cave,wrapped in a dress of lighton the steep peak before my eyes.Up there,cherished in the warm mountain womb,she lives quietly concealed away from human eyes.The world of Illusion,to whom golden idols have been consecrated,is not for her.She would die.My search is tough,the path is dark, I well know, but walking with care does not appeal to lovers.A glowing sun will blind my eyes,and raindrops will cut deep furrows in my tired face.I will reach you How many dew dropswill have to wet my palmsbefore I can see your face and smell your sweet skin?I will be dreaming I m close to you, whenever pale moon light illuminates my lonely bedbefore sleeping And before sleeping... I will call your name time after time... My notes will help me withstand my exhaustion,they will be sweet words to my earsand will console mewhenever I lie next to the fire Ill wonder if someday I can find my Light.
No Frame

Never Again No Frame

Never again I. Desperation Days flowing by in vain. Yesterday the path was puzzling.Ghosts appeared to darken my weakened sight.The path grew more and more winding, silence more and more oppressive,Rocks sharper and sharper causing my hands to bleed.A bitter blood was gushing, a dark blood filled with discouragement.“Wake up”I saw her walking at a slow pace,she was heading down toward mealong my narrow and dusty path;and as she drew closer to me I started feeling something penetrating under my skin.(I felt my aching heart shaking,captured by something which was inside me)She was wrapped in a cloak wherethousands of symbols were impressed, symbols behind which many people disappear, and die."Have a nice day, Knowledge" she saidstaring at me with her hypnotizing eyes."How do you know my name?" I asked upset and she smiled.Never again in the gloom of insecuritywill I entrust my lost soul to someone else’s hands, never again I will allow no one to lock my soul in a cage, much too tight for its wings. She said: "I know exactly who you are,and I know who you are looking for. But you should wonderif there are no other ways leading you to arrive safely and earlier.Your path, you know, is unsure, full of hidden dangers;your search, for its own nature,will lead you to crossroads you will be afraid of, afraid of losing yourself.You should learn to look beyond,you should take new paths that before were hidden to your eyes. I'm your chance, I am Faith".Suddenlybehind her a large bush opened up,revealing a straight and flat path."this is your opportunity,I,and only Iknow the way that will lead you surely to the Truth".I decided to trust to her. II. The divine revelationAbove us a large and dark tangle of thorns was rising, that step by step was leading us more and more in the darkness.Something happened. In a corner wetted by a weak ray of light I saw Faith's eyes becoming redder and redder, and from the opened folds of the cloak I caught sight of a strange glint.Instinctively I stopped when I realized what it was.I clearly saw the sharp blade of a knife held in her hand.She stopped, as well.She looked at me intensely, with her piercing eyes.I backed away just a moment before she could catch me.Another dart away avoided that her knife cut my throat.I turned back running away.Never again in the gloom of insecuritywill I entrust my lost soul to someone else’s hands, never again I will allow no one to lock my soul in a cage, much too tight for its wings.Faith wants to kill me.Faith wants to kill me..

Butterflies Nocturne #1 - ButterfliesIWhile fascinated I follow the flamesof my small crackling fire chasing one another in the night silence of a sleeping wood,gaily coloured butterflies fly from my lute’s strings.It’s the dawn of a new Night,It’s the dawn of my thoughts.The fire will be the mirror of my soul, he will burn with dreams, with his crackle he will warm my heart.Butterflies that circle with grace around me, free I see them dancing high, lighter than the air, alive more than ever,painfully alive like me.It’s the dawn of a new Night,It’s the dawn of my thoughts.We will wait together for a new sun’s arrival.They dance high above,they dance full of the burning sorrow of my soul.In these notes is impressed the fragrance of my thoughts.Painful scarsAnd between a thousand notes like butterflies, appearin a whirlwind, life fragments, small scratches, scars that I carry on my living skin.Sometimes a wound opens againand let gush out living blood on the skin, red and dark, that chokes my thoughtsand that strangles as if one hundred hands were on my neck.and ghosts appear in front of my fire come out of the obscurity of this wood,whispering to me quietly that the past can hurt. II A very shy glare appears from the mountain peaks, the light is coming inexorable, the night is drawing to a close.The rage kills me when I see the sunlight coming from faraway places,coming back to cover with its silly showy cloak all the poetrythat only the Night’s shades are able to give me.I long to see the moment when the darkness, slowly,will kill one more time the sun,pulling it down behind the mountainsto cut its throat till it’s extinguished.And then I will grin,when I will see the last ray broken,now wrapped in the red blood of the crime.It will then be the dawn of a new Night,it will be the dawn of my thoughts.Open woundAnd between a thousand notes like butterflies, appearin a whirlwind, life fragments small scratches, scars that I carry on my living skin.Sometimes a wound opens againand let gush out living blood on the skin, red and dark,that chokes my thoughtsand that strangles as if one hundred hands were on my neck.and ghosts appear in front of my fire come out of the obscurity of this wood,whispering to me that the past can hurt.III“Where are you?” I ask myself if one day I’ll ever reach you, my Light.Sometimes you feel your wings broken and dreams falling downlike shooting stars with bloodstained trailsthat in a summer night burn, wishing onlyto be like the other stars, fixed in a silver heaven.Night, and the graceful flight of my soulconsumed like an old candle,that succeeds in escaping from the cage where she’s trappedand from which she calls out desperately for help, she,free only for a few hours, fleeingto heave a deep breath,to wipe her eyes wet by crystal tears,to spread her wings to the moonlightto not die inside me, inside my wounded heart.When the night is drawing to a closeI run away, like the silencethat dies with a new sun.When the night is drawing to a closeI close my eyes, to not allow my tears of delusion to gush out.When the night is drawing to a closeI die with herunable to swimming in an ocean of light.
No Frame

Devoured

Devoured by himselfFirst when the fog wrapped like a mantle then the whole mountain began to clear. I saw him along the track: he was crouched on a dark rock, completely wrapped in his tunic, its large brown hood was covering his features, those of an imaginably tired countenance.He was gripping in his hands an old oak stick, precious for its sinuous features of old woody fibres. When I was on the verge of passing him he remained motionless, not even the minutest of movements.I heard only a whisper coming from his lips, he said: “But what are you doing?”I turned, and he continued:“What are you looking for, fool?Too bold are your steps,too decided your mind.You’re blinded with your desire to find answers,when instead you should sit down like meAnd OBSERVE, observe the landscape that stretches out under your eyes.Look at it, intently.You will find out many things with time,held in the tiny details, images,marks of the pain that life strews everywherelike crumbs of bitter bread and that I, patiently,pick up one by one and swallow,painfully I swallow ‘till I suffocate.My search is tough, the path is dark, I well know, but walking with care does not appeal to lovers. A glowing sun will blind my eyes… OnceI was looking for something as are you,but during the journey I began to feel something inside myself, something that really wasn’t ok. I didn’t listen to what my unconscious was suggesting to me. Then the pain became excruciating, something began to devour me from inside.I was feeling dagger like teeth rip through my flesh. A poisonous fire began to burn within me and it never went out. I was enclosed by the flames, and it was all over.I became Madness. Look at me, now”. His trembling hand suddenly gripped my arm and he pulled me towards himself. He lifted his head which he held down until that moment, covered by his dark cowl, and I was forever pierced by what I saw: his eyes. His eyes were ocean blue, his eyes were just like mine. He had my eyes, exactly my same eyes. I remained immobile. They were the eyes of a Knowledge who lost himself along the way in his hurry to reach the Truth. My eyes, exactly my same eyes…

The Discent The descent The mouth of my soulThe sunset continues to bleed in a purple sky.Under its weak light, the final step before me, the descent. Seated, in silence, I contemplate the dark mouth of the huge cavewhose breath freezes my blood, and it reminds me that the most arduous task is to face up to oneself.First step to the Light: the thirst for search.I ONLY WANT TO KNOW.From the peak of the mountain I’ll descend into the cave. But on the way Melancholy, sweetly, will lacerate me.Second step to the Light: to penetrate into the bowels of the earth. “Visita interiora terrae”To dig in the meanders of my Natureand to know its dark sides, for a long time concealed. Only then the shade that haunts me will turn into my image reflected.It takes courage, I know,to descend into the hell of my deepest inwardness,there I’ll find, I’m sure, painful and unconfessable spectres,that will envelop me with their tormenting whispers.Third step to the Light: Purification.To be reborn pure I’ll have to suffer so much as to die inside.I’ll be the sand that in the fire becomes crystal.I’ll burn of my sorrow, and from my same ashes I’ll take flight.The desperate struggle. And the flightFourth step to the Light: Nigredo.I will be at the cliff’s edge,and I will smell sharp the odour of Death.With my sorrow I’ll skim her mantle,with my tears I’ll quench the thirst of Hades, who already yearns for me.Only then, in the distance, I’ll see the Light,and I will realize that what I seek is not far away.Fifth step to the Light: Albedo.“Rectificando invenies occultam lapidem”I will spread my soul’s wings and nimble I’ll take to flight.Toward Her, toward my love, toward the Hidden Stone,toward my Light, toward the true medicine to the soul’s ills,toward the Truth,who I’ll see, wrapped in her flashy mantle,walking softly between the columns of her temple. It takes courage, I know,to descend into the hell of my deepest inwardness,there I will find, I’m sure, painful and unconfessable spectres,that will envelop me with their tormenting whispers.But with a flashy mantle I will reascendthis dark cave that is human existence,and like water that gushes out of the sourcepure I will flow on a new Earth.Vitriol is the existence, that corrodes and torments the soul,and V.i.t.r.i.o.l. is the only medicine to survive the annihilation.Lots of things concealed that I won’t want to see, will I make it?The worst perils not from afar come, no, for those I have strong armour, but from my inner perils there is no defence.It’s a steep climb, but I know I can make it.For nothing in the world I would renounce my journey.A Few steps to the LightIt’s a mixture of colours,that crash vortically on a bright canvas,it’s a rough sea,a sea that pierces your bowelsand dazes you with its strength.It’s a blooming of emotions,it’s joy, it’s fear, it’s oblivion.A few steps to Truthmy heart struggles in my chestlike a bird in a cage that fidgets to fly,A few steps to Truth I feel my soul staggering under the weight of my love.TruthLook, she’s in front of me…TRUTH: “I implore you, Knowledge,run, run away.When you will shift the veil that covers my face,your heart will be ripped.Because you, Knowledge,from the very first sunrise on this earth you are the fruit of man,and as such not even the nobleness of your soul can escape from the cruelty of Illusion.You will never have me, not because I don’t love you, but ‘cause you delude yourself into looking for me where I’m not, where I don’t exist.I am all around you, but ethereal, impalpable, elusive like a morning fog.I am pure.I am the true and only dogma: one and manifold, absolute and at the same time relative.Run away, my love. Run away.Farewell”
No Frame

Whisper
My Journey
Never Again
Butterflies
Devoured
The Discent

I II III IV V VI

Concept, Music and Lyrics by Francesco Lombardo Arrangements by Francesco Lombardo and Michele Panepinto Photos and Artwork by Giovanni Montagna, Francesco Lombardo, Michele Panepinto Guest Musician: Alessia Scaringi as "Truth" Recorded and mixed by Francesco Lombardo and Michele Panepinto Mastered by Roberto Priori

Steps

Some years ago, in the up-country of Sicily, where the hills are burnt by the sun, Francesco Lombardo and Michele Panepinto decided to undertake a path of musical growth who 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 has contributed, thanks to their professional influences, to enrich the style of the new band, inspired to a Progressive genre which is modern but has also a feeling for the musical experiences of the 70s historical bands. The name of the project has inspired their first EP which is a concept album. Vitriol infact is the acronym of one of the most famous mottoes of Renaissance alchemy: "Visita Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultam 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 the Man inside his own Ego in order to finally find the philosophical Truth.In the same way, the main character of the story, called Knowledge, quests for his beloved, Truth; he reaches to destination after a rash of pitfalls and after meeting some allegorical characters (such as Faith and Madness) but 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.The first work of the band, mixed by Francesco Lombardo and Michele Panepinto and mastered by Roberto Priori, is completed in july 2009 in Bologna, where in the meanwhile the members of the band have moved. Once the album is handed out it collects immediately a lot of good reviews by the main alternative/metal magazines in both paper and digital output: it is considered the best Demo of the month on the November issue of Metal Maniac (one of the most important magazine in Italy) and gets an average mark of 8/10 in almost all the most famous Italian and international webzines, such as UsaProgressiveMusic, TrueMetal, MetalWave, Eutk, MovaMuzique and many others. At present, the band has been updating its own myspace and website and has been featuring on the main music channels of the web. After a line-up change (Tommaso Semrov on guitars), the members of the band are getting to grips with new ideas for the next album which will be, as usual, the result of their blood and sweat.-----------La band nasce tra le colline bruciate dal sole dell'entroterra siciliano alcuni anni fa per volontà di due amici di lunga data, Francesco Lombardo e Michele Panepinto, i quali dopo diverse esperienze musicali decidono di intraprendere una nuova strada che li porterà alla loro prima autoproduzione progressive. Nel progetto vengono coinvolti Gianluca Pappalardo, Pierangelo Carvello e Alessandro Sanfilippo che contribuiscono, grazie alle loro personali influenze e ai propri studi musicali, ad arricchire ulteriormente lo stile della band volto verso sonorità moderne ma non indifferente alle esperienze degli storici gruppi degli anni 70.Il primo EP si presenta come un concept album ispirato al nome della band stessa. Vitriol infatti è l'acronimo di uno dei più celebri motti dellAlchimia rinascimentale, "Visita Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultam Lapidem": esso vuol dire "Penetra nelle viscere della Terra e purificandoti troverai la pietra nascosta", una metafora che rappresenta il cammino dell'uomo all'interno del proprio Io, per giungere infine a trovare la Verità filosofica.In maniera analoga il protagonista della storia narrata, Conoscenza, va alla ricerca della sua amata, Verità; attraversando varie insidie e incontrando personaggi allegorici (come Fede e Follia), giunge infine alla sua meta, ma resta spiazzato dalla parole dell'amata. La duplicità del termine "Vitriol" (elemento chimico corrosivo e acronimo del motto rinascimentale) rappresenta bene l'essenza della band, costantemente in bilico fra la sua componente aggressiva e quella intimista e riflessiva. Il lavoro della band, curato in fase di mix da Francesco Lombardo e Michele Panepinto e in fase di mastering da Roberto Priori, viene ultimato nel luglio 2009 a Bologna, dove nel frattempo i membri si sono trasferiti, e comincia ad essere distribuito raccogliendo fin da subito una serie di ottime recensioni da parte delle principali testate alternative/metal cartacee e informatiche: viene recensito come miglior Demo del mese nel numero di Novembre della rivista Metal Maniac (una delle più importanti in Italia) e ottiene una media di voti che si aggira intorno all8/10 da parte di tutte le più conosciute webzine italiane, come TrueMetal, MetalWave, Eutk, NovaMuzique, ecc.Il gruppo nel frattempo tiene costantemente aggiornato il proprio myspace e il proprio sito con le ultime news e continua ad inserirsi nei più importanti canali musicali del web. Ha di recente pubblicato un promo video su Youtube e gestisce una newsletter con diverse centinaia di iscritti.Dopo un cambio di line up che ha visto l'ingresso alle chitarre di Tommaso Semrov, i membri della band si preparano per il live ed sono alle prese con nuove idee per la stesura del prossimo lavoro. Che sarà, come sempre, frutto del loro sangue e sudore..

Francesco Lombardo - Bass

Michele Panepinto - Drums

Pierangelo Carvello - Keyboards

Tommaso Semrov - Guitars

Gianluca Pappalardo - Vocals

Visions

Paths

Pippo

Pilate: Then you are a king. Jesus: It's you that say I am. I look for truth, and find that I get damned. Pilate: And what is 'truth'? Is truth unchanging law? We both have truths. Are mine the same as yours? (Jesus Christ Superstar - Webber/Rice)

Under Construction...

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MY BUTTON

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The Veil

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Top Demo of the Month

Top Demo of the Month

A jewel.

An EP able to go outside the box, to offer originality and class, to play with mirrors so that it could claim to be unique and original. You must listen to this work from the first to the last second. It is played by a great band which is good for your heart. 9/10

A very original style, hard to compare to that of other bands in Italy and abroad.

The album shows high technical skills and an intense songwriting.

When these all-worthy guys find a label for a contract, we will be given a great example of "heady metal".

Topmost score as Independent Release

Top Demo of the Month

[...] But here's what's important: these guys "scossa asino" (kick ass).

The band moves effortlessly from blistering metallic crunchiness to gorgeous, ethereal passages with Yes-like harmonies.

It's all very effective, and Gianluca Pappalardo's vocals are both excellent and in English.

Musicianship is top-notch, and the serpentine time changes should delight most readers of this magazine.

They have indeed turned this material into gold. Molto bene!

15.5/16 (Sound 4/4, Composition 3.5/4, Musicianship 4/4, Performance 4/4)

You know those albums which take you by surprise? Well, here's one for sure. When I found this one, I couldn't believe my luck.

So, sometimes, in Italy too, little sensations deserving fame and glory all over the world can happen.

The outcome is impressive, and now, if you will excuse me, I'm go back to listening to this great masterpiece again. 83/100

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The album is a well-constructed and exhaustive digression exalting, by well-conceived music and lyrics, the fascinating legend of renaissance alchemy.

The bands performance is really charming on the whole.

Vitriol has delivered a rather interesting album.

"Butterflies", the closest to a ballad of the album, sounds almost surreal and features Gianluca's best vocals.

I t's a great start and I look forward to what Vitriol can do from this point on.

At times the vocalist reminds me a little of Daniel Gildenlow of Pain of Salvation, as he shows tremendous versatility.

This is a very strong debut album. I for one cannot wait to hear what the band has in store for us the next time around.

A really intriguing artwork. If then to all this you add a fresh, well-structured and particularly inspired musical proposal, you can really talk about a superb product.

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Like alchemy mixed variegated elements and the most disparate sciences, Vitriol propose a changeable musical solution which refers to the progressive source mixing rock lightness, fun for experimentation and metal clout.

"The Descent" is full of groove, which plays with the chiaroscuros and uses some moments of pure highly progressive experimentation.

A little surprise which lays a strong groundwork for a deep full-length.

The Descent has the task of greatly closing a praiseworthy product which gives great prestige to our country.

Everything works perfectly; this is a band that deserves a contract immediately!

What a fantastic surprise Vitriol is! The result is a brilliant album, absolutely worth listening to!

Great attention is given to vocal lines, which emerge in different expressive ways in charming combinations of tones in a highly emotional, vital and multifaceted final scenario.

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Rays

You can find us on

Vitriol at Alkemist Fanatix Europe

Management

Vitriol at Melodic Revolution Records

Distribution

Melodic Revolution Records' shop

Pri Studio

Roberto Priori

Digital Distribution (Album & singles)

Touch

Contact us

info_insidevitriol.com

General Info

info_alkemist-fanatix.com

Management

booking_insidevitriol.com

Booking

Vitriol Ep (2009)

Digital Distribution

Tracklist

I - Whisper

II - My Journey

III - Never Again

IV - Butterflies

V - Devoured

VI - The Descent
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© 2010-2011 Vitriol - All rights reserved - Designed by Francesco Lombardo and Michele Malatesta