Italian Metallers ASTAROTH To Release First-Ever Full-Length Album

Legendary Italian heavy metal pioneers ASTAROTH will release their first-ever full-length album, "The End Of Silence", on December 21 via She Wolf Records. Produced by the band's bassist Saverio "Shining" Principini and engineered by Michael Tacci (METALLICA, WHITESNAKE) in Los Angeles, California, the CD marks the band's first new output since their 1985 cult classic "The Long Loud Silence" mini-LP, and reunites original members Principini, guitarist Max Cipicchia and drummer Jan D'Amore, with American-born newcomer Ace Alexander handling vocal duties in place of original frontman Bob Cattani.

"This is the album we were supposed to make after 'The Long Loud Silence' but didn't get the chance to for a myriad of reasons", states Principini. "All of the songs we've recorded for 'The End of Silence' were originally written in the mid-'80s as we prepared for our second record. Luckily, we found a bunch of old murky live tapes which helped reignite our collective memories. Even though it's now a quarter century later and everything's changed so much, we feel that these recordings very much embody the original ASTAROTH spirit. This has been a total labor of love for all of us and we can't wait to share this with our old fans as well as hopefully make a few new ones along the way."

"The End of Silence" track listing:

01. My Sleeping Beauty
02. Dilemma
03. Nero's Fire
04. Apocalypse in the Living Room
05. The Siren Song
06. Dreams Die First
07. Stand or Fall Together
08. In Spite of Destiny
09. Mystic As Tarot
10. Chainless Slaves

Check out audio samples at AstarothRome.com.

Formed in Rome in the early 1980s, ASTAROTH quickly found themselves as leaders of the fledgling Italian metal scene as the group's NWOBHM-influenced brand of heavy metal and Roman centurion look and elaborate ancient Roman themed stage show caught the attention of underground metalheads in their home town and beyond. Appearing on bills with the likes of METALLICA, ANTHRAX, MOTÖRHEAD and MANOWAR as the band began to venture North of the Alps, ASTAROTH became one of the first Italian metal bands to score an international record deal, signing with legendary Dutch label Rave On Records, whose roster also included MERCYFUL FATE and SORTILÈGE, among others. Following an abbreviated European tour with CELTIC FROST in support of "The Long Loud Silence", and the demise of Rave On, the band pulled up stakes and made the move to Los Angeles, California in 1987. Recording a pair of demos and gigging frequently around Southern California, including shows at The Troubadour, The Roxy and the Waters Club, the quartet's decidedly European sound was in stark contrast to the Hollywood glam metal and sleaze rock scene of the day and found no label takers. The band split up a couple of years into their American adventure with various members moving on to other projects, most prominently Principini's long-standing involvement with Italian rock superstar Vasco Rossi.