Rival Skulls

It's not easy for an Italian band to break out into the international music scene, but in Venice, since 1999, Deathrockers Rival Skulls have been hailed for being the One and Only Horror Rock band from Italy to do just that. After releasing two successful self-produced full length albums (the Death Masks and Something Macabre this way comes...), some demos, and a fistful of compilations, the quintet did a couple of European tours and supported some big names in the horror-scene such as the Misfits, Meteors, Nekromantix and the Spook.

Many of the most popular music magazines and webzines reviewed the Rival Skulls's production as the most legitimate offspring of the Misfits and Samhain's work in the entire worldwide. The band has just unleashed its first label debut, Hell Ouverture, on Blood and Guts Records. The albums sound shows the evolution of how the band has changed over the years, without losing their macabre vein and underlining their passion on the esoteric themes. All the songs on the album are a bit of their own experiences viewed by the side of the occult and expressing the Daily-Horror in peoples lives. From soft and sweet pagan to violently horrific lyrics, the music easily swings from fast and aggressive hardcore-punk to a sort of Sabbathian metal-rock, with some Gothic and Dark hints to it. The band's trademark vocals, addictive riffs and powerful choruses are still there but the sound is slicker, more polished and more mature than the previous albums and is a definitely one more step away from the Misfits's supporting band they started out as.
From http://www.myspace.com/rivalskulls