Methedras

Biography

[Dashboard] [Referred Artists] [Search Options]

Methedras (1996-present): a Thrash Metal band from Italy.

ormed in 1996, Methedras was started by Massimiliano "Massi" Ducati (rhythm guitar) and Andrea Bochi (bass). In the beginning the band was characterized by the specific rough compactness of the rhythm guitars, like that of thrash metal, with a gloomy and oppressive heaviness of the bass lines, closer to death metal. The balanced mix of these two different styles would become the prototype of the rare and deepest component of the Methedras sound.

After some changes, the line-up was set stable when the drums and lead guitars began to work together with the rest of the band, while the bass player took care of vocals, lyrics and artwork. During this time they attended several live shows to test the audience with covers of Slayer, Testament, Megadeth and Metallica being performed, all names that heavily influenced the band. Also performed were the first versions of their own proprietary songs. The route Methedras intended to follow would now begin to evolve in an attempt to re-introduce the style of thrash metal of the early '80s.

After the bass player's decision to abandon vocals, several singers were unsuccessfully tested. But with the incoming of Claudio Facheris (vocals) in 1997, Methedras finally started to consolidate their ideas. The self-produced demo CD, Cost of Life, released in 1999, contained the tracks The Warning, Darkness, The Theater of Pain, No Survivor and Faceless. But the resulting playback sounded premature and flat, lacking the right energy that a thrash metal disc would have to express, but considering they had little else to offer the disc was released anyway.

Read All... ⏬

2000 was the start of their most important and productive period to date. It started when the line-up was modified with the insertion of Carlo Radaelli (drums) and Eros Mozzi (rhythm & lead guitar) to consolidate the new line-up. This change was followed-up when all the previous songs were rearranged, with new ones also being written. The resulting finished material was the release of two promo CD's: the first,Promo 2001, mixed and recorded in July of 2001 containing four tracks (including two covers of Slayer and Metallica); the second, Promo 2002, mixed and recorded in June of 2002 containing five tracks. Both works demonstrated a heavy roughness of the sound characteristic of thrash metal. It was a recording that came across as undefined and dirty, but was nonetheless the beginning of a songwriting growth path which saw the band insert unusual patterns and sounds proper of other genres, notably death metal and black metal, emphasizing their incisiveness and impact, peculiar characteristics expressed during the live performances.

After these releases, the band's main interest focused on promotion through frequent live activity in clubs of northern Italy and a heavy forwarding of promo packs to magazines, fanzines, web portals and underground reviewers. They also participated on several different international compilations including 'VOD Records' Voices Of Death Part 6, 'Atlantida Productions' Atlantida Compilation CD Vol. 18, 'Rock detector' The World's Biggest thrash metal Album, and opening for Entombed, Novembre, Ephel Duath and releasing their first full length album, Recursive in 2003 with the tracks: Drowning By Torment, Wreck 'N' Roll, L.R.S., Time To Die, The Denied God, My Iniquity Whirl, Under, Darkness (rearranged). The album finally summed up the experience the band had reached in seven years of activity, directing into the eight songs energy and rage, fed by a substantial dose of old style thrash metal, but rendered in a more cynical and grimmer way to face the more hidden fear and anguish of the human condition. Recently their 2004 appearance at the Wacken Open Air festival with such acts as Anthrax, Children of Bodom and Cannibal Corpse further enhanced their publicity.