Stormlord is:
-Christiano Borchi (vocals since the beginning - 1991 - and bass '91 - '96)
-Gianpaolo Caprino (guitar, keyboard, clean vocals - '02-)
-Maurizio Pariotti (keyboards 2008-)
-Francesco Bucci (bass since '97)
-Andrea Angelini (guitar - 2010 -)
-David Folchitto (drums since '99)
Male operatic vocals on the albums are performed by A.G. Volgar from Deviate Damaen.
Occasionally, the band has utilized other clean and operatic vocals. (referred to as 'Battle Choirs')
Cristiano Borchi uses both black metal-style shrieking (referred to as 'epic war screams') and death growls. Giampaolo Caprino sings the gothic style male vocals used in songs such as 'The Castaway' and 'Dimension: Hate'
Giuseppe Orlando of the gothic metal band Novembre and Outer Sound Studios (Where most Stormlord releases are recorded and produced) has contributed a few growled vocal lines throughout Stormlord's career, notably on 'Dimension: Hate', '...And Winter Was' and 'Stormlord'.
The band has released following albums:
- The Supreme Art of War (1999, Last Episode)
- At the Gates of Utopia (2001, Scarlet Records)
- The Gorgon Cult (2004, Scarlet Records)
- Mare Nostrum (2008 Locomotive Records)
Other releases:
Demo 1992 (demo, 1994, self-released)
Black Kinght (demo, 1994, self released)
Under the Sign of the Sword (EP, 1997, Metal Horse)
Promo 1997/Where My Spirit Forever Shall Be (demo, 1997, independent, later released as the Where My Spirit Forever Shall Be EP in 1998 by Last Episode)
The Curse of Medusa (EP, 2001, Scarlet Records)
The Battle of Quebec City: Live in Canada (Live DVD, 2007, Scarlet Records)
The Legacy Of Medusa – 17 Years of Extreme Epic Metal (2CD Compilation, 2008, Scarlet Records.)
Stormlord's lyrical themes on most 1990's material were based around fantasy, and the majority of content themes on the band's later releases centers around History, Greek and Roman Mythology, battles, and Literature. (occasionally touching on other topics or mythological themes)
Examples include "And the Wind Shall Scream My Name" ("Mare Nostrum") is based on Dante Alighieri's 'Divine Comedy (Hell)'. "I Am Legend" ("At the Gates of Utopia"), has the same title as Richard Matheson's book. And "Xanadu (A Vision In the Dream)" ("At the Gates of Utopia") is based on Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem 'Kubla Khan - A Vison In the Dream', and "Legacy of the Snake" ("Mare Nostrum") is based on stories from Hindu beliefs.
Stormlord's music video for the song 'Under the Boards' from "The Gorgon Cult" contained copious amounts of blood and gore, resulting in banning from TV and the gaining of both underground popularity and notoriety through downloads.
Hesperia
Stormlord Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
nel vento sussurrano il nome "Hesperia"
Il tuo lauro è il mio supplizio
Figlia del verbo divino
dilani ed infiammi quest'animo pio
Tu sei Hesperia
duro come fosse selce,
il dono di colei che da monarca, per mio amore si fece donna
Alle acque increspate dello Stige,
gravide di ombre penitenti,
lo sguardo adombrato ella ora rivolge
Se di tal dolenza il seme fu celeste,
come mai i futuri allori
non fugano dal cuore con l'oblio
la brama di esitare,
la brama di fuggire,
la brama di fallire,
questa brama di esistere?
Canti di onori venturi
da Roma declamano il nome "Hesperìa"
Il tuo lauro è il mio supplizio
Figlia del verbo divino
dilani ed infiammi l'anima mia
Tu sei Hesperia
Hesperia
The lyrics of Stormlord's song "Hesperia" are full of vivid imagery and metaphorical language. The first few lines describe the echoes of ancient triumphs that whisper the name "Hesperia" in the wind. "Hesperia" is a reference to ancient Italy, which was also called "Ausonia" or "Oenotria," and was believed to be the land of the setting sun, where the Hesperides guarded the golden apples of the gods. The next line, "Your laurel is my torture," is open to interpretation. It could refer to the laurel wreaths worn by victorious heroes and leaders, or to the laurel tree as a symbol of immortality, which is both a blessing and a curse.
The next stanza describes Hesperia as the daughter of the divine word, who tears and inflames the pious soul. This could be interpreted as a reference to the power of language and myth-making to inspire and move people. The following lines describe an encounter with a mysterious woman, who offers the gift of silence like a rock. She is described as a monarch who became a woman for the sake of love. This could be seen as a symbolic representation of the power of love to transform the world and the people in it.
The final stanza asks several rhetorical questions about why the desire to exist and succeed persists, despite the inevitability of suffering and failure. The implication is that the legacy of Hesperia and her triumphs has inspired generations of people to strive for greatness, even knowing that it may come at a terrible cost. Overall, "Hesperia" is a complex and evocative piece of music that explores the themes of history, myth, and human aspiration.
Line by Line Meaning
Dei trionfi gli echi remoti nel vento sussurrano il nome "Hesperia"
The distant echoes of victorious battles whisper in the wind the name Hesperia
Il tuo lauro è il mio supplizio
Your laurel wreath is my punishment
Figlia del verbo divino dilani ed infiammi quest'animo pio Tu sei Hesperia
Daughter of the divine word, you tear apart and ignite this pious soul. You are Hesperia
Silenzio, duro come fosse selce, il dono di colei che da monarca, per mio amore si fece donna
Silence, as hard as flint, is the gift from she who became a woman for my love, abandoning her monarchy
Alle acque increspate dello Stige, gravide di ombre penitenti, lo sguardo adombrato ella ora rivolge
To the rippling waters of the River Styx, pregnant with repentant shadows, she now turns her shadowed gaze
Se di tal dolenza il seme fu celeste, come mai i futuri allori non fugano dal cuore con l'oblio la brama di esitare, la brama di fuggire, la brama di fallire, questa brama di esistere?
If the seed of such pain was from the heavens, why do the future laurels not banish from the heart the desire to hesitate, to run away, to fail, this desire to exist?
Canti di onori venturi da Roma declamano il nome "Hesperìa" Il tuo lauro è il mio supplizio
Songs of future honors from Rome proclaim the name Hesperia. Your laurel wreath is my punishment
Figlia del verbo divino dilani ed infiammi l'anima mia Tu sei Hesperia Hesperia
Daughter of the divine word, you tear apart and ignite my soul. You are Hesperia, Hesperia
Contributed by Lucas B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mens Hominis
Italian lyrics? More of that, please! All your songs are powerful -- but it's just beautiful when a band experiments with its own language. Especially when it comes to extreme Metal subgenres.
Greetings from Germany! Just found out about you recently; your albums shall be mine soon. :D
Código Carlos
Hesperia sin duda un gran disco. Pero The gorgon cult siempre sera la obra maestra de storlord
Fer Lindberg
alberto pargas coincido contigo,el mejor es At the gates of Utopia
alberto pargas
EL MEJOR ES AT THE GATES OF UTOPIA
Roxy Maltese
semplicemente un inno all'arte del metal.
Koev's Pagliacci
Oh, this is SO powerful! An epic masterpiece indeed! Fantastic!
Angela Panzarella
Epic masterpiece!!!
Sergio Baruscotti
Decisamente la mia "Epic Black Metal Band" preferita!!! STAY LOST!!! ;-)
Maxime Gutleben
beautiful as always guys, you kick my ears so hard
orlyhmkhmk
Capolavoro assoluto