Kingcrow
Biography Kingcrow
Kingcrow
The band was originally founded in Rome, Italy, by Diego Cafolla (guitars) and Manuel Thundra Cafolla (drums) in 1996 under the name of "Earth Shaker".
Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's poem "Raven" and driven by a will of change, the band's name was soon altered into Kingcrow. Together with Stefano Tissi (vocals), the first promo CD "Eyes Of Memories" was published in 1997. The second promo CD, "Hurricane's Eye", was released in 2000, and served as the proof of Kingcrow's evolution into progressive atmospheres performed with a subtle hard rock and metal approach. This stylistic choice was finally consolidated in 2001 with the first official studio album, "Something Unknown". In the same year Ivan Nastasi, a guitarist of the classic hard rock - heavy metal style, joined the band.
In 2002 Stefano was replaced by Mauro Gelsomini (vocals), who contributed to the songs with his deep and emphatic approach.
In June 2003 Kingcrow recorded a 3-track promo CD entitled "Matzmariels". Ready for the next step, Kingcrow decided that the next release should be a conceptual album, and thus "Insider" became reality. Kingcrow noted, "We see this album as a continuous flow of emotions narrated by music".
During 2004 and 2005, Kingcrow built their own recording studio in Rome. A new album, "Timetropia", (heralded by media and fans as a true rock opera along the lines of "Tommy", "Jesus Christ Superstar" or even "Operation Mindcrime"), was recorded and published worldwide by Lucretia Records International in 2006.
In 2007 and 2008, together with new bassist Angelo Orlando and the new keyboard player Cristian Della Polla, kingcrow performed several live shows at the biggest Italian hard rock-heavy metal music festivals (including the famous Gods Of Metal alongside Iron Maiden and Judas Priest to support the album release). In February 2009, during the recording sessions for the new album, Francesco D'Errico (bass) joined the band. Also Mauro decided to leave the band due to personal reasons, and was substituted by Diego Marchesi, a singer with outstanding vocal skills. In the same year the band signed a contract with the “Intromental Management” booking agency.
In the early months of 2010 the guys finished recording their new album “Phlegethon” that was released in june of the same year under the “Scarlet Records” label.
Phlegethon was a new exciting concept, and, according to the band, "This new disc finds us exploring paths of progressive rock and metal we've never ventured “. It was considered on an international level as a relevant masterpiece and was classed as one of the elite albums of the year. It has been near the top of the charts in some international prog-rock websites.
Phlegethon promotion lasted for about two years and a half. In early 2011, several shows were performed in Italy, followed by a European tour in October as a supporting band of the Californian “Redemption”– lead by Ray Alder (Fates Warning); in Summer 2012, the band took part in another European tour as a supporting band of Jon Oliva’s Pain with Jon Oliva, ex Savatage. Among other things, in 2011 they performed at the “ProgPower Europe” festival in Baarlo (Netherlands) and in 2012 at the most famous “ProgPower USA” in Atlanta (Georgia).
During the same year, the band recorded the new album “In Crescendo” that was released in February 2013 by the American label “Sensory Records”. A new conceptual album, in which sweet and gloomy atmospheres are perfectly combined with a solid and heavy sound - heavier than the previous records. At the moment the band has planned an overseas tour in the USA and Canada as a supporting band of Pain Of Salvation – April and May, 2013.
Describing the band today is quite a difficult task, but one could state that the influence of such artists as Porcupine Tree, Riverside, Opeth, Orphaned Land or even Dream Theater in their more subtle moments are all present in the music of Kingcrow. With each release Kingcrow has taken a step further away from their original roots as a classic hard rock - metal band and is today one of the most exciting bands that Italy has to offer.
