Ephel Duath, an Italian avant-garde metal/hardcore punk group, was formed in Padova, Italy in 1998. Their line-up has changed constantly, with Davide Tiso, guitarist and songwriter, being the only original member. They have released one demo, five studio album and two remix albums to date. Their latest studio album, Hemmed By Darkness, Shaped By Darkness was released in 2013. Ephel Duath formed as a two-man band in 1998. They named their album after the fictional mountain range from J.R.R. Tolkien’s book The Lord of the Rings. Their debut album was Phormula on Code666. After Phormula’s success, they signed to Elitist Records, a sub-division under Earache. They repackaged their debut with three tracks taken from Opera (the 1998 demo) and two remixes. Rephormula was the album’s title in 2001. Davide Tiso, the founder, recruited musicians from a variety of backgrounds, including hardcore punk and progressive rock, jazz,bluess, funk, and pop. The Painter’s Palette was the first album featuring this group. It featured a unique combination of hardcore punk music and jazz fusion. Kerrang! interviewed Kerrang! in May 2003. Kerrang! magazine called the band “supermodels” playing Dillinger Escape Plan in a May 2003 interview. In late 2005, Pain Necessary To Know was released. Davide Piovesan, the drummer, quit the band after recording the album. He was replaced by Sergio Ponti (2006, 2007) and Andrea Rabuini (2007, 2007). Ephel Duath dismissed Fabio Fecchio as bassist. The band stated that they wanted to continue to be a trio and “explore more experimental musical dimensions”. Ephel Duath made the announcement that Luciano George Lorusso was leaving the band. Guillermo Gonzales, a professional poker player, replaced him. Their MySpace page also featured a new song called “Guardian” and Ephel Duath’s January 2009 release Through My Dog’s Eyes. It features Marco Minnemann, drummer, and Dillinger Escape Plan’s Ben Weinman. Weinman was the one who composed the “electronics”, which is featured in “Bark Loud”. Davide Tiso, Ephel’s manager at Earache Records, announced on June 4, 2009 that Ephel Duath was leaving the label and that he was “thrilled” not to be associated with them. Tiso was Ephel Duath’s only member from the time the band left Earache in late 2011 until then. This was because he couldn’t afford to hire musicians. His record label paid him $400. Tiso stated that Ephel Duath’s former members complained about the financial problems, but didn’t realize how many problems he was hiding behind their eyes. It’s me now, and it’s pretty easy like this. Tiso (via Facebook, November 2011) announced that Ephel duath had signed with Agonia Records (Poland), for the release of an EP as well as two full-length albums. On Death and Cosmos was the EP that was recorded at Sharkbyte Studios, Oakland, California in January 2012. It was released in summer 2012. Erik Rutan mixed and mastered the album at his Mana Recording Studio. Alan Douches master it at West West Side Music, New York. A new line-up was announced in December 2011 with Karyn Crisis (Tiso’s wife), Steve DiGiorgio, and Marco Minnemann (who previously worked with the group). The band released their fifth album, Hemmed By Light Shaped By Darkness, in late 2013. Aeron Alfrey and Dehn Sora created the black-and-white cover art. Davide Tiso, the frontman of EphelDuath, announced in December 2014 that he was leaving. From Wikipedia
