80s Italian Metal

Born in may 1984 with inspiration coming from prominent acts such as Venom, Discharge and Hellhammer, Schizo can be considered one of the finest and most respected extreme bands to ever originate in Europe. After the release of three demo tapes which back then created an enormous impact on the underground metal scene and are now considered true 'cult' recordings, Schizo finalized the line-up with the addition of Necrodeath’ legendary screamer Ingo and gave birth to the long-celebrated masterpiece "Main Frame Collapse" at the beginning of 1989. With that influential album Schizo managed to score really high in the Italian independent album charts and got more than favourable reviews in the music press worldwide, hitting hard on the whole metal scene. Shortly after, an old idea of Schizo’ founding member Alberto and drummer Peso (of Necrodeath and Sadist fame) gave birth to another landmark LP named "Project One" combining influences and suggestions from both Necrodeath and Schizo, picking up the monicker Mondocane to identify this new, exciting musical project. With the 90's approaching, a series of circumstances, including [mostly] personal problems between founding members Alberto, Carlo and S.B., lead to the departure of these last two, but after almost one year of complete silence, Schizo came back on the map with a new line up, including guitarist Vittorio and drummer Pat, joining Ingo and Alberto. The result of months of rehearsal and serious commitments of time and money was "Wounds (In The Clay)", which saw Schizo threading different paths in both songwriting and lyrical departments...

1993 saw Schizo releasing the "Sounds Of Coming Darkness" MCD, recorded by Steve Harris in the same Fon Studios where Fear Factory were mixing ‘Soul Of A New Machine’ and mastered at the exclusive Abbey Road Studios in London. A stunning artwork design courtesy of Dave McKean completed the picture just perfect. 1994 started with the arrival of drummer extraordinaire Dario Casabona, and that boosted spirits furthermore. Unfortunately, bad luck always seemed to obstacle Schizo’s glorious musical journey and despite the band's unstoppable ambition was almost leading them to collaborate with renowed engineer Andy Sneap for a brand new full-length album [the ill-fated "Artifice of Reality 1"], other line-up changes occurred and, as if that was not enough, their label financially broke down, leaving Schizo completely scattered. A long period of inactivity followed, only interrupted by very rare live appearances and a couple of promo recordings. The Nineties were ending and Schizo were not showing any relevant signs of life...

But it’s now official: april 2007 sees Schizo coming back with a new back-breaking, psychotic and heavier-than-ever metal opus. "Cicatriz Black" is the title of the brand new album released by Scarlet records, with production duties held by Schizo themselves and mastering by renowed Peter In De Betou (Marduk, Meshuggah). Cover artwork was made by Italian artist Lorenzo Mariani (Mayhem, Darkthrone) and last but not least, guest appearances include Steve Sylvester (Death SS), A.C. Wild (Bulldozer) and Flegias (Necrodeath). Prime mover Alberto Penzin is once again joining forces with original axeman S.B. Reder, along with drummer Dario Casabona and singer Nicola Accurso. For those who never stopped to believe, Schizo are finally back! And one thing is for sure: the magic is still there.

In september 2007, Alberto Penzin leaves the band to dedicate all his forces and time to the reunion of Mondocane project. Finally, in january 2008, Schizo find the new adeptus Volcano (bass and vocals from the legendary cult band Sinoath), and he joins the band to create new sick stuff for the next album.

2010: "Hallucination Cramps" is the title for the new and "anomalous" concept album, focused on the theme of schizophrenia and mental illness. An overdose of ultra-fast-psycho-thrash, "Hallucination Cramps" was recorded at Resonance Studio and Sound Empathy Studio (Catania) by Riccardo Failla and Fabio Monaco, and mixed and mastered by Graziano Manuele at Ueickap Home Studio (Scordia, Catania). The artwork was entirely realized by Perfekt, well-known artist from Catania. Release date 22/02/2010 on Scarlet Records

The band's line-up (Nicola Accurso - vox, Reder - guitars, Dario Casabona - Drums and also bass on the new album) will be completed with new session musicians for the upcoming shows:
Tato (from Zora/Glacial Fear): Bass
Fabio Monaco: Guitars