Axton

Italian Heavy Metal band from Lecco, Lombardy. Formed in 1985.

It was formed in Lecco in the early months of 1985, and takes its name from the simplification of the previous Axton System United, with which however it has as its only element in common the guitarist Marino Gianoli, who in Axton however switches to lead vocals; then there are Luciano Sandrini and Oscar Orsatti (ch), Gilberto Vernocchi (bs) and Gigi Colleoni (bt). This first line-up lasts 2-3 months, and makes its first and only appearance at a Carnival party of a high school in Lecco ( see photo ); the repertoire was made up of covers of Maiden, Priest, Accept and Saxon. This line-up also due to differences regarding the projects of their own repertoire and of playing live, and soon changes with the addition of Ivano Caronni (bs) and Ed 'Pig' D'Amico (ch), who replace Gilberto and Oscar. This formation constitutes the first truly stable line-up.

The band starts playing everywhere in the area, and slowly starts composing their own songs, inserting them into the setlist. It is almost natural then to record a demo-tape, a means then in use for musical groups to self-introduce themselves (today you go directly to CD or put the songs online …). Not before a new change, which brings Giorgio 'Joe' Pescantin to bass in place of Ivano. .. "Time To Kill" , a demo that is self-produced with professional graphics and comes out in 1987 (info: click here ). The cassette consists of 7 songs all of their own composition, which musically finds its roots in classic Anglo-Saxon heavy music (Maiden, Priest and Accept above all). The demo did quite well, selling all 800 copies of the print run, and served to make the band known not only locally, but also nationally, through fanzines, specialized metal magazines (which had timidly begun to emerge) and above all genre broadcasts on local radio, which carried out an incessant and invaluable work of "spreading the faith".

Also thanks to the noise created by the demo, the band was invited to participate in the '87 edition of the Heavy Metal Night in Sorisole (BG), a festival born from the passion of some amateurs, but which over the years has become a fixed appointment of national appeal, having seen historical bands such as Bulldozer, Hocculta, Crying Steel, Death SS, Royal Air Force, Skanners perform. That year Axton opened together with Havoc for Sabotage and Steel Crown, two monuments of Italian heavy music from the '80s. The evening constituted a sort of watershed for Axton, who, also from the experience gained in sharing the stage with such names, understood that they had to change something.

In fact, the drummer and the lead guitarist leave, and after a few months of hiatus, at the beginning of '88 the line-up is reconstituted with the return of Ciano this time … on drums (the history of the group is full of these oddities and twists!). The line-up becomes the "classic" one, a sort of "Mark II" of Purpleian memory.

Even the musical genre changes direction a bit, because even though it is always based on a strong impact given by the two guitars, it follows more both the changed heavy scene and the personal tastes of the various members, now detached from the NWOBHM and more directed towards a hard/class of American-Northern European style, influenced by bands like Dokken, Bonfire, Pretty Maids, Malice, etc. The new songs therefore follow these characteristics.

In the meantime, the live activity does not stop, ranging from pubs to theaters, from street parties and parties to "sector" festivals with other bands.

In 1989 they took part in the Heavy Festival in Cilavegna (PV), organised by a local radio station, playing with Moon Of Steel and Royal Air Force.

Contacts are also pursued with various record labels, both Italian and foreign: the latter are not interested in Italian bands, the local labels are still managed in a family way and with a mentality that is anything but professional, so the band prefers to do it themselves and enters the studio at Lake Recording Studios in Lecco; in several months of recordings, very difficult also because in the meantime the live activity is not interrupted and the members of the group continue - obviously - their work/student activities, the debut album is made.

With the master ready, and no agreement having been reached with the labels contacted, an agreement was opted for with Minotauro Records of Pavia, a historic label that had already published, among others, Hocculta, Paul Chain and Death SS.

In reality, it is an intervention limited to the brand on the record, to the distribution in some independent channels and little else, while all the weight of the promotion remains on the shoulders of the band. However, in June 1990 "Bad Desire" is released, the first real Axton record .

Stylistically, it takes its cue from the classic heavy of its origins, but shows a marked tendency towards American hard/class sounds. The album enjoys some very positive reviews (above all that of Beppe Riva in the magazine Metal Shock - see the "press review" section ) and good airplay on local stations interested in the genre, and allows the band to make a certain name for themselves within the Italian hard'n'heavy scene.

It must be said that the difficulties (as usual) remain many. First of all, the album was released only in vinyl, while the CD format was already becoming widespread; then it was released in a summer period, notoriously unfavorable for sales, and what's more in a summer in which the attention of young people was completely monopolized by the '90 World Cup. So, rather than an immediate effect, the album enjoyed a "slow" diffusion, supported by the contacts that were made from time to time with magazines, radio, fanzines, various promoters, and above all and once again with the incessant live activity, which also serves to promote and sell the LP. Even in terms of image, the group made some innovations and choices that, even if later criticized and today frankly not very shareable, were to signify the attempt to propose themselves in the most professional way possible and in line with the bands that came from abroad.

Unfortunately the world metal scene, and by extension the Italian one, is starting to enter a period of crisis, and this is due to many combined factors, known to everyone: the excessive division into sub-strands of the "kids", with hallucinatory diatribes, which leads the fans themselves to divide and to buy only records of their own trend , while before the hard/metal movement was unitary and everyone supported the entire scene; thrash first, and grunge later, are sinking classic heavy and also American-style hard that only 3-4 years before had depopulated the world charts; in Italy an excessive production of bands all of which reach the record immediately and without selection, leads to inflation and lowering of quality; more generally, the heavy scene before, very compact and "faithful", is now starting to fade.

Even Axton are feeling the effects of this crisis, even if on a local level and in terms of concert activity, the band is experiencing maximum expansion, playing up to 30-40 shows a year (and in Italy that's not a small amount at all…).

Unfortunately, even in terms of venues where they can play, there is a crisis and above all a change in needs, which leads the band to play, at least in public venues, various covers alongside the original songs, and not only hard/metal songs, but also traditional rock, concentrating on their own original songs in the "themed" evenings.

In 1993 they began recording some good songs at Nick's Cave Studios, the personal studio of a musician friend of the band. These recording sessions will last discontinuously for about a year and a half, either due to the band's concurrent live commitments and the individual members' work/personal commitments, or due to a whole series of ups and downs, ranging from the moving of the recording studio to the exit (to be honest, it is not known what was the cause and what was the consequence) from the group of drummer Ciano and guitarist Renzo. The rest of the band, despite everything, "closes ranks" and finishes the recordings and mixing, also assisted by their friend guitarist Joss Teruzzi and Carlo Guidotti, a keyboard player who had already worked closely with fellow city progsters EvilWings. In the meantime, Claudio on drums and Roby, an excellent guitarist from Brianza with a classical background and 70s hard - early 80s heavy influences, are added to the lineup for the live dates. This (click here - Line-up 5 ) remains the line-up of Axton until the break-up. Since the hard/heavy situation is - if possible - even worse than before, contracts with labels are not even discussed, and the band decides to self-produce the CD and release it on their own label. In the spring of 1995, the CD "Like A Thunder" (info: click here ) is released , containing 10 original songs, much more varied than the previous works, either because of the years that have passed, or because of the more homogeneous contribution given this time by all the members of the group, which necessarily translates into a greater variety of sounds, which in fact range from classic heavy to hard rock'n'roll, from power ballads to heavier Metallica-style stuff, up to even splashes of psychedelia. However, the basic combination remains strong and well present: double guitar-melody and choirs.

The CD brings the band to play everywhere again and to the necessary promotion. Among other things, several passages and radio interviews are reported, and on the live side the date of support to the legendary and revived (that year) Vanadium at the Palasport of Bellagio (CO). However, the involution of the local and Italian scene and the growing personal needs and work commitments of the members lead to the exit, in the summer of '96 of Roby and Claudio, the last members to join. At this point the three surviving members, after having tried in vain to reconstitute the line-up, decide that the time has come to put an end to it, and Axton officially split up in September 1996. In June 1997 the opportunity arises to do a farewell show as support for the date of Lecco of fellow citizens and friends EvilWings. For the occasion, the "classic" line-up of the album "Bad Desire" is reformed. The evening, despite the limited time available and the even more limited rehearsals done by the 5, who had not played together for at least a few years, was a great success and fully satisfied both the band and the die-hard fans who had come in large numbers (and very noisy…), for a sort of end-of-the-season party.

The members of the group, some more than others, begin solo projects and different musical paths.

In 2005, on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the band's foundation, the present website was created, and people started talking about a reunion of the band, probably not definitive, but that foresees a date or a series of dates in the name of a "reunion". The reformed band began rehearsals for this project