1998
The group rents the classic garage on the edge of Siena and Fabrizio Foni (guitar) is added to their number, who will be important for the future songwriting of the band. Fabrizio brings a defining metal influence to the sound of the band. The first tracks are a strange mix of classic metal and thrash, with an attitude which could almost be described as punk. And so the band starts to play live in mainly cramped venues.. wherever the group finds some space. During these concerts the band realises that they need a more powerful voice: and so Vito Russo is recruited as lead singer. Two months later they record their first demo, The Maze, and start playing the nine tracks off the EP in pubs, venues and local or regional competitions.
1999
Gradually the songwriting begins to lean towards a darker more gothic sound, and even a touch of progressive rock is married with a music not unlike Metallica’s Black Album. As soon as five new tracks are ready, the group records them in a new demo, Proud Drowning, which receives favourable reviews by music magazines. This is followed by many concerts and competitions.
2000
After several gigs, Vito leaves the group. The band goes through a difficult period and, without a singer, finds it impossible to play live. Despite this, the groups begins to write new songs and rearrange the old material. After some flyer-advertising, Luisa Quaglia gets in contact with the band and impresses them with her voice. Straight away she joins the line-up, interpreting the new music and giving new life to the existing tracks.
2001
Whilst working hard on the new stuff, the band realises the need for a demo with their new vocalist, but doesn’t have the resources to make a decent studio recording. So Luisa adds her voice on top of three older tracks from Proud Drowning. The material is sent to various labels and competitions: one of which chooses our tracks for a September competition: The Milan Headbanging Contest organised by Italian Metal Hammer, Hard Staff and Indian’s Saloon. In October the group receives a letter of appreciation from Century Media UK, and finds out that their demo has been forwarded to the central European headquarters in Germany. The product wasn’t convincing enough, however, and so the band decides to throw itself headlong into the new material, and to raise the enough money to record it. In the meantime, some complimentary letters from record companies arrive, but nothing tangible.
2002
The five-piece, now with a stable formation, decides to cut with the past and calls itself Dead-end Track. In January they disappear for thirteen days to record and mix Ex-otic: the result is rapidly sent to Leif Jensen from Century Media, who responds, “even though the recordings came out really fine (with very moody gothic metalrock and vocals that sometimes remind me on Anneke of The Gathering…), Century Media wouldn’t be interested in a co-operation.” This because they “already have enough bands signed to the label in a similar style” (goth metal with a female vocalist) . So plenty of compliments but nothing more. Tons of demos are sent off to other record labels. In July, Ex-otic is “top demo” in Flash magazine. Many enthusiastic noises then arrive from labels who claim to be interested, but in the end nothing concrete emerges.
2003
The Dead-end Track is contacted by metal producer Frank Andiver (Wonderland, Shadows of Steel, Labyrinth…), with whom, after a few meetings and interviews, an understanding is reached, which allows the group to work long and hard on new material, and to rearrange the older tracks with great care and attention. A series of concerts follows, including the semifinal of Emergenza Rock in the Flog Auditorium, Florence. In the April number of Psycho!, Ex-otic receives plaudits in the reviews section and gets 8 out of 10 for technical capacity and 7 out of 10 for originality. The song “Again” appears on the Psychosonic! Compilation vol. 44. In that same month, Dead-end Track find out (from the pages of Metal Hammer, n.4) that they are one of three bands chosen from Italy to take part in Young Metal Gods: a contest from the prestigious Noise Records/Sanctury Music, in collaboration with six European metal magazines.
2004-2005
Under Frank Andiver’s supervision, between July 2004 and November 2005, the band records and mixes his first album (Dead-end Track), which has nine original tracks and a cover of The Cure’s “Love Song”, from the historic album Disintegration (1989). The production is long and tiring, but the results are satisfying. The Dead-end Track sign a contract with Frank Andiver’s Risingworks and with Tabloid musical editions.
DEAD-END TRACK “Dead-end Track”
Publishing by: Tabloid/Rising Works
