Hermética was an Argentine

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

band from San Martín, Buenos Aires. It was formed by bassist Ricardo Iorio in 1987 after his previous band, V8, disbanded. Hermética was signed to the independent record label Radio Trípoli Discos throughout their career. The band's initial lineup consisted of Iorio, vocalist

Claudio O'Connor Claudio Alberto Castro, also known as Claudio O'Connor (born April 28, 1963 in Llavallol, Buenos Aires Province) is a thrash metal, groove metal and hard rock vocalist from Argentina. Nowadays he's lead singer of his own band O'Connor and Maló ...

, drummer Fabián Spataro and guitarist Antonio Romano. Spataro left the band in 1988 and was replaced by Antonio Scotto. This lineup recorded their

eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

ous

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

, the first thrash metal album recorded in Argentina. At this point of their career, Hermética performed mainly in Argentina, except for one concert held in Uruguay. In 1990, they released '' Intérpretes''an extended play which included covers of Argentine rock and

tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries as the result of a combina ...

songs. Both albums were released by Radio Trípoli Discos as a single CD when digital technology became available. Scotto left the band in 1991 and was replaced by drummer Claudio Strunz. This lineup recorded the band's second studio album, '' Ácido Argentino''. Hermética opened for

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped def ...

and

Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a prec ...

during their visits to Argentina, but had to cancel their headlining tour in Paraguay. They recorded a live album, '' En vivo 1993 Argentina'', and took part in a concert at a penal facility. They participated in the first Argentine Monsters of Rock festival, which featured Black Sabbath,

Slayer Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical styl ...

, and

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

. Their last studio album, '' Víctimas del Vaciamiento'', was released in 1994. To promote the album, the group held a concert at the

Obras Sanitarias Club Atlético Obras Sanitarias de la Nación (mostly known simply as Obras Sanitarias or Obras) is an Argentine professional sports club that is located in the district of Núñez, Buenos Aires. Although originally conceived as a rugby union ...

stadium later that year. Hermética disbanded at the end of 1994, a few days before their second concert in Obras. Ricardo Iorio, who performed lead vocals on a number of tracks, formed a new band, Almafuerte, and served as its vocalist. The remaining ex-members of Hermética hired a new bassist and created the band

Malón ''Malón'' (from the Mapudungun ''maleu,'' to inflict damage to the enemy) is the name given to plunder raids carried out by Mapuche warriors, who rode horses into Spanish, Chilean and Argentine territories from the 17th to the 19th centuries, as ...

. Both bands began a mutual rivalry after their respective establishment.

History

Early years and ''Hermética'' (1987–1989)

Ricardo Iorio was the frontman and bassist of the band V8, which broke up in 1987. After its disbandment, Iorio formed Hermética, which had a similar musical style to V8. Initially, he tried to work with Martín Knye, a former member of

Kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending ...

, but after two meetings, the idea was abandoned. Iorio then appointed the guitarist Antonio Romano from the band Cerbero, who had been previously considered for V8. Iorio wanted Romano to be both a vocalist and bassist, but his manager Marcelo Tommy persuaded Iorio to hire someone else. Iorio eventually chose

for vocals and Fabián Spataro from the band Mark as drummer. They began to practice at Villa Ballester in 1987. The name of the band is a reference to

hermeticism Hermeticism, or Hermetism, is a philosophical system that is primarily based on the purported teachings of Hermes Trismegistus (a legendary Hellenistic combination of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth). These teachings are containe ...

; Iorio saw similarities between the hermetic doctrine and the context of the Argentine heavy metal. The first songs composed by Iorio were "Sepulcro Civil", "Masa Anestesiada", and "Cráneo Candente". The band's first show was in a pub called "Helloween" in San Martín, on May 7, 1988. Although

Horcas Horcas is a heavy metal band from Argentina created in 1988 by Osvaldo Civile, former guitarist for V8 (band), V8, Argentina’s landmark heavy metal outfit of the 1980s. After quitting V8 in 1985, and impressed by the new generation of thrash met ...

had been established before Hermética by

Osvaldo Civile Osvaldo Daniel Civile (21 October 1958 – 28 April 1999) was an Argentine heavy metal guitarist. He was the guitarist for the bands V8 and Horcas. Biography Civile was born in Caseros, Buenos Aires, and began his music career in the band T ...

a fellow member of V8Hermética was the first of the two bands to perform a live concert. Spataro left the band in 1988 because of a labor dispute. He was replaced by drummer Tony Scotto, who was introduced by friends of the band. He performed his first concert with the band in August at the "Sáenz Peña" clubwhere Spataro played for the last time. The fanzine ''Zote'' organized a free concert at the main plaza of Lomas de Zamora, but it was canceled because of the failed military uprising of the Carapintadas insurgents. Hermética made regular appearances at the Arlequines theater in San Telmo in 1989. They were the first heavy metal band to play there. They performed with the bands Doppler, 666, Militia, Genocidio, Ultraje, Cross, Legión, and Devastación. Hermética wanted to record their first album but the national economic crisis had a negative impact on the project. The fanzine "Rebellion Rock" proposed an independent production, which would be sold at

Parque Centenario Parque Centenario is an extensive public park in the Caballito district of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Overview Presiding over a rapidly expanding city, the Buenos Aires City Council in 1908 approved the purchase of a 10 hectare (25 acre) plot bel ...

, but the band rejected this offer. They also rejected working for EMI and instead signed for a new label, Radio Trípoli Discos. They signed a contract in May 1989, and two months later the band began to record the LP at the Sonovisión studios. The eponymous album Hermética was released in November 1989. It was the first

album to be recorded in Argentina. Ricardo Iorio made his debut as lead vocalist on the song "Desde el Oeste". Hermética performed a concert in Córdoba, with the band Hammer. Alberto Zamarbide, a former singer with V8, made a guest appearance during a concert in Mataderos. Hermética ended the year by performing two concerts with

Pappo Norberto Aníbal Napolitano (March 10, 1950 – February 25, 2005), popularly known as Pappo, was an Argentine rock musician, guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was and is one of the most influential figures in Argentine music, and in additio ...

's new band Pappo & The Widowmakers.

''Intérpretes'' and ''Ácido Argentino'' (1990–1992)

Hermética performed their only concert outside of Argentina in the early 1990s at the "Club Platense" in

Montevideo Montevideo () is the capital and largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . Montevideo is situated on the southern co ...

, Uruguay. They played with Retrosatán and Alvacast,two bands from Uruguay. Hermética had to spend the night in the street because of the faulty Uruguayan production. Once they returned to Argentina, they performed at several locations in Buenos Aires and in Mar del Plata with Divididos, Los Violadores, Arácnido and Rata Blanca. They were offered a chance to record an EP with only 27 hours of recording time. They accepted the proposal, and recorded improvised

cover versions In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of songs by V8,

Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota, also known simply as Patricio Rey, Los Redondos or Los Redonditos de Ricota, was a rock band formed in La Plata, Argentina. The group was active from the mid 70s up to the early 2000s. They are known for ...

, Enrique Santos Discépolo,

, and

Manal Manal was an Argentine rock group. Together with Almendra and Los Gatos, they are considered founders of Argentine rock.Budgie, made deliberate similarities to

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

's cover EP, ''

The $5.98 E.P. - Garage Days Re-Revisited ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

''which included a cover version of a song by that band. Hermética performed at the "Metal en acción" festival at the José Amalfitani Stadium, sharing the bill with 2112, Lethal, Horcas, Kamikaze, Alakran, and

Riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or acc ...

. The band searched for a new concert venue because the Arlequines was becoming too small for their growing audience. They moved to

Cemento ) , status = , image = Cemento Estados Unidos 1200 BSAS.jpg , image_alt = , image_size = , caption = Outer side of Cemento , map_type = , map_alt = , map_c ...

, where most of the 1991 concerts took place. They played with the bands Todos tus muertos, Pobres pibes, Nepal, Militia, Devastación, Rapier, and Resistencia Nativa. Their albums ''Hermética'' and ''Intérpretes''which had been released as

LP record The LP (from "long playing" or "long play") is an analog sound storage medium, a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specification; an ...

s and cassettes, were released by Tripoli on a single

compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then released in O ...

. Tony Scotto left the band because of creative differences and was replaced by Claudio Strunz. Strunz, drummer of the band Heinkel and owner of Hermética's rehearsal room, had already played with the band during practice sessions when Scotto was absent. He made his debut at Sunchales. The band appeared in two television programs, '' La movida del '90'' and '' Siglo XX Cambalache'' and recorded their second full-length album, '' Ácido Argentino'', with 150 hours of recording time at the Aguilar studios. It was released at Cemento on December 27. Following an avalanche at San Carlos Minas in January 1992, Hermética joined a charity music festival held at the Chateau Carreras stadium. Hermética played only a few songs at a concert with Riffthe headline band, which ended with minor riots. Hermética were the opening act for

; Black Sabbath's frontman

Ronnie James Dio Ronald James Padavona (July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010), known professionally as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal singer. He fronted and founded numerous bands throughout his career, including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and ...

thanked the band for playing with them. The band leased 25% of the copyright of their songs to

Daniel Grinbank Daniel Grinbank (born May 12, 1954) is an Argentine businessman and impresario. His business creations include four radio stations, a record label and a production company. In 2002, he set up a mutual fund to aid Club Atlético Independiente, ...

, the businessman who brought rock bands to Argentina to play with Black Sabbath. In October 1992, they were the supporting band for Motörhead in Obras. They were offered a concert in Paraguay, but once in the country the show's producers tried to pay less money than had been agreed. Unable to find an alternative location, the band refused to play and returned to Argentina.

Live albums and ''Víctimas del Vaciamiento'' (1993–1994)

Hermética toured

Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and g ...

at the beginning of 1993. In March that year, ''Ácido Argentino'' was certified

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...

by the Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers (CAPIF), having shipped 30,000 copies in Argentina. Tripoli invited them to produce a new studio album in Miami or Los Ángeles but the band refused, preferring to stay in Argentina. Hermética was scheduled to support

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...

, but their guitarist/vocalist

Dave Mustaine David Scott Mustaine (born September 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is the co-founder, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter of the thrash metal band Megadeth, as well as their sole consistent member. Mustaine has rele ...

had health problems which forced the band to cancel the concert. They received proposals to play with Metallica, but rejected the required terms of the contract. After touring in Rosario and Greater Buenos Aires, Hermética performed their first concert in Buenos Aires on May 15, 1993, at Stadium, a new concert hall with a capacity of 5,000. They recorded the live album '' En vivo 1993 Argentina'' and a home video. The album included a heavy metal

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song relea ...

of "Si se calla el cantor", a song first recorded by folk singer José Larralde. This album ended the contract with Radio Trípoli, which was renewed. Hermética performed at the Olmos penal facility on August 17, along with Lethal,

A.N.I.M.A.L. A.N.I.M.A.L. (''Acosados Nuestros Indios Murieron Al Luchar''; meaning "Harassed, Our Indians Died While Fighting") is a heavy metal band from Buenos Aires, Argentina. The band's sound is a combination of thrash metal, groove metal and nu met ...

Massacre A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...

, Attaque 77, Pilsen and the British

U.K. Subs U.K. Subs are an English punk rock band, among the earliest in the first wave of British punk. Formed in 1976, the mainstay of the band has been vocalist Charlie Harper, originally a singer in Britain's R&B scene. They were also one of the f ...

. The concert was presented by the radio host Norberto Verea, and was recorded and released on a live CD named " Radio Olmos". The band performed another concert at Stadium on September 4, and began to produce their third studio album.Blumetti, pp. 6–7 Hermética was part of the 1994 edition of the Monsters of Rock festival in Buenos Aires, alongside Black Sabbath,

, and

. Shortly after, they released their third studio album, '' Víctimas del Vaciamiento''. As the Stadium's hall was not big enough to accommodate the audience, they held a concert at Estadio Obras Sanitarias. Hermética recorded their performance and released it as a live album titled '' Lo último''. Meanwhile, their newest studio album received gold certification. The band recorded a cover version of a folk song, "De los pagos del tiempo", also by Larralde. The band had received proposals to play at Obras the previous year, which the accepted with the condition that they would organize it themselves.

Disbandment

Hermética's last concert was held in Mar del Plata. Their second concert in Obras was canceled; rumors that Iorio had contracted

hepatitis B Hepatitis B is an infectious disease caused by the '' Hepatitis B virus'' (HBV) that affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. It can cause both acute and chronic infection. Many people have no symptoms during an initial infection. ...

turned out to be false. The other members sent him a formal request to attend the concert but Iorio refused and the band broke up. Iorio did not attend any meeting since then and ordered the other band members to stop using the name Hermética, which Iorio had invented. Iorio gave his first interviews after the break-up to the '' Clarín'' newspaper and the other members to the music magazine '' Madhouse''. Iorio said that the band had always been united, but few weeks before their final concert, the members were not talking to each other. He said he had lied about having hepatitis B, expecting to end the hostilities, but it did not work. Iorio flew from Mar del Plata to Buenos Aires to avoid seeing the other members, who returned by bus. O'Connor, Romano, and Strunz stated in ''Madhouse'' magazine that the harsh relation was because Iorio had not consulted the others about the decisions he was making, that he received most of the money, and that he avoided meeting them when they were discussing the problems in the band. The concert in Obras was filmed and released as a live album. The first edition was released under the name ''Lo Último'' with a black front-cover; it was edited in studio to match the quality of a regular studio CD. It was later reissued as a double album titled "En Concierto"; this version was not edited in the studio and reinstated the raw sound of the band's live performance. Ricardo Iorio started a new band, Almafuerte, with guitarist Claudio Marciello and drummer Claudio Cardacci. Iorio took lead vocal duties and included covers of Hermética and V8 songs in his new band's repertoire. O'Connor, Romano, and Strunz hired a new bassist, Karlos Cuadrado, and formed the band

. The bands became rivals; Hermética's popularity was inherited by both bands. A 1995 poll among readers of ''Madhouse'' was led by members or works of both bands in all national categories. Hermética remained a popular band in the Argentine heavy metal scene, even among the younger fans who had never seen the band live. Since their disbandment, the band's members have not attempted any reunion. At the 2011 reunion of Malón, Claudio O'Connor said that their personal conflicts with Iorio would not allow it and that they would not reunite the band if the four members do not have a good personal relationship.

Style and lyrics

Hermética was a thrash metal band, drawing influences from Motörhead, Megadeth, and Black Sabbath. Their music was composed primarily by bassist Ricardo Iorio with occasional input from guitarist Antonio Romano, who composed the guitar solos. The band used a

counterpoint In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more musical lines (or voices) which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. It has been most commonly identified in the European classical tra ...

between the singing styles of their two vocalists; lead singer Claudio O'Connor's vocals were high pitched, while Iorio had a raucous style of singing. Iorio sang segments of some songs but rarely performed songs in their entirety. Iorio thought that his singing style in Hermética was inferior to his later work with Almafuerte because the songs had not been composed specifically for him. The success of Hermética's second studio album ''Ácido Argentino'' allowed the band to increase the budget for the production of its follow-up, ''Víctimas del Vaciamiento''. Iorio proposed re-recording the band's first album with drummer Claudio Strunz and a higher budget, but the label refused his proposal. The musical style of Hermética was considered to be old-fashioned. The band achieved success as a result of their introspective lyrics. Unlike most heavy metal bands, Hermética's music was appealing to poor people. Iorio wrote about his thoughts and concerns from a personal perspective.Blumetti, p. 1 He stated that some of his lyrics were inspired by 1940s

Argentine tango Argentine tango is a musical genre and accompanying social dance originating at the end of the 19th century in the suburbs of Buenos Aires. It typically has a or rhythmic time signature, and two or three parts repeating in patterns such as ABA ...

music. Hermética was part of the ''Rock chabón'' movement within Argentine rock; their music was influenced by Argentine nationalism, family values and neighbourhood-centered localism.Hernández, p. 278 Iorio said that he does not support racism or fascism. The lyrics, except for covers, were always written in Spanish because Iorio does not approve of artists who write in English to gain foreign audience. The first two albums addressed a variety of topics; the track "Memoria de siglos" ("Memory of centuries") references the

cult of personality A cult of personality, or a cult of the leader, Mudde, Cas and Kaltwasser, Cristóbal Rovira (2017) ''Populism: A Very Short Introduction''. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 63. is the result of an effort which is made to create an id ...

, buck passing, peace through strength, and wage slavery. Each song from their third album is devoted to a different subject.

Members

Last line-up

* Ricardo Iorio - bass guitar, occasional vocalist (1987–1994) * Antonio Romano - guitar (1987–1994) *

- lead vocals (1987–1994) * Claudio Strunz - drums (1991–1994)

Former members

*Fabián Spataro - drums (1987–1988) *Antonio Scotto - drums (1988–1991)

Discography

Studio albums

*'' Hermética'' (1989) *'' Ácido Argentino'' (1991) *'' Víctimas del Vaciamiento'' (1994)

EPs

*'' Intérpretes'' (1990)

Live albums

*'' En vivo 1993 Argentina'' (1993) *'' Lo último'' / ''En Concierto Parte I & II'' (1995)

VHS

*''En Vivo 1993'' (1993)

Compilation albums

*''Sentimiento Argentino'' (1998)

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hermetica Argentine thrash metal musical groups Musical quartets Musical groups established in 1988 Musical groups disestablished in 1994 1988 establishments in Argentina 1994 disestablishments in Argentina