Extrema is an Italian

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, . ...

groove metal Groove metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that began in the early 1990s. The genre achieved success in the 1990s and continued having success in the 2000s. Inspired by thrash metal and traditional heavy metal, groove metal features rasp ...

band from

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 ...

. They sing in English.

History

Extrema formed in 1986 in Milan. The initial lineup included guitarist Tommy Massara, vocalist/guitarist Andrea Boria, bassist Luca Varisco, and drummer Stefano Bullegas. Regarded as one of Italy's first thrash metal bands, Extrema's first EP, ''We Fuckin' Care'' (1987), sold 3,000 copies largely by word of mouth. Italian heavy metal fans did not yet seem prepared to embrace local talent, however, and the next four years saw Extrema (by then entirely re-vamped, with Massara signing on new members Gianluca Perotti on vocals, Mattia Bigi on bass, and Chris Dalla Pellegrina on drums) relegated to open for visiting acts like Slayer, D.R.I., and

Corrosion of Conformity Corrosion of Conformity (also known as COC) is an American heavy metal band from Raleigh, North Carolina, formed in 1982. The band has undergone multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with guitarist Woody Weatherman as the sole con ...

. Finally realizing that their only hope of impressing local talent scouts lay in marketing themselves abroad, Extrema started aggressively shopping their demos to international heavy metal critics, and even financed a trip to New York City for a one-off gig. The strategy worked, and their four-track demo from 1991 was soon attracting the attention of some major international publications, eventually leading to a record deal with Contempo Records. The result was the 1993's ''Tension at the Seams'' album, which led to stadium support slots with Italian rock star

Vasco Rossi Vasco Rossi (born 7 February 1952), also known mononymously as Vasco or with the nickname Il Blasco, is an Italian singer-songwriter and poet. During his career, he has published 30 albums (not including unofficial releases) and has written over ...

, and more importantly a high-profile metal festival appearance in Turin alongside

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 wi ...

The Cult The Cult are an English rock band formed in 1983 in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead singer Ian Astbury' ...

Suicidal Tendencies Suicidal Tendencies is an American crossover thrash band formed in 1980 in Venice, Los Angeles, Venice in Los Angeles, California by vocalist Mike Muir. Muir is the only remaining original member of the band. Along with Dirty Rotten Imbeciles, ...

, and

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, instru ...

. The album also featured an unconventional cover of

The Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Poli ...

's ''

Truth Hits Everybody Truth is the property of being in accord with fact or reality.Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionarytruth 2005 In everyday language, truth is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise correspond to it, such as beliefs, ...

'' and spawned a video clip for the track ''Child O' Boogaow'' which was on heavy rotation on Italy's

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

affiliate,

Videomusic Videomusic was an Italian music channel and one of the first music channels in Europe. It was launched in early 1984 and was owned by Marialina Marcucci and Pier Luigi Stefani (VM's Managing Director). It used to air from a location called "Il Cio ...

. Capping off their most successful year, Extrema issued a six-track live EP entitled ''Proud, Powerful 'n' Alive'', and then got right back on the road, playing upwards of 50 shows across Italy before signing with new label Flying Records and getting to work on their next album. Released in 1995, ''The Positive Pressure (Of Injustice)'' boasted improved production values while updating their thrash metal style to keep pace with the era's groove metal acts such as

Pantera Pantera () is an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas formed in 1981, and currently comprised of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-known lineup consist ...

and

Machine Head A machine head (also referred to as a tuning machine, tuner, or gear head) is a geared apparatus for tuning stringed musical instruments by adjusting string tension. Machine heads are used on mandolins, guitars, double basses and others, and ar ...

. Despite a waning interest in Extrema in the late 1990s, Massara kept the band going, and Extrema released a string of albums in the following years, with 2001's ''Better Mad Than Dead'' and V2's ''Set the World on Fire'' (2005). In 2009 Extrema switched to

Scarlet Records Scarlet Records is an Italian independent record label based in Milan. It is most notable for featuring two side projects from Soilwork front-man Björn "Speed" Strid, as well as bands like Agent Steel, Royal Hunt, Skyclad, Eldritch, Hatesphe ...

, where they recorded ''Pound for Pound'' and ''The Seed of Foolishness'' (2013).

Band members

Current members

* Tommy Massara – guitars * Tiziano "Titian" Spigno – vocals * Gabri Giovanna – bass * Francesco "Frullo" La Rosa – drums

Former members

* Andrea Boria – vocals, guitars * Gianluca Perotti – vocals * Luca Varisco – bass, backing vocals * Stefano Bullegas – drums * Daniele Vecchi – vocals * Walter Andreatta – guitars * Chris Dalla Pellegrina – drums * Mattia Bigi – bass * Julias Loglio – guitars * Paolo Crimi – drums

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Tension at the Seams'' – 1993 * ''The Positive Pressure (Of Injustice)'' – 1995 * ''Better Mad Than Dead'' – 2001 * ''Set the World on Fire'' – 2005 * ''Pound for Pound'' – 2009 * ''The Seed of Foolishness'' – 2013 * ''Headbanging Forever'' – 2019

EP's

* ''We Fuckin' Care'' – 1987 * ''Proud, Powerful 'n' Alive'' – 1993

Live

* "Raisin' Hell with Friends – Live at the Rolling Stone" – 2007

Best of

* ''And the Best Has Yet to Come'' – 2003