Rata Blanca
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Rata Blanca ("White Rat" in English) is an Argentine heavy metal band, formed in 1986.


History


Beginnings

The guitarist Walter Giardino replaced Osvaldo Civile in V8 for a short time, and left the band when his songs were rejected. His friend Roberto Cosseddu, bassist 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 to d ...
, helped him to record a demo tape with those songs. The drummer Gustavo Rowek, who had also left V8 a short time before, declined his projects with Civile and joined Giardino. The
session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...
s Rodolfo Cava (singer) and Yulie Ruth (bass player) completed the line-up that recorded the demo. The songs were "Chico callejero", "Rompe el hechizo", "Gente del sur" and "La bruja blanca". Seeking stable members, the band took Saúl Blanch as singer, who was working in the hard-rock band Plus. They met the bass player Guillermo Sánchez with the help of Giardino's friend Sergio Berdichevsky, member of WC at that point. Rata Blanca played their first concert on 15 August 1987 in the Luz y Fuerza theater. Saúl Blanch left the band, and he was replaced by Carlos Périgo, who composed the song "Días Duros". Périgo left the band soon after that. Rodolfo Cava returned for a brief time, and Shito Molina got ill and could not sing anymore. As the band was about to record their first album and needed a singer immediately, Saúl Blanch returned to the band and helped record it. The album '' Rata Blanca'' was released in 1988, with nine songs. In that year they took part in the "Halley en Obras" concert, along with Alakrán, JAF and
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 to d ...
.


Success

Polygram requested that the band create an album which would have high sales in the first semester to renew the contract, and the band sold four times the required number. The keyboard player Hugo Bistolfi joined the band in 1989, and the singer Adrián Barilari replaced Saúl Blanch. The band subsequently made their second album, '' Magos, espadas y rosas'', which contained the popular songs "Mujer amante" and "La leyenda del hada y el mago". It was a successful release, and in its wake the band appeared on the TV show ''Ritmo de la Noche'' and played in
cumbia Cumbia refers to a number of musical rhythms and folk dance traditions of Latin America, generally involving musical and cultural elements from American Indigenous peoples, Europeans, and Africans during colonial times. Cumbia is said to have com ...
concert halls because typical rock venues could not accommodate their large audiences. The album was followed by " Guerrero del Arco Iris", and a concert at the José Amalfitani Stadium. The band ended their contract with Polygram recording a live album, made at the Opera Theater with an orchestra, but this album was released years later. Once on BMG they made an EP called '' El Libro Oculto''. This work was more aggressive, both in instrumental style and lyrical style, as a result of the criticism from heavy metal fans towards the band.


Changes in lineup and reunion

Barilari did not like the new style found on ''El Libro Oculto'' and left the band after a concert in Obras. Bistolfi followed him, and both of them created the band Alianza. Barilari and Bistolfi were replaced by Mario Ian on vocals and Javier Retamozo on keyboards. With this line-up they released '' Entre el Cielo y el Infierno'' ("Between Heaven and Hell"). Later that year, they were invited to play in the Festival Monsters of Rock in
São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
,
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
, along with
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and media personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead singer of the heavy metal music, heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which per ...
, Therapy?, and
Alice Cooper Vincent Damon Furnier (born February 4, 1948), known by his stage name Alice Cooper, is an American rock singer and songwriter whose career spans sixty years. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusion ...
. They released another album with new singer Gabriel Marian called ''Rata Blanca VII''. The group disbanded in 1998. Gustavo Rowek and Sergio Berdichevsky created the band Nativo, and Giardino continued with Walter Giardino Temple. Barilari and Bistolfi were invited to a concert of Walter Giardino Temple in 2000, which led to a reunion of the band. Rowek and Berdichevsky refused to be part of the reunion. The radio station La Mega aired frequently the old "Mujer amante" song, generating a renewed interest in the band. The new album, ''El camino del fuego'', released in 2002, was a huge success. Its follow-up, the 2005 album '' La Llave de la Puerta Secreta'', had great sales and went Gold even before being officially released. Rata Blanca played with famous member of
Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical style has varied throughout their career. Originally for ...
Glenn Hughes as a guest at the Gran Rex Theater, in 2003. They played the band's hits as well as Deep Purple's classic songs. In order to gain a more international profile, Giardino approached former
Rainbow A rainbow is an optical phenomenon caused by refraction, internal reflection and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a continuous spectrum of light appearing in the sky. The rainbow takes the form of a multicoloured circular ...
singer
Doogie White Douglas "Doogie" White (born 7 March 1960) is a Scottish rock vocalist who currently sings for La Paz. He has also notably sung for Rainbow (rock band), Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, Michael Schenker, Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force, Praying Ma ...
to record an English version of the ''Forgotten Kingdom'' album in 2009.


2010–present

Early in 2010, longtime Rata Blanca keyboardist Hugo Bistolfi left the band and was replaced by Danilo Moschen, a former member of Barilari's soloist band. In 2013, original members Gustavo Rowek, Sergio Berdichevsky and Saul Blanch reunited with Rata Blanca for some shows. In 2015 Rata Blanca released their tenth studio album, '' Tormenta Eléctrica''. In May 2017, bass player Guillermo Sánchez died due to
sepsis Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage of sepsis is followed by suppression of the immune system. Common signs and s ...
. A few days before, singer Adrián Barilari announced that Guillermo was in poor health.


Personnel


Current lineup

* Walter Giardino – lead guitar (1986–1998, 2000–present) * Adrián Barilari – vocals (1989–1993, 2000–present) * Danilo Moschen – keyboards (2010–present) * Alan Fritzler - drums (2024-present) * Juan Pablo Massanisso - bass (2024-present)


Past members

* Saúl Blanch – vocals (1987–1989) * Mario Ian – vocals (1993–1996) * Gabriel Marian – vocals (1996–1998) * Sergio Berdichevsky – rhythm guitar (1986–1998) * Guillermo Sánchez – bass (1986–1998, 2000–2017; died 2017) * Gustavo Rowek – drums (1986–1998) * Hugo Bistolfi – keyboards (1989–1993, 2000–2010) * Javier Retamozo – keyboards (1993–1998) * Fernando Scarcella – drums (2000–2023) * Pablo Motyczak – bass (2017–2023)


Live members

* Shito Molina – vocals (1988; died 2003) * Carlos Perigo – vocals (1988) * Rodolfo Cava – vocals (1986) * Alejandro Zon – drums (2005, 2022) * Mariano Elias Martin – drums (2018)


Timeline


Discography


Studio albums

* ''Rata Blanca'' (1988) * '' Magos, Espadas y Rosas'' (1990) * ''Guerrero del Arco Iris'' (1991) * ''Entre el Cielo y el Infierno'' (1994) * ''Rata Blanca VII'' (1997) * ''El Camino del Fuego'' (2002) * ''La Llave de la Puerta Secreta'' (2005) * '' El Reino Olvidado'' (2008) * ''Tormenta Eléctrica'' (2015)


Live and compilation albums

* ''En Vivo en Buenos Aires'' (1996) * ''Grandes Canciones'' (compilation, 2000) * ''Oro: Grandes Éxitos'' (compilation, 2002) * ''Poder Vivo'' (2003) * ''En Vivo'' (2003) * ''Magos Espadas y Rosas: XX Aniversario en Vivo'' (2011)


Singles and EPs

* ''El Sueño de la Gitana'' (1988) * ''La Leyenda del Hada y el Mago'' (1990) * ''Días Duros'' (1990) * ''Mujer Amante'' (1990) * ''Abrazando el Rock & Roll'' (1991) * ''Guerrero del Arco Iris'' (1991) * ''Nada Es Fácil Sin tu Amor'' (1991) * ''El Libro Oculto'' (EP, 1993) * ''Basura'' (1994) * ''Mujer Amante'' - versión acústica (2000) * ''Rata Blanca'' (EP, 2001) * ''Teatro Gran Rex XIV - XII - MMI'' (2001) * ''Highway on Fire'' (EP, 2002) * ''Volviendo a Casa'' (2002) * ''El Reino Olvidado'' (2008) * ''La Leyenda del Hada y el Mago / Mujer Amante'' (live, 2011)


Cover versions

Spain's Mägo de Oz recorded a version of "Mujer amante".


References


External links


Official website
{{Authority control Argentine heavy metal musical groups Musical groups established in 1986 1986 establishments in Argentina