Ralph Santolla

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Ralph Santolla with Obituary at the Gods of Metal in Bologna (2008)

Ralph Dave Santolla (born December 8, 1966 - June 7, 2018 in Tampa , Florida ) was an American guitarist . He was a member of various metal and rock bands and released his first solo album in 2002 .

biography

Santolla started playing the guitar at the age of seven. In 1993 he played live guitar for a short period of time with Death and in the music video for the song The Philosopher at the side of Chuck Schuldiner , Steve DiGiorgio and Gene Hoglan , but ultimately did not record an album with the band. In 1997 he founded the band Millenium and released his first solo album Shaolin Monks in the Temple of Metal in 2002 . Santolla also joined Iced Earth as lead guitarist in 2003 , but left the band a year later and joined the new band of the former Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach . This engagement lasted only one year, as Santolla found himself busy after joining the death metal band Deicide . Santolla commented on his other career goals in 2004:

“Ultimately, my goal in life is to do a great job. I haven't achieved that yet. I want to write an album that is as awesome as Diary of a Madman […], Toys in the Attic […], Back in Black […] etc. Something perfect and inspiring in every respect. "

- Ralph Santolla

He became a member of Obituary in 2007 because their previous guitarist Allen West was serving a prison sentence, and remained so after West's release. Other bands and music projects in which Santolla was involved are Hollow, Ex Cathedra and Redscream (together with three musicians from the band Grave ). He has also made guest appearances on the albums of various other artists such as Warmen , Holy Moses , Jon Oliva's Pain and the Tardy Brothers .

After a heart attack sustained by a blood clot, Santolla was admitted to St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa, Florida. There he was in a coma and died on June 7, 2018 after his family decided to turn off the life support devices.

Discography

Selection; only studio albums solo

With Millenium

  • 1997: Millenium (Frontiers Records)
  • 1999: Angelfire (Frontiers Records)
  • 2000: Hourglass (Frontiers Records)
  • 2004: Jericho (Metal Heaven)

With monarch

  • 1998: Monarch (Frontiers Records)

With Deicide

With Obituary

Guest appearances

style

Santolla's solos at Obituary were described as "exquisite", especially when compared to his predecessor Allen West. He identified Dio , Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne as his musical roots .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ralph Santolla Obituary , legacy.com (English). Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  2. ↑ a b Robert Gray: Obituary's Ralph Santolla: 'I Just Want To Attack It, And Express Feeling' , ultimate-guitar.com (English). Retrieved October 10, 2011.
  3. ↑ Guitarist RALPH SANTOLLA Leaves ICED EARTH, Joins SEBASTIAN BACH , blabbermouth.net (English). Retrieved October 10, 2011.
  4. ↑ RALPH SANTOLLA: 'I'm Not Playing With SEBASTIAN BACH' , blabbermouth.net (English). Retrieved October 10, 2011.
  5. ↑ Jack: Page no longer available , search in web archives: Ralph Santolla from Millenium , squealer-rocks.de. Retrieved October 10, 2011.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.squealer-rocks.de
  6. ↑ Ivona Bogner: Ralph Santolla dead at 48! In: metaljacketmagazine.com. Metal Jacket Magazine, June 6, 2018, accessed June 7, 2018 .
  7. ↑ Patrick Schmidt: OBITUARY . Xecutioner's Return . In: Rock Hard , No. 244. rockhard.de, accessed on October 10, 2011.
  8. ↑ Jörg Schulz: MILLENIUM: Interview with Ralph Santolla , powermetal.de. Retrieved October 10, 2011.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Santolla, Ralph
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Santolla, Ralph Dave (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American guitarist
DATE OF BIRTH December 8, 1966
DATE OF DEATH 7th June 2018
Place of death Tampa , Florida