History & Biography This band termed itself 'Gothic black metal.' They were formed in 1992 as a death metal band. They released a demo and an EP called Eternal Winds (Serenades Records) in 1997. The same year saw their debut When Daylight's Gone released. Serenades released their MCD Underneath The Crescent Moon in 1998. Harald Kenkel would leave the fold in 1998. This label re-released the band's earlier Serenades work on one CD. Schraffl would depart in the summer of 2001. The biggest announcement was made in 2002 when Fiori would additionally become Abigor's singer.
The band hails from South Tirol. They have performed several cover versions of, among others, Iron Maiden and Type O Negative.
Graveworm signed with Nuclear Blast Records in the spring of 2002 and began working on a new album due in 2003. The band's fourth album was entitled Engraved In Black. It appeared in June, 2003 through Nuclear Blast. It featured the bass work of guitarist Eric Righi. The nine-track album was produced and mixed by Andy Classen at Stage One Studios, and was meant to include a cover of R.E.M.'s Losing My Religion. Instead, and due to legal rights issues, Graveworm covered a Pet Shop Boys tune (It’s A Sin) for the album's Japanese version. R.E.M. made an appearance later on a version of N(u)topia.
Fiori sessioned with Shadowcast for a string of 2003 shows.
In early 2004, the band reported that former Abigor and current Shadowcast drummer Moritz Neuner would be filling in for all 2004 shows. Regular drummer Martin Innerbichler was to concentrate on "growing static buildings" that year!
[N]utopia was issued at the beginning of 2005 and now featured members Neuner, Flarer, Klenk and Righi. The album was produced by Andy Classen in Germany. The band toured with Atrocity, Kataklysm, Finntroll and others in 2005. The band ended up on Massacre Records for 2007. Nuclear Blast Records secured the American rights nonetheless. The band issued its Diabolical Figures album through Massacre Records in the spring of 2009. The CD was recorded at Stage One studio in Borgentreich, Germany with producer Andy Classen. Graveworm was at Dreamsound Studio in Munich, Germany recording its latest album, Fragments Of Death, for an October 14th release through Nuclear Blast Records. In the winter of 2012, Nuclear Blast’s Graveworm saw the return of founding member guitarist Stefan Unterpertinger after 10 years of being away. He replaced Thomas Orgler, who left the group for personal reasons. Keyboardist Sabine Mair was also out. Ascending Hate was out in the summer of 2015 and was on AFM. Florian Reiner was on bass now. The Nuclear Blast Recordings was a 2018 box set featuring three albums. It was released by Dissonance Productions.
Reviews GRAVEWORM - ENGRAVED IN BLACK - NUCLEAR BLAST
It is not difficult to see why Nuclear Blast has signed the Italian act Graveworm. The band clones Cradle Of Filth mercilessly. Be it the alternating high shrieks and low growls which are reminiscent of Dani Filth, the fast and furious treble sound marked by keyboards or the fast and on-time drumming, the Italian (now) five-piece has it all figured out. The band is derivative, yes, but does get fast and furious when it so chooses. The beginning of Legions Unleashed could easily have come from early Hypocrisy. Elsewhere, the band has included a couple of dull instrumentals and chosen an album name and cover art very suggestive of past Nuclear Blast releases. Barring the signature of Cradle Of Filth on the dotted line, Graveworm is the perfect band for Nuclear Blast. - Ali "The Metallian"
GRAVEWORM - [N]UTOPIA - NUCLEAR BLAST
It is no wonder the new album of Italy's Graveworm comes across as a tad more likable than its predecessors. The band presents an almost completely refashioned line-up featuring known drummer Neuner (formerly of Abigor), as well as several newcomers. The band is itself the kind of European scheme whereby the product is a mix between gothic rock and speed metal. Again, the inspiration here is clearly Cradle Of Filth complete with instrumentals, intros, outros, bells, whistles and keyboards, but [N]utopia has a couple of things going for it. Not only is the production quite deft, but the drumming of Neuner is top-notch. His original approach to the kit is evident throughout and especially on songs like Never Enough and Outside Down. The band has beefy riffs here and there which propel songs like Which Way to new heights. Granted, Graveworm is never going to be a real metal band, but goth fans with a penchant for some heaviness will probably love this. In other words, Graveworm has improved, but is still ultra-predictable with its commercial approach. - Ali "The Metallian"
GRAVEWORM - COLLATERAL DEFECT - NUCLEAR BLAST 
What is the possibility that all these poseur bands bottom feeding the metal scene actually know, at a subconscious level, that what they do is inferior, irrelevant and built on a faulty premise constructed by a feeble mind? For a band to call its album Collateral Defect is making it too easy and Italy’s Graveworm makes it even more so. Where does one start though?
Graveworm’s new album is standard fare in the annals of delusional band and record labels. Getting through the tinny drum sound, clean male backing vocals, violin, simulated whistling (or whatever that is meant to be on the song Touch Of Hate), female in lace thumping away on keyboards and piano and perfectly lightweight songs is one thing. Terming such drivel metal like band and Nuclear Blast Records do - and death metal and black metal no less - and expecting to be taken seriously is quite another matter. Calling a spade a spade and assigning Graveworm the appropriate tag of gothic rock and pulling the flush handle is speaking the truth and taking appropriate action.
Yet, Collateral Defect manages to add insult to injury courtesy of a cover version of Bonnie Tyler’s '80s hit single, I Need A Hero. Countless bands waste time and money by covering other metal bands, some like Iced Earth and Manowar cover themselves and gimmick-oriented ones like this lot reach into their favourites’ list and damage pop tunes and the listener’s stomach. Oddly enough, the back of the disc assures the reader that, “all songs written by Graveworm except song Nr. 9 (Scars Of Sorrow) by Flarer Lukas and arranged by Graveworm.” The band that attempts to ratchet up the gimmick factor via cover versions like this or R.E.M’s Losing My Religion is, going back to that subconscious matter, revealing more about itself that it realizes. - Ali “The Metallian”
Interviews
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