Martiria was formed back in 1987 by Massimo Di Vincenzo (vocalist) and Andy "Menario" Menarini (a guitar player with an epic/power style inspired by bands like Warlord and Manowar).
At the beginning the band was pretty much oriented towards Doom Metal sonorities, such as the ones that can be found in the music of early Candlemass and Black Sabbath.
As the time goes by, the band naturally evolves and experiments, working with various musicians up to 1998, when they decide to take a break for a while and each member follows personal projects.
Around 2002, Andy Menario after an intense live activity with cover bands and several recording studio sessions with Dunwich ("Sul monte è il tuono", Black Widow Records and "Il chiarore sorge due volte", Pick up Records) decides to get back to the Martiria project involving three musicians that were well known in the area of Rome: Dario Daneluz, a vocalist with musical influences ranging from soul-dance to rock nu-metal, but mostly a great front man with years of experience on stage, Maurizio Capitini, a genuine classic metal drummer previously member of Astaroth and Stiff and, also, a professional sound engineer and Derek Maniscalco, a bass player whose style has his roots in 70's progressive rock bands, such as Pink Floyd and Genesis.
Andy's goal was (and is) to start from a very classic epic metal sound to create a new style capable to get the listener deeply involved by the use of heavy riffs and grooves together with acoustical atmospheres generated by the use of ancient and classical instruments often leading to traditional Mediterranean melodies.
Then, in November 2003, Andy Menario contacts (with help of Bill Tsamis, Warlord guitarist and songwriter) Rick Anderson, ex Warlord's singer (also known as Damien King III), and the great melodic and powerful voice of Rick becomes the key of the characteristic and superlative sound of the band.
In the same year, Andy knows Marco R. Capelli, an Italian writer and poet, who, since then, writes all the lyrics for the band.
In 2007 Maurizio Capitini leaves the group in order to follow personal projects and is replaced by Fabrizio La Fauci, who takes part in the recording of the album “Time of Truth”.
Again, in 2010, Fabrizio leaves and the band welcomes Umberto Spiniello. Umberto is a professional drummer, he loves metal in his epic and prog forms and. He has a music accademy degree and he is author of several didactic videos.
The result is a mix of different styles, atmospheres and nuances that makes MARTIRIA an unique band.