Black Star (11)

NEREIS is a heavy rock band with a metal edge from Trento, Italy. Formerly known as ‘Black Star’, the band changed their name to Nereis in late 2017. The band was formed in 2007 and in the early years, they spent time playing in the pubs around Trento as a cover band. In 2012 they released their first homemade album of original songs entitled Burnin’ Game. The band immediately began using their booking contacts and lined up various shows and festivals such as the Sun Valley Metal Fest, and several support spots for Chris Slade. In 2013, the band went through a lineup change that almost would see the band come to an end, if not for the strong will of founding members Sam Fabrello (guitar), Gian Nadalini (bass), and Dave Odorizzi (drums). After a series of auditions, the band’s high standards were met in 2014 with the addition of Andy Barchiesi (lead vocals), and Mattia Pessina (guitar). With this new “perfect” lineup, the band quickly recorded new material and released the From the Ashes EP. During the months after the EP’s release and into early 2015, Nereis performed over fifty live dates all over Italy. In August of the same year the band set out on their first-ever international tour, hitting top clubs throughout Eastern Europe in cities such as Prague, Brno, and Bratislava. The result of heavy marketing and touring, was From the Ashes receiving over 130,000 downloads on the music portal Jamendo, topping the site’s charts. In 2016, the band began writing their next album while continuing to tour and perform locally with bands such as Arthemis, Riot V, and The Danish Royal Hunt. January of the following year, Nereis began tracking their new full-length album at NoLogo Studio in Laives, Italy. The band continued to tour regionally throughout 2017 while also landing spots at festivals such as Rock im Ring. By the end of 2017, the band’s new album to be titled Turning Point was mixed and mastered by Mauro Andreolli at das Ende der Dinge. Quickly thereafter, they shopped it to several dozen labels, and in January of 2018, the band signed with U.S. based label Eclipse Records (Mushroomhead, Bobaflex, Blowsight).