Ricardo Iorio

Ricardo Horacio Iorio (25 June 1962 – 24 October 2023) was an Argentine heavy metal singer and bassist. He was one of the founders of V8 (1979–1987) and later founded the band Hermética (1988–1994). He was the singer and main composer for Almafuerte from 1995 until its dissolution in 2016. His songs were urban stories dealing with the life of the lower classes, as well as Argentine "metalheads". Even though he played bass with every band he formed, he chose Beto Ceriotti to be the new bassist of Almafuerte, remaining as the singer and main lyricist of the band.

A nationalist, Iorio continuously proclaimed in his songs and in the media his pride in being Argentine and in Argentine history, and mixed native music styles such as tango, Indian and gaucho culture with the heavy metal base of Almafuerte.

Early life Ricardo Iorio was born on 25 June 1962 in Ciudadela, Buenos Aires. His parents were Alfredo Iorio, son of Italian immigrants from Sicily, and Elda Pedraza, of Tehuelche ancestry. He lived during his infancy in Caseros, Buenos Aires. He helped his father with his work in a greengrocery.

While still young he was shocked by the sight of a biker with the aspects of heavy metal fashion, including long hair and a leather jacket. At that point, he decided that he wanted to be like that man, joining the heavy metal subculture. He also attended rehearsals of the band El Reloj and got his first bass by the end of the 1970s.

V8

Ricardo Iorio and Ricardo "el Chofa" Moreno met at age 16, in 1978 during a screening of the film "The Song Remains the Same" featuring Led Zeppelin. After starting two short-lived bands, Alarma and Comunión Humana, they started the group V8. Some of their first songs were "Voy a enloquecer", "Si puedes vencer al temor" and "Muy cansado estoy".

Hermética

After the breakup of V8, Iorio did a couple of rehearsals with Martin Kyne from Kamikaze, but got nowhere. The name of the band is a reference to hermeticism; Iorio saw similarities between the hermetic doctrine and the context of the Argentine heavy metal.

Their first show was in Centro Cultural Recoleta. Shortly after that show, Fabián Spataro left the band and was replaced by Tony Scotto. In 1989 they recorded their self-titled debut album, Hermética, through the new label Radio Trípoli. It was the first thrash metal long play recorded in Argentina.

The band got a proposal to record an EP with just 27 hours of recording time. They accepted and recorded a rushed cover album, Intérpretes. The following full album, Ácido argentino, was certified gold, and the band played for Motörhead and Black Sabbath (with Ronnie James Dio) during their respective concerts in the country.

The band's popularity grew from its inception, despite not having songs on radio or any really important broadcasting exposure. In 1993 they recorded the live album "En Vivo 1993 Argentina" at Stadium, and in 1994 they took part in the festival Monsters of Rock at the Estadio Monumental alongside Slayer, Kiss and Black Sabbath (with Tony Martin). In the presentation of their third album, "Víctimas del vaciamiento" (which was also certified Gold ), they filled the Estadio Obras Sanitarias and recorded a live album.

However, the band unexpectedly broke up at the end of 1994. Iorio argued that relations with the other band members had deteriorated, while others declared exhaustion from not being consulted on the organizational aspects of the band.

Almafuerte

After the disbanding of Hermética Iorio formed the band Almafuerte with Claudio Cardacci and Claudio Marciello. Iorio began to sing their songs as a regular frontman. His former colleagues formed Malón, with whom Iorio began a fierce rivalry.

The bands with former members of V8, Horcas, Logos and Rata Blanca, played together in the Metal Rock Festival, which ended with a reunion of the band. The bass was played by Miguel Roldán, who was part of V8 but as a guitarist. Almafuerte had been invited to participate but Iorio refused, contending that his current band was better.

Death

Ricardo Iorio died on 24 October 2023, at the age of 61. He felt pain in his chest and called for an ambulance, but died on the way, being declared dead when he arrived at the hospital. He had no previous known health problems. The autopsy confirmed that he died of massive heart attack. The funeral was held at the Cooperativa Eléctrica San José in San José, Coronel Suárez Partido.

Discography Album Band/Project Year Recording Luchando por el Metal Hermética 1991 Studio En Vivo 1993 Argentina Hermética 1993 Live Víctimas del Vaciamiento Hermética 1994 Studio Lo Último Hermética 1995 Live Mundo Guanaco Almafuerte 1995 Studio Del Entorno Almafuerte 1996 Studio Peso Argento Iorio & Flavio 1997 Studio Almafuerte Almafuerte 1998 Studio A Fondo Blanco Almafuerte 1999 Studio Piedra Libre Almafuerte 2001 Studio

Ultimando Almafuerte 2003 Studio 10 Años Almafuerte 2005 Live Toro y Pampa Almafuerte 2006 Studio Ayer Deseo, Hoy Realidad Ricardo Iorio 2008 Studio (Covers) Trillando la Fina Almafuerte 2012 Studio Atesorando en los Cielos Ricardo Iorio 2015 Studio (Covers)