Probably the first Italian band to become famous abroad before getting known at home, nu metal outfit Linea 77 formed in Venaria, on the outskirts of Turin, in 1993 -- their name being the number of the bus they used to take to reach their rehearsal room. After some time spent performing Rage Against the Machine and C.C.C.P. covers, they started writing their own songs and, later on, released the demo tapes Ogni Cosa al Suo Posto and Kung Fu, the latter distributed by Turin's Dracma Records. Their debut album, Too Much Happiness Makes Kids Paranoid, followed in 1998 on Milan's Collapse Records. By then the band's final lineup was in place, consisting of Emiliano "Emo" Audisio and Nicola "Nitto" Sangermano on vocals, Paolo "Chinaski" Ravanello on guitar, Davide "Dade" Ravanello on bass, and Cristian "Tozzo" Montanarella on drums. Thanks to its powerful mix of hardcore attitude and nu metal sounds, the record gained the attention of Earache, which re-released it in 2000 and signed Linea 77. Following some extremely positive reviews in magazines such as Kerrang!, Metal Hammer, and Melody Maker, in 2001 the band released its sophomore effort, Ketchup Suicide, produced by Dave Chang and led by an energized cover version of the Bangles' "Walk Like an Egyptian."
In the summer of the same year they were also the first Italian band to play at the Reading and Leeds festivals. After a period of creative turmoil, in 2003 Linea 77 released their "difficult third album," Numb, which reached a good position in the Italian charts thanks to the singles "Fantasma" (Linea 77's first song in their native Italian) and "66 (Diabulus in Musica)" (with Subsonica as guests). After a long European tour, the band moved to Los Angeles' Paramount Studios to record its fourth album with producer Dave Dominguez. Released in 2005, Available for Propaganda confirmed Linea 77 as one of the most important crossover bands in Europe. In 2006, Dade released his first solo album, Il Tappeto Dava un Tono all'Ambiente, under the moniker Antianti. Linea 77 returned in 2007 with Venareal 1995, a collection of old demos plus two brand-new tracks, followed one year later by the Toby Wright-produced Horror Vacui, their first with Universal, including the single "Sogni Risplendono," a controversial duet with Italian teen pop idol Tiziano Ferro. In June 2008 they opened the only Italian tour date of the recently re-formed Rage Against the Machine in Modena. ~ Aurelio Pasini, Rovi
