| Walter Giardino | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Born | March 6th, 1960 |
| Origin | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Genres | Classic metal, Hard rock, Heavy metal |
| Occupations | Musician |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1981 - Present |
| Associated acts | Rata Blanca Doogie White Temple V8 Mago de Oz |
Héctor Walter Giardino (born March 6, 1960) is an Argentine guitarist, composer and leader of the heavy metal and hard rock band Rata Blanca. He is very influenced by Ritchie Blackmore and Yngwie Malmsteen.
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In 1981 Walter Giardino enter as a guitarist and vocalist in a hard rock band named Punto Rojo with Gustavo Andino (drums) and Roberto Cosseddu (bass) the band progress on the under scene but never record an album. The band was dissolved in 1984. In 1985 one of the best band of the times in Argentina, named V8 need a new guitarist and drummer to sustitute Osvaldo Civile and Gustavo Rowek and the band recruit both Giardino and Andino. In V8 Giardino wrote some songs but the band never accepted it. After six months in V8 the bassist Ricardo Iorio fire up Giardino. Giardino began a new project with another former V8, the drummer Gustavo Rowek.
In 1986, after his departure from V8, Giardino founded Rata Blanca with Gustavo Rowek (drums), Rodolfo Cava (vocals) and Yulie Ruth (bass), under this line-up the band recorded a demo in England. After two years of rehearsals the band debuted at Teatro Luz y Fuerza in Buenos Aires. For this event the band recruited Sergio Berdichevsky (rhythm guitar), Saul Blanch (vocals) and a new bassist called Guillermo Sanchez. This line-up eventually recorded the band's self-titled debut album. In 1990 the band recorded Magos, Espadas y Rosas with Adrian Barilari on the vocals and Hugo Bistolfi as an official member in the keyboard duties. This era was the band's most successful. In 1992 they released Guerrero del Arco Iris and in 1993 the EP El Libro Oculto. After this Walter Giardino wished to move the band's sound into a heavier sound, opinion not shared with both Barilari and Bistolfi, who decided to leave Rata Blanca. They were in turn replaced by Mario Ian (vocals) and Javier Retamozo (keyboards). This formation recorded in 1994 Entre el cielo y el infierno an album marked with a heavy sound more in the style of bands like Accept and Judas Priest. Ian leaves in 1996 after musical differences with the band, and Giardino started searching for a new vocalist with same register of Barilari. Finally he recruited Gabriel Marian. VII was the next album, that didn't receive much acceptance from the fans. In 1998 Giardino disbanded Rata Blanca.
Giardino started a new project named Walter Giardino Temple which only recorded one album (1998) The band included Norberto Rodriguez (vocals) Ruben Trombini (bass), Pablo Catania (keyboards) and Martin Carrizo (drums) later replaced by Fernando Scarcella. The band break-up after play with Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath) when Walter Giardino wanted to play alone allegedly because the band doesn't know how to play the song 'Burn'. After this event the members of the band except Scarcella create his own band, ironically named Quemar (Spanish translation of "burn"). Temple was on a hiatus and Giardino collaborate with Spain metal band Mago de Oz and then return to Argentina. Giardino invites Adrian Barilari and Hugo Bistolfi to act for some nights with Temple, the bassist Daniel Leonetti leaves the band and his place was taken by Guillermo Sanchez (another Rata Blanca member) and this was the beginning of the return of Rata Blanca.
Temple officially had four of the six members of the most successful line-up of Rata Blanca. Giardino decided that this was the return of Rata Blanca. Giardino asked Gustavo Rowek and Sergio Berdichevsky to return to Rata Blanca, but they decided to remain with their own band Nativo. Fernando Scarcella stayed as the drummer of Rata Blanca, and Giardino became the only guitarist of the group. Since it's return, the band has recorded three studio albums. In 2002 Rata Blanca recorded the return album El Camino de Fuego which has an English version named "Highway on Fire" (which has three themes). In 2003, Glenn Hughes was Rata Blanca guest musician in one concert. In 2005 Rata Blanca released La Llave de la Puerta Secreta and in 2008 El Reino Olvidado which in the English version with features Doogie White (Rainbow, Yngwie Malmsteen) on vocals.