Vulcain
France
Line-up
Daniel PUZIO: Guitar and vocals;
Vincent PUZIO Bass and choir;
Marc VAREZ: Drums and choir.
The story begins in 1981. Two brothers, Daniel (guitar and vocals) and Vincent Puzio (bass), folded up in a suburban Parisian cellar, warm up the amps with two friends, Didier Lohezic (guitar) and Richard (drums). Their common passion for powerful motorcycles and rock'n roll have forged their friendship. They rode a repertoire playing covers of their idols like Grand Funk Railroad, Ten Years After, ACDC and Motörhead. Very quickly their entourage advises them to form a real band and to compose their own music. Richard does not feel the soul of a great drummer and amicably gives his place to another friend of the band, Franck Vilatte. The band works hard and the compositions are very influenced by Motörhead. All that remains is to find a name representative of the rage of these young wolves. It was Didier Lohézic's cousin, who launched Vulcain's idea. The Roman god, in the heat of the forges, is the 'Master of lightning' and perfectly embodies the 'Metal Force' that animates the quartet. Vulcain was born and will become a French hard rock legend.
Within a few months, Vulcain appeared on small stages and the rumour grew. Their victory at Golf Drouot marks the beginning of their career.
In 1983, the English label Ebony Records invited them to participate in the Metal Plated compilation, then the band opened several dates of a Motörhead tour that imposed Vulcain as the spearhead of a new Gallic hardcore.
In 1984, Rock'n Roll Secours was boxed in a few days at the Maunoir studio in Geneva, Switzerland. He released on the Devil's Records label and was followed by the maxi 45 rpm La dame de Fer.
In 1985, personal problems forced Franck Vilatte to leave the group. The recording dates of the next album are already reserved and Vulcain is auditioning drummers in a hurry. Their attention is focused on a young musician of twenty years that Pierre Guiraud, the singer of Satan Jokers presents to them. He hits hard, he knows how to hold a piece of blues and his musical tastes are in the spirit of the band. Marc Varez was hired in May 1985 and after two weeks of intensive rehearsals, Vulcain returned to Switzerland to record Desperados.
Everything goes very fast. The album was released in September on the Riff Records label, distributed by Virgin, and in November, Vulcain embarked on a tour with an English band called Rogue Male. The Parisian date is memorable in an Eldorado full to bursting point and in an atmosphere as hot as hell. Vulcain and Rogue Male become friends and then share some dates in Holland. It is the year of the consecration in the referendums and Vulcain is rewarded by a rain of N°1.
Vulcain is the best French band, Desperados is the best album, Vincent is voted best bassist, 'Richard' is considered the best song, which is a tribute to Richard the comrade who died in a motorcycle accident, and finally the Desperados Tour is the best scenic performance of the year.
Vulcain attacked Europe. The meeting with the English band Chariot allowed them to play in England and was a hit at the famous Marquee Club in London in the middle of August. In November, after opening Iron Maiden in Paris Bercy, Big Brothers, the third album, is in the stores and sales are rising very fast. Vulcain returned to London in December for two memorable concerts at the Marquee Club and the Electric Ballroom.
In March 1987, the Big Tour started with Chariot, leaving powder traces in more than thirty European cities. France, Switzerland, Belgium, England, Italy, Germany or Holland, no one is spared. In May 1987 the Live Force was recorded during two concerts at the Locomotive in Paris, and confirmed Vulcain's power on stage.
The rapid rise of the group is not without consequences. Vulcain starts proceedings against unscrupulous producers and gives himself a few months of reflection. This sabbatical period finally lasts two years, during which Didier leaves the group, tired by this business.
At the dawn of the 90s, the world of music evolved. The appearance of the CD format gave the band the opportunity to release their discography and signed a new contract with Musidisc. Musically, the band thinks it is necessary to evolve and modernize Vulcain's image. By hiring the young virtuoso guitarist Franck Pilant, the new album Transition, marks a real turn, hailed by critics but not suitable for all fans. The 'French Motöread' label no longer applies. After a few tours, Franck leaves the adventure and is replaced by Marcos Arrieta, another six-string virtuoso. The four musicians chose Corsica to record their fifth studio album Big Bang, which was released in 1992.
Still some tensions enveniment the group and Marcos draws his bow.
The Puzio brothers and Marc then decided to stay in a trio format and compose a more rock album. For the occasion, they changed label and signed with MixIt in distribution with PIAS and symbolically named the album Vulcain, which was released in 1994.
To confirm Vulcain's trio formula, Atomic Live is recorded in Pau, during a date with the group Killers, and at La Locomotive in Paris. This album is a bomb released in 1996 by Media7.
Already fifteen years of career, and the label XIIIBis Records proposes to Vulcain to market a compilation, which Vincent ironically names the Compilaction, which is adopted as final title and which comes out in 1997.
Aware of a record market that is becoming more and more difficult and of general fatigue, the three musicians are thinking of putting an end to the band's career. They left under the sun from Toulouse, to the Polygone studio, to record Stoppe la Machine which will be the last album of the band and which will be released in 1998.
Despite prestigious dates in the company of Motörhead, who also imposes Vulcain on the Parisian date of Le Bataclan, or Deep Purple, it is apparently the end of the story of a French hard rock legend.
There will still be a few concerts and Daniel does not resolve to put an end to his band, which creates tensions with Marc who leaves the band in April 2000, in a rather gloomy atmosphere.
Marc then formed his own band Blackstone and signed two albums with XIIIBis Records and a third with Brennus. Vincent opens his musical instrument store in Paris and no longer has much taste for playing. Daniel founded Mr Jack with the rhythm section of the band H Bomb who often shared the stage with Vulcain in the 80s. Their first album came out in 2009 on Bernett Records. The years go by and Daniel and Marc stay on their bitter separation. Despite an incessant demand from the fans and the attempts of relatives or Philippe Michel, the organizer of the Paris Metal France Festival, the two people concerned remain on their position and refuse to mention the slightest possibility of seeing Vulcain again one day on stage. It was not until January 2009 and the event of the Paris Metal France Festival at the Locomotive, in which Blackstone and Mr Jack participated, that some fans attended a discreet and symbolic handshake between the two musicians. Several other meetings took place during various Parisian concerts without anyone daring to mention a possible reformation. It was only in October that Vincent decided to propose the unthinkable meeting, saying: 'it is now or never! ». From November Daniel, Vincent and Marc organize a memorable rehearsal and announce, finally, officially the long-awaited return of Vulcain.
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