Saratoga (band)

History

Saratoga was formed in Madrid in 1992 by Ñu bassist Niko Del Hierro and guitarist Jero Ramiro. Drummer Marcos Parra joined soon after but left shortly and was replaced by Joaquín "el niño" Arellano. Vocalist Tony Dominguez joined the band but was asked to leave in 1993 because his voice was considered unsuitable for the band's style. Fructuoso "Fortu" Sánchez then took over as vocalist. In December 1994 the band signed a contract with the Madrid record company Avispa, and a year later released their self-titled debut album. With the same lineup they released a covers album titled Tributo a year later, a tribute to important Spanish hard rock bands of the 1970s and 1980s. After that album, Sánchez left and was replaced by Gabriel Boente. In 1997 their third album, Mi Ciudad, came out, demonstrating a heavier sound and gaining the band some success in European countries.

In 1998, after Arellano and Boente departed, Saratoga hired drummer Dani Pérez and vocalist Leo Jiménez, who brought a fresh style to the band's sound. A year later they released Vientos de Guerra, a harder-sounding record than their previous work. That album proved seminal in the band's career, bringing greater international recognition and opening Latin America as a new market. In 2003 the band recorded two songs in English for the EP Heaven's Gate in an attempt to secure English-speaking audiences, and later that year released the live CD/DVD A Morir.

In March 2004 Saratoga entered the studio to record El Clan de la Lucha. They launched a tour to promote it on 20 March, with the opportunity to open for folk metal band Mägo de Oz at Las Ventas, Madrid, in front of 10,000 spectators. This was their longest tour up to that point, lasting close to two years nonstop. The band also released the CD/DVD Saratoga 1992–2004, a compilation of rarities spanning their career. In October 2005 Saratoga began mixing their next record, with Ramiro and del Hierro on production duties. The album, titled Tierra de lobos, was released on 28 November.