Ralph Santolla | |
|---|---|
 Santolla performing in 2008 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | December 8, 1966 United States |
| Origin | Tampa, Florida, United States |
| Died | June 6, 2018 (aged 51) |
| Genres | Heavy metal, death metal, technical death metal, thrash metal |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, keyboards, drums |
| Years active | 1989–2018 |
| Formerly of | Obituary, Deicide, Memorain, Sebastian Bach, Toxik |
Ralph Santolla (December 8, 1966 – June 7, 2018) was an Italian-American heavy metal guitarist. He played in many bands, most recently Deicide, but also including Eyewitness, Death (he never recorded any of their albums, but toured with them in 1993 and appeared in "The Philosopher" video), Millenium, Iced Earth, and the Sebastian Bach band. In 2007, he replaced Allen West in Obituary for their album Xecutioner's Return. Santolla was very proud of his Italian heritage and he played guitars by Jackson and Ibanez with the Italian flag painted on them. He most recently played Jackson Guitars, though he had also been associated with ESP Guitars, Dean Guitars and many others. He also used Randall Amplifiers. He was well known for his shred guitar playing style.