Raw Power

Raw Power

Raw Power is an Italian hardcore punk band from Poviglio, Italy, active since 1981. The group forms around Mauro Codeluppi and Giuseppe Codeluppi, with Mauro Codeluppi listed as a member and Giuseppe Codeluppi as a founding figure on voice and guitar. The band develops a reputation for frequent line-up changes, but the Codeluppi brothers remain the central figures from the original line-up.

Style and place in hardcore punk

Raw Power is associated with hardcore punk, punk and thrash metal, and is identified as an Italian hardcore punk band. Their sound develops from early punk into a heavier, riff-led style, and they are also linked with crossover hardcore, a scene that blends punk energy with a broader metal influence.

Recordings and releases

The band’s debut vinyl LP, You Are The Victim, appears in 1983 on a small independent Italian label. Later in 1983 they sign to the American independent punk label Toxic Shock, and Screams From The Gutter follows in 1985. That album is described as a key release in their catalogue and is sold in significant numbers through independent distribution and shops.

Raw Power then release Wop Hour and After Your Brian in 1986, followed by Mine To Kill in 1989 on Southern. In the 1990s they record for Godhead, including Fight and the live album Live From The Gutter, which captures their concert sound without overdubbing. Reptile House follows on Toxic Shock, then known as Toxic Ranch Records, and Trust Me appears on Hello Records in 2000. The group also records Still Screaming After 20 Years in 2002.

Live activity and reputation

Raw Power tours the United States for the first time in 1985 and later returns there several more times. They share stages with Circle Jerks, Adolescents, D.O.A., Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Agnostic Front, Dead Kennedys, Suicidal Tendencies and, in Seattle in 1986, an early Guns N’ Roses. They also play extensively in Europe, where they maintain a cult following rather than a wide commercial profile.

Career development

The band’s early years are marked by unstable membership and limited management support, especially in Italy. Their live reputation grows more strongly than their studio reputation, and their performances are repeatedly described as intense and forceful. MTV shows interest in the video for Fight, and the live recording approach of Live From The Gutter reflects the band’s emphasis on concert performance. Giuseppe Codeluppi dies in 2002, but the group continues in his absence and remains active.