Ralph Santolla /

Ralph Santolla (born December 8, 1967) ) is an Italian-American metal guitarist. He has played in many bands in the past, 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), Millennium, Iced Earth, and the Sebastian Bach band. As of June 3, 2007, it was announced that Santolla would replace Allen West in Obituary for their album Xecutioner's Return. Ralph is very proud of his Italian heritage and he plays guitars by Jackson and Ibanez with the Italian flag painted on them. At the moment he has recently been playing Jackson Guitars, though he has also been associated with ESP Guitars, Dean Guitars and many others. He has also been using Randall Amplifiers. He is well known for his shred guitar playing style. At a 2006 Deicide gig in Laredo, Texas which was getting out of control, Ralph Santolla was arrested for allegedly throwing a Red Bull can at an officer after Deicide was forced to stop playing. Santolla has always avidly proclaimed his innocence and stated that the allegations were wholesale created by the Laredo Police Department, which has been corroborated