Mark Thomas Tremonti is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock bands Creed and Alter Bridge. He is a founding member of both bands, and has also collaborated with many other artists over the years. He formed his own band, Tremonti, in 2011, releasing the album All I Was in July 2012, followed by Cauterize in June 2015, Dust in April 2016 and A Dying Machine in June 2018. The metal rock opera A Dying Machine has been adapted by Tremonti and science-fiction novelist John Shirley.
Nitro is an American heavy metal band from Hollywood, California. Formed in 1988, the group originally featured vocalist Jim Gillette, guitarist Michael Angelo Batio, bassist T. J. Racer and drummer Bobby Rock. Nitro released its debut album O.F.R. in 1989, which reached number 140 on the US Billboard 200. Rock was replaced by K. C. Comet for the album's promotional tour. Nitro II: H.W.D.W.S., released in 1992, featured Ralph Carter on bass and Johnny Thunder on drums.
O.F.R. (Out-Fucking-Rageous) is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Nitro. Recorded at Front Page Productions in Costa Mesa, California, it was produced by the band's vocalist Jim Gillette and guitarist Michael Angelo Batio alongside engineer Charlie Watts and executive producer Bob Cahill. The album was released on May 30, 1989 by Rampage Records, a division of Rhino Entertainment, and peaked at number 140 on the US Billboard 200.
Rusty Cooley is an American guitarist from Houston, Texas, United States, known for his highly refined guitar technique. He is regarded as one of the fastest guitarists in the United States and a master of the "shredding technique of guitar. Guitar Player magazine called him "the leading light of the post-Malmsteen shred-volution."
Planet Gemini is the second studio album by American heavy metal musician Michael Angelo Batio, credited as Michael Angelo. Recorded at M.A.C.E. Court Studios in Chicago, Illinois, it was released in 1997 by his own label M.A.C.E. Music. Batio performed the majority of instruments on the release, as well as producing, engineering and mixing the album.
Caprice No. 5 is one of 24 pieces composed by virtuoso violinist Niccolò Paganini in the early 19th century. The piece is known for its incredible speed and extremely high technical difficulty. Paganini is said to have been able to play it on one string, but there is no evidence to support or refute this.
No Boundaries is the debut solo studio album by American heavy metal musician Michael Angelo Batio, credited as Michael Angelo. Recorded at M.A.C.E. Studios in Chicago, Illinois, it was released on September 1, 1995 by his own label M.A.C.E. Music. Batio performed the majority of instruments on the release, as well as producing, engineering and mixing the album.
Tradition is the third studio album by American heavy metal musician Michael Angelo Batio. Recorded at Monster Mix Studio in Chicago, Illinois, it was released in 1998 by his own label M.A.C.E. Music as a companion to the video release Jam with Angelo. Batio performed all instruments on the release, as well as producing, engineering and mixing the album.
"Freight Train" is a song by Nitro from their 1989 album O.F.R.. In the video for the song, Michael Angelo Batio uses the one-of-a-kind quad guitar, which is a guitar with four necks. The top two necks have seven strings and the bottom two have six strings. The guitar was stolen after the second performance of the "Nitro O.F.R" tour in El Paso, Texas. Then, in 2004, a fan showed up to one of Batio's performances with a guitar case. The fan opened up the case to reveal two of the four guitars that had made up the famous quad guitar.
William Peck is a guitarist from Orlando, Florida. Peck is best known for being a close friend with musician Mark Tremonti and for being featured in Guitar One Magazine several times.
Lucid Intervals and Moments of Clarity is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal musician Michael Angelo Batio. A collaboration with drummer Rob Ross, it was produced by Batio and released on August 1, 2000 through Perris Records. Seven of the nine tracks were later remixed and remastered for the 2004 compilation album Lucid Intervals and Moments of Clarity Part 2.
2 X Again is a compilation album by American shred guitarist Michael Angelo Batio released on November 5, 2007. It features songs from Batio's first two studio albums – No Boundaries and Planet Gemini – remixed and remastered, with additional drums from Joe Babiak. Also included are two demo tracks from the No Boundaries sessions: "Acoustic" and "Allegory of the Cave".
M.A.C.E. Music, Inc. is an American record label founded by Michael Angelo Batio in April 1993. Currently based in Gurnee, Illinois, the label's main job is that of selling material and merchandise of Batio's, including his albums, videos and accessories such as the "MAB String Dampener". The label also releases material by other artists, including Batio's side-project C4, T. D. Clark, Tom Kopyto and The Flyin' Ryan Brothers. M.A.C.E. distributes material both directly and through other labels, to over 40 countries worldwide including the United States, the United Kingdom, all throughout Europe, Canada, Japan, Qatar, South Africa, Australia, Mexico and Brazil.
Hands Without Shadows 2 – Voices is the sixth studio album by American progressive metal musician Michael Angelo Batio, released on September 8, 2009. Unlike the majority of his previous albums, which were almost exclusively instrumental, HWS2 features vocal performances on all tracks. The album features a number of guest musicians, in addition to vocalist Warren Dunlevy, Jr. and drummer Joe Babiak, who previously performed on Batio's 2007 compilation album 2 X Again. The album features a bonus track entitled "MAB Forum Shreddathon", which includes guitar solos by members of the official MAB forum, written by Los Angeles-based metal guitarist and longtime forum member Maxxxwell Carlisle.
Shock ‘Em Dead, also known as Rock ‘Em Dead, is a 1990 comedic horror film written by Mark Freed, David Tedder and Andrew Cross, and directed by Mark Freed. It stars Stephen Quadros and pornstar Traci Lords in one of her first post-adult film roles. The film is also notable for featuring Nitro guitarist Michael Angelo Batio as a guitar double. Shock 'Em Dead is also a thriller with a music comedy twist, a self-aware take on metal guitarists from the 80's.
Dave Reffett is a hard rock and heavy metal guitarist, singer, producer and bassist from Blue River, Kentucky.
Maxxxwell Carlisle is an American Heavy Metal guitarist, songwriter, producer, radio personality and bodybuilder from Los Angeles, California. He is the current guitarist in the American Heavy Metal bands Hellion and Society 1. He is also known for his work as a solo artist, as the keyboardist/guitarist of Raptor Command, as a former member of the American Thrash band Deathriders, as the host of the weekly Maxed-Out Metal Hour Show on internet radio station Metal Express Radio, and for his collaborations with other notable musicians such as Michael Angelo Batio, Tina Guo, Nita Strauss, and Ethan Brosh.
Intermezzo is the eighth studio album by American progressive metal musician Michael Angelo Batio. Self-produced by Batio and featuring a wide range of guest musicians, it was released in November 2013 by M.A.C.E. Music.
Shred Force 1: The Essential MAB is a compilation album by American heavy metal musician Michael Angelo Batio. Released on April 14, 2015 by Rat Pak Records, it is a career retrospective featuring songs from many of Batio's previously released studio albums. Shred Force 1 was produced by Batio and features a wide range of guest musicians. The album registered on several Billboard charts.
