Paul Brandon Gilbert is an American hard rock and heavy metal guitarist. He is the co-founder of the band Mr. Big, and was also a member of Racer X, with whom he released several albums. In 1996, Gilbert launched a solo career, for which he has released numerous solo albums, and featured in numerous collaborations and guest appearances on other musicians' albums.
Tony MacAlpine is an American musician and composer. In a career spanning four decades, he has released twelve studio albums. MacAlpine is best known as an instrumental rock and heavy metal solo guitarist, although he has worked with many different bands and musicians in guest appearances and collaborations.
Speed Metal Symphony is the first studio album by the American heavy metal band Cacophony, released in 1987 through Shrapnel Records.
Neoclassical metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is heavily influenced by classical music and usually features very technical playing, consisting of elements borrowed from both classical and speed metal music. Deep Purple's Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord pioneered the subgenre by merging classical melodies and blues rock. Later, Yngwie Malmsteen became one of the most notable musicians in the subgenre, and contributed greatly to the development of the style in the 1980s. Other notable players in the genre are Randy Rhoads, John Petrucci, Michael Romeo, Jason Becker, Tony MacAlpine, Vinnie Moore, Uli Jon Roth, Stéphan Forté, Wolf Hoffmann, Timo Tolkki, and Marty Friedman.
Mike Varney is an American record producer and music publisher. He is the founder of the Shrapnel Label Group, which includes Shrapnel Records, Tone Center Records, and Blues Bureau International. He also owns 50% of Magna Carta Records, a New York-based label. Varney is often credited for popularizing the mid-1980s shred guitar boom, and has continuously specialized in producing musicians within the genres of instrumental rock, hard rock, jazz, jazz fusion, blues, blues-rock, progressive metal, and speed metal.
Dragon's Kiss is the first studio album by guitarist Marty Friedman, released on August 8, 1988 through Shrapnel Records and Roadrunner Records (Europe).
Perpetual Burn is the first studio album by the American guitarist Jason Becker, released in 1988 through Shrapnel Records and Roadrunner Records (Europe). The album was released at around the same time as Dragon's Kiss, the first album by the fellow Cacophony guitarist Marty Friedman, who also co-produced and performed on Perpetual Burn. This is the only solo album Becker released before his diagnosis with ALS in 1989.
Mind's Eye is the first studio album by guitarist Vinnie Moore, released in 1986 through Shrapnel Records. Recorded in eleven days when Moore was 21 years old, the album was ranked third on the all-time top ten list of shred albums in a 2009 article by Guitar World magazine.
Street Lethal is the first studio album by the American heavy metal band Racer X, released on January 1, 1986 through Shrapnel Records. The instrumental track "Y.R.O." stands for "Yngwie Rip-Off", as it bears similarities to "Black Star" by guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, with an almost identical bassline. It later appeared in the 2009 video game Brütal Legend.
Second Heat is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Racer X, was released on February 11, 1987, through Shrapnel Records.
Joey Tafolla is an American guitarist.
Infra-Blue is the second studio album by guitarist Joey Tafolla, released in 1991 through Shrapnel Records.
Edge of Insanity is the first studio album by guitarist Tony MacAlpine, released in 1986 through Shrapnel Records. In 2014, nearly thirty years after its release, MacAlpine performed the album in full during a series of shows in California and Baja California.
Maximum Security is the second studio album by guitarist Tony MacAlpine, released in 1987 through PolyGram. It is his only release to enter the U.S. Billboard 200, reaching No. 146 and remaining on that chart for eleven weeks.
Madness is the fourth studio album by guitarist Tony MacAlpine, released in 1993 through Shrapnel Records.
Evolution is the sixth studio album by guitarist Tony MacAlpine, released on October 10, 1995 through Shrapnel Records.
Master of Paradise is the eighth studio album by guitarist Tony MacAlpine, released on November 2, 1999 through Shrapnel Records. This album marks the first time MacAlpine himself sang on any of his releases; only two of the tracks are instrumental.
Chromaticity is the ninth studio album by guitarist Tony MacAlpine, released on August 7, 2001 through Shrapnel Records.
Project: Driver is a studio album by the heavy metal supergroup M.A.R.S., released in 1986 through Shrapnel Records and Roadrunner Records (Europe). The band's name is made up of the initial of each musician's last name: guitarist Tony MacAlpine, drummer Tommy Aldridge, singer Rob Rock, and bassist Rudy Sarzo. Craig Goldy was their original guitarist, but he left after joining Dio.
Introspection is the second studio album by guitarist Greg Howe, released in 1993 through Shrapnel Records.
