Tony MacAlpine has set a June 21st release date for this new self-titled all-instrumental album. Favored Nations bills that album as 12 tracks of complex, intricate heavy music that demands concentration. It is a true solo album in every sense of the word. Drummers Virgil Donati and Marco Minnemann, as well as bassist Philip Bynoe are utilized on various tracks. MacAlpine plays everything else: seven-string guitar, eight-string guitar, keyboards, bass and programming.
Written and recorded at "The Cottage" studio in Pasadena, California, MacAlpine has blended jazz-fusion, metal, prog and rock'n'roll into a tightly-wound trip of mammoth proportions. "My music is instrumental guitar-oriented heavy rock with a fusion flair," he explains. "Having started with classical piano since the age of five, I've been exposed to many genres and styles from contemporary to the Romantic and Classical periods. This early development helped me define my writing and improvisation which is evident in my sound today. My guitar playing encompasses many different styles, with an emphasis on composition and theater."
As with any true artist, change is the only constant. As he says, "in my 25 year career, my sound and artistic output has continually evolved, because I'm always striving to discover new ways to express myself through the music. Although this album is identifiably `me,' in recent years I've been working with younger modern players, and have been aware of some of the newer musical trends going on. Those elements inspired the sounds and compositional direction of the new record."
Track Listing:
1) Serpens Caudo
2) Oludeniz
3) Fire Mountain
4) Dream Mechanism
5) Ten Seconds To Mercury
6) Flowers For Monday
7) Angel Of Twilight
8) Pyrokenesis
9) Blue Maserati
10) Summer Palace
11) Salar de Uyuni
12) The Dedication
