Page 21 - ROCKNATION ISSUE 25

AMORIELLO
ROCKNATION ISSUE 25 PAGE 21

Interview with Thomas Amoriello

Hello Tom with welcome to Rocknation. How exciting is it to see your debut LP being released
through H42 Records?
Thanks Mister Mathers for the support that you give musicians from our genre of music! H42 Records of
Hamburg has made it possible for the AMORIELLO LP recording to have a proper European release on
12 inch vinyl and digital. It has been surreal working over the last couple of years with so many musicians
that I grew up listening to and admire. I wanted to have this music promoted from the metal capitol of the
world, Germany which is home to premier metal magazines as well as host to many metal festivals each
summer. Juergen Berndt has been instrumental in helping this become a reality. His label has many cool
eclectic bands on his roster and it is great to be a part of that!

You have many all stars on this release including Vinny Appice (Sabbath/Dio) what was it like
working with him.
One of my favorite tracks of Black Sabbath is Sign of the Southern Cross and he has such a unique style
of drumming. You know that it is Vinny playing on a track and he has legendary credentials in the history
of heavy metal. He is featured with a 16 bar drum solo in the middle of a track called Battle Song. He was
easy-going, highly professional and his contribution really brought the song to life. I thought it would be cool
to have a drum solo as the guitar is usually the dominant instrument in that department of the metal world.
This would be nothing unusual in a jazz fusion setting. It was great to catch him on downtime in between his
tours with Last in Line and Drum Wars.

You have some heavy hitter vocalists including Mark Boals (ex-Yngwie), Mike Vescera (ex-Loudness) and Goran Edman (ex-John Norum).
Please tell us about working with them.
I have admired these singers for many years as they are unique, talented and successful in their own ways. Mike produces a successful Disney metal
project and along with Goran sang on #1 charted recordings in the Japanese market while working with Yngwie. Mark performs regularly in an award
winning Vegas show and was a bassist in Dokken. I had their voices in mind when creating the tunes. I wrote the lyrics and co-wrote the music with
them as they provided their vocal melodies. All three were highly collaborative and went above and beyond with their vocal tracking. Not only providing
the vocal track but multiple harmony layers to work with. This takes multiple studio tracking session hours to do and I am so appreciative of all their
collaborative efforts. They really brought the songs to the “next level”.

You received many rave reviews on your first EP with AMORIELLO in Europe, what was that like?
The first release was on 7 inch vinyl and included an 80’s style power ballad called Flood with Neil Murray on bass, who played Whitesnake’s biggest hit,
Here I Go Again so collaborating with him on this specific song just made sense. The B-side,Nightmusic MCX was a seven minute instrumental with Phil
Soussan, formerly of Ozzy on bass. Nightmusic is more of a darker, heavier instrumental, so working with the bassist who played with the Prince of
Darkness was exactly what that track needed to deliver the sound I was looking for. It was fantastic to have respected metal critics enjoying the music
- not just my friends and family. It was really exciting to open Rock Hard magazine and see my album cover. This kind of recognition led to the B-side
track being included on a shred guitar digital compilation CD called Guitarratónica 2018 which received heavy promotion and internet radio plays
throughout the Latin Americas including Argentina and Mexico. So it’s been a great ride so far and am looking forward to what happens next with this
new release.

If you had to tell someone what your AMORIELLO music sounded like, what bands would you mention?
In no particular order, Sabbath during the Dio and Tony Martin years, Deep Purple Mk III, IV & V lineups, Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force during the
80-90’s, JS Bach, Depeche Mode, Goblin, Sisters of Mercy, Morrissey, Pink Floyd, Rainbow, Jesus Christ Superstar musical, Genesis with Peter Gabriel
and The Doors. There are moments of neo classical, 80’s, power metal, prog and synth pop.

What plans do you have for 2018-19?
Well, I would like to continue to collaborate with established artists in the studio providing guitar tracks and
co-writing music with them. That was just a lot of fun and to hear the finished product is really fulfilling
after so much work. I am also putting a live group together to perform the LP so hope to catch an
opening act slot on select dates on the east coast and fingers crossed for a summer festival date in
Europe! I am also a guitar teacher with a thriving studio which I LOVE. The guitar education aspect of
my career will never go away. The guitar teachers I had growing up were so important in my musical
journey, I want to continue passing that love of guitar and inspiration to other kids.

Thank you for taking time for this interview. Any last words to the fans?
The heavy metal genres have become the underground in many ways as compared to the mainstream
music world. It’s the amazing diehard fans who continue to support the established acts and who are
embracing the new artists inspired by them. Thank you so much for appreciating the musicians who
spend a lifetime practicing their craft and developing skills on an instrument. Never say never.

For more info: www.facebook.com/thomas.amoriello.54