MASTRANGELUS is the new solo project of Italian musician Gianluca Mastrangelo, frontman of the Vivaldi Metal Project and De La Muerte, presenting its debut album titled “Odi et Amo” (Latin for ‘Love & Hate’).
The album is a concept embracing a fantasy story set in a parallel dimension, where the Mastrangelus is a court magician/scientist. He falls in love with the Queen, and to hide their meetings he will use a magical portal that stops time for two hours, but this will inevitably corrupt the magician’s soul. He will be chased away because of his experiments, and will try to convince the Queen to abandon reality for another dimension…. Who knows how it will end.
This is an ambitious work with elaborated pieces of intense melodic metal, progressive and neo classical metal musically in the vein of Vivaldi Metal Project, Yngwie Malmsteen, Jorn, etc.
Alongside Gianluca and some renowned Italian musicians, MASTRANGELUS sees the extraordinary participation of keyboardist Maestro Mistheria (Bruce Dickinson, Vivaldi Metal Project), vocalist Mark Boals (Ring of Fire, ex-Yngwie Malmsteen), super drummer John Macaluso (Yngwie Malmsteen, Ark, Symphony X), bass player Dino Fiorenza (Steve Vai, Paul Gilbert) and many more.
“Odi et Amo” is a powerful, quite punchy album revolving around an interesting story benefited by song-format tracks (37 minutes in total), strong vocal performances, melodious sharp guitars, a huge rhythm section and Maestro Mistheria unique ivory fills / atmospheres.
Very well recorded & produced, MASTRANGELUS will please aficionados of any of the bands mentioned above.
Highly Recommended
Tracklist:
01. Somewhere
02. Dance for Me (feat. Mark Boals)
03. King and Slave (feat. Mark Boals)
04. You and I (feat. Luca Basile)
05. Nightmare
06. Cry of the Loneliness (feat. Arianna Marciano)
07. Fire In The Sky
08. A New Begin
Line Up:
Gianluca Mastrangelo (Vivaldi Metal Project, De La Muerte) - Vocals
John Macaluso (Yngwie Malmsteen, Ark, Symphony X) - Drums
Mistheria (Bruce Dickinson, Vivaldi Metal Project, Tower of Babel) - Keyboards
Dino Fiorenza (Steve Vai, Paul Gilbert, Malmsteen, Jennifer Batten) - Bass
Luca Montella - Guitars
Guests:
Mark Boals (Ring of Fire, ex-Yngwie Malmsteen, ex-Royal Hunt) - Vocals
Arianna Marciano (Vivaldi Metal Project) - Vocals
Luca Basile (Elegy of Madness) - Cello
Mastrangelus [Mark Boals] – Odi et Amo (2024)