Michael Orlando - Sonic Stomp (2006)Sonic Stomp Music

I know that Poland isn't the fatherland of virtuosic music, but hope all the fans persistently searching for more complex music can notice a "dump" of young guitar talents for some time now. Obviously, the enumeration of musicians' names is senseless in their own right here, because they won't ring a bell for those who have never been interested in this genre. It doesn't mean that Department of Virtuosity hasn't been meant for the average man in the street at all! Here is the place both for specialists and aficionados as well! You'd better believe me that there are many gifted young artists being able to work charms with their instruments in the world. They've got to be reached to and written about their music, and, as you know, it requires time and patience.

One of such a talent is American virtuoso - Mike Orlando who recorded the debut solo album at his own studio located in New York. Upon looking at the line-up, our attention is mainly focused on two men: a drummer A.J. Pero of Twisted Sister and another virtuoso freak - Ron Thal of Bumblefoot and Guns'n'Roses. Actually, their names are most famous and recognizable for hard'n'heavy music fans. Another main studio musician, next to Mike, is Steve Tobin on drums. The initiated can make him think of a band called Dust To Dust. To complete a formality I feel obliged to mention a hard rock band called Tred made of three instrumentalists present on "Sonic Stomp": Mike Orlando, A.J. Pero and Lenny Rocillo. They are working on new material now, so we have no other choice, but to wait patiently for it.

I can say bluntly that such CDs always become memorable for me and stay in my mind for a long time! Sometimes music makes a good impression on a listener for the first time, and later it leaks out to the sky, haha. It is inversely in this case. The album is started by a "superhighway" track called "Wheels In Motion" - with a great lead guitar parts in the style of Chris Impellitteri and fine solos in the manner of Michael Amott of Arch Enemy. In other words, they are fast, fluent and very melodious. Truly saying, there are so many actions going on the album that it would be really hard to expound and discuss all of them in detail. Mike took the liberty of playing many sound combinations and "drilling" in the neck. If you wanna grasp my associations, I advise you to familiarize with "Game Over" full of "twisted" solos by Ron Thal and impressive accelerations. Don't be afraid that Mike's music will tire you quickly. Four tracks can be considered ballads: "Horizons", "Movement", "Velvet Sky" and "A Moment In Time". They are the greatest counter-argument against those people who claim that virtuosic music is devoid of emotions. It should be admitted that American often experiments to tunes, wringing his guitar out! Thanks to his creative thinking, he also proved his universality being able to master typical shredding metal, funk music, and even boogie, that is an instrumental kind of blues in modern form. The latter style has been meant for piano and grand piano. Artist, performing in this style, plays repeatedly harmonic-rhythmical structures with left hand and leads the leitmotif and improvisations with right one.

Nick Hinton of "Virtuosa" magazine distinguished "Sonic Stomp" as "album of the month", and moreover spoke his mind regarding Mike and hope to see him on one stage next to Steve Vai and Joe Satriani under the banner of G3 project. I am pretty sure that he had Mike's style in mind, especially audible in "Jam On It", perfectly fitting to the concept of mentioned venture. Nick's opinion is tallied with mine! I claim that such an album, full of "sunny" and optimistic music, should be enjoyed by every optimist who thinks highly of music on world's level and accomplishments the likes of Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, John5, Milan Polak, Simone Fiorletta, Mike Campese, John Petrucci, Eddie Van Halen and Paul Gilbert.