Michael Romeo began playing guitar at the tender age of 14. Taking his influences from many sources including Steve Vai, Al DiMeola, Yngwie Malmsteen, JS Bach, John Williams and Frank Zappa, at the age of 19, he was one of the finalists of the nation-wide "Sam Ash Music Store" guitar contest. He wrote and recorded his debut solo album in 1994 entitled The Dark Chapter which features an ambitious reworking of Paganini's Concerto in B Minor - arranged for the guitar by Romeo himself. Not only did he play the majority of all the instruments on the album, he also engineered, mixed and produced the album showcasing his versatile abilities in the studio. Romeo is an incredibly accomplished player drawing on a neo-classical style reminiscent of Yngwie Malmsteen while retaining his own identifiable signature that sets him apart from other players in this genre. He has received major coverage in many of the guitar magazines around the world and is best known for his role as lead guitarist in Symphony X. Instrumental Guitar (Electric (Heavy)/Neo-Classical Metal/Shred), total running time, 42:46