Steve Bifford
| |
|
 |
More Than Thrash/Metal
|
Taking a break from the music he usually writes with his band, Severed Serenity is Canadian guitar player Steve Bifford, who submitted a twelve song, primarily instrumental guitar CD-R called The Serenity Project. The band Severed Serenity usually plays music in the thrash or progressive metal genres, so on this project, Bifford was able to showcase different kinds of music and influences, such as folkish to jazz/fusion to straight ahead virtuoso lead rock guitar. His playing is influenced by guitarists such as Andy Summers, Joe Satriani, Zakk Wylde, Mikael Akerfeldt, David Gilmour, Ty Tabor, Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai, and parts of each may be experienced as the listener winds his way through the material on the album. It's good to hear a working musician branching out and doing something different on his solo projects, hopefully more guitarists will follow in his footsteps.
Steve is a freelance guitarist and the main songwriter for Severed Serenity, a Canadian metal band from Canada with four CDs, and a fifth CD in the works. He has also done studio work for people such as Thor (vocal backups on his new CD, tour support in 2006, guitar work in 2005 on the new re-release of "Mutant 1974 - 2003"). Steve shot two videos with him (³Lords Of Steel² and ³Devastation Of Musculation²) in 2006, and played on ³New Horizon 3² (rhythm guitars on "When The World Is Running Down", and the heavy vocals). Steve had a guitar endorsement with Jackson Guitars - they ran a number of ads in Guitar World - featuring Steve with Dave Bonnycastle from Severed Serenity. He has done numerous gigs/shows with both Severed Serenity and Thor over the years. Steve also engineers and produces albums and has worked on many projects in the past for others, and has some live sound experience under his belt.
Bifford is a full time guitar/music teacher/Instructor at Kelowna Guitar Works / Bering Music in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, so if you are interested in lessons or some studio work {guitar stuff} please contact him.
MP3 Songs
Summer Breeze
Serenity
Contact Information
Steve Bifford
111-321 Whitman Rd.
Kelowna, BC V1U 146
Canada
E-mail:
Steve Bifford
Web site:
www.myspace.com/stevebifford
| |
|
Matt Moliti
| |
|
 |
Aaaahhhhhhhhhh! Metal Mayhem!
|
Chops-heavy metal can never be a bad thing, and the CD-R version of Matt Moliti and Dark Empire's album,Distant Tides, doesn't disappoint, as the New York based guitarist lets his fleet fingers offset the throat of vocalist Jens Carlsson. Moliti blends influences such as Michael Romeo, Yngwie Malmsteen, Victor Smolski and Jason Becker to create his brand of metal mayhem, which some have compared to Iced Earth, Symphony X and Blind Guardian. Vocalist Carlsson is quite effective; less so are some of the death metal growls, but some like that kind of thing, so it will probably work for them. The main point is that the guitar rips from start to finish - no complaints there - so Moliti is ready to join the legions of quality players out there and make his own name for himself. The best tune on the CD-R, "The Final Vision", is the only instrumental track, but Moliti specifically requested that we not include it as a featured track. Dark Empire also features Noah Martin on bass and Teemu Tahkanen on drums, while Jeremy Krull adds some remarkable keyboard programming to the solo sections.
Matt is a 22 year-old guitarist from Long Island, NY, who began playing guitar at the age of 13, influenced by progressive rock bands such as Pink Floyd and Rush. He also cites influences from prog and power metal groups, thrash and extreme metal bands and classical and fusion music. Matt studied for two semesters at the Berklee College of Music, working with Joe Stump, leaving so he could actually spend more time with his guitar (and less time studying). Matt currently teaches guitar in Hampton Bays, NY, and contributes columns and articles on guitar technique to the Chops From Hell web site. The track ³Northern Sky² is going to be featured on the next Brave Words Knuckletracks CD, so check that out when it happens.
Moliti is currently shopping his album to record labels, looking for distribution, or to perhaps be signed. He would love to work again with the lineup that recorded Distant Tides, on future albums, and would love to tour as well.
MP3 Songs
We Will Never Die
The Alchemist
Contact Information
Matt Moliti
P.O. Box 827
Quogue, NY 11969
United States
E-mail:
Matt Moliti
Web site:
www.mattmoliti.com
|
