Antonello Giliberto
The Mansion of Lost Souls
Independent Release
2013
Antonello Giliberto is a new & young Italian guitarist from Siracusa. After years of studying & seminars with some great guitarists of our time he ended up with the style that’s fitting him best. Having some major influences by the neo-classical “maestro” Yngwie Malmsteen as well as Ritchie Blackmore, Vinnie Moore, Tony MacAlpine, Joe Stump & Jason Becker among others, he completed his first solo attempt.
Antonello is without any doubt, a gifted guitarist. His way of playing is soft (a few times), intense (some others), and very skillful with a neo-classical orientation in general. He does enhance it with several heavy riffs and melodic leads as well, so as to add some more diversity to the final outcome. Unfortunately, the press release did not say anything about the recordings and the musicians participating in this album, but I’ve got the feeling that this CD has totally been done by Antonello, meaning that apart from the guitars he must have played the bass and the drums (or programmed them – judging by the overall sound). Generally, it must have been an album recorded and produced by himself in his own “home studio”. I’m sorry if I haven’t judged right but some more info would actually have been helpful here.
Things that do not work well here are the production and the mixing which is uneven at times. For example, the drums (both the bass drum & the bass now and then) are a tad upfront in the mix. The guitar themes are very good without being “original” or extraordinaire at any point but that doesn’t mean that they do not have the essential melody or technique in order to catch one’s attention. This thing would be more familiar to guys like me and to guitarists that have been listening to many instrumental guitar albums… yet again; those are the ones who are going to appreciate efforts like this one. I would prefer to see Antonello in a “real band” and he’d better think big as he has the ideas and the talent to do so. He gives many live shows across Italy from time to time with some cover bands but that’s only for gaining experiences as he needs to work properly and be more focused on the kind of music that expresses him the most. We’ll be around to watch his next musical steps…
Antonello is without any doubt, a gifted guitarist. His way of playing is soft (a few times), intense (some others), and very skillful with a neo-classical orientation in general. He does enhance it with several heavy riffs and melodic leads as well, so as to add some more diversity to the final outcome. Unfortunately, the press release did not say anything about the recordings and the musicians participating in this album, but I’ve got the feeling that this CD has totally been done by Antonello, meaning that apart from the guitars he must have played the bass and the drums (or programmed them – judging by the overall sound). Generally, it must have been an album recorded and produced by himself in his own “home studio”. I’m sorry if I haven’t judged right but some more info would actually have been helpful here.
Things that do not work well here are the production and the mixing which is uneven at times. For example, the drums (both the bass drum & the bass now and then) are a tad upfront in the mix. The guitar themes are very good without being “original” or extraordinaire at any point but that doesn’t mean that they do not have the essential melody or technique in order to catch one’s attention. This thing would be more familiar to guys like me and to guitarists that have been listening to many instrumental guitar albums… yet again; those are the ones who are going to appreciate efforts like this one. I would prefer to see Antonello in a “real band” and he’d better think big as he has the ideas and the talent to do so. He gives many live shows across Italy from time to time with some cover bands but that’s only for gaining experiences as he needs to work properly and be more focused on the kind of music that expresses him the most. We’ll be around to watch his next musical steps…