Luca Sellitto wasn’t a name I’d come across before until I heard him shredding all over Ian Parry’s Rock Emporium Brute Force when that came out a few weeks ago. However, so impressed was I by Luca’s performance and on discovering he put out a solo album a couple of years ago I simply had to grab a copy. And I’m pleased I did.
Luca fronts a band called Stamina – must check them out too – though until then, let’s look at his solo album The Voice Within.
It’s quite short in length – the eight tracks running in at around 35 minutes – though packs quite a punch with some quite stunning riffing and heavy/proggy neo-classical style shredding not unlike Paul Gilbert, Patrick Rondat, Yngwie Malmsteen and Henk Van Der Lars making it an enjoyable 35 minutes of listening time.
Second to None punches along apace as the opener and a tasty slab of progressively tinged power metal. Land of the Vikings ups the ante next and is an excellent effort with a hint of at atmospheric feel to it and a towering vocal from Goran Edman in amongst the shred-fest underpinned by the battering drumming assault. Have a listen.
The first of three instrumentals follows with Luca showing his speed and feel. What If is back to the heavy stuff with a nice melody before Shadows of Love is a sort of power ballad with some tasty keyboards.
The Champion’s Code takes us back to instrumental territory and more spectacular guitar work. Then we have another chunky powerful melodic rocker with Into the Light leading in to the closer which is the third instrumental in which Luca shows a brooding mournful sensitive side to his playing.
Over the whole album there’s a 1980s feel to it, which I enjoyed plenty.
If you like your power/progressive metal and shredtacualr guitar then do check it out. All the usual formats available.