Mastercastle is the new band from Labyrinth guitarist Pier Gonella and sees the introduction of powerful female vocalist Giorgia Gueglio to the scene. Mastercastle’s debut album “The Phoenix” is a potent slice of metal with neo-classical and traditional metal influences within its ten songs. The guitar work of Pier is sure to please fans of the likes of Yngwie Malmsteen, with its strong riffs and explosive lead work. Giorgia Gueglio vocals are equal to task of matching Gonella’s guitar work with their great power and soaring qualities and also serve in giving Mastercastle their own unique sound. Mastercastle are completed by the rhythm section of bassist Steve Vawamas and guest drummer Alessandro Bissa aka Bix (Vision Divine) who combine to create a solid backdrop for all tracks.

The lyrics for the album by Giorgia Gueglio are mostly influenced by human nature as well as forgotten tales and events. For example the song “Greed Blade” tells about the disaster of Vajont, a dam on the Italian alps that after a landslide, created a giant wave that destroyed towns and villages and villages in the valley. The title track “The Phoenix” tells a story human nature that need to be as strong as the phoenix, the legendary bird that dies and is born again on his ashes. The song “Princess Of Love” is a mystical tale about the magic presence of a clan of witches dancing in the forest.

Mastercastle were born in January 2008 as a project of the guitar player Pier Gonella (also know for playing in big Italian bands as “Labyrinth” “Necrodeath” and “Odyssea”) together with the singer Giorgia Gueglio. The pair had had several music projects in the past and wanted to try something different. No fixed genre was chosen with the emphasis being on producing music in a natural way. The result was a natural mix of the virtuoso guitar style of Pier with the individual female voice of Giorgia Gueglio which worked well together. The pair wrote a great number of songs and then chose 4 to record for a promo to gain label interest. The first musician contacted to help complete the demo was drummer Alessandro Bissa aka Bix (Vision Divine). Having also worked in the past with Pier and Giorgia, Bix’s arrival changed the initial project into a real band. The line up was completed by bassist Steve Vawamas and the name Mastercastle was settled on for the new band who went on to complete the recordings of the four song demo. On July 2008 they sent those four tracks to Lion Music who offered a deal which leads us up to the release of Mastercastle’s debut album “The Phoenix” on April 19th 2009.

Genre: Neoclassical Metal

℗ 2009Lion Music

Released on: 17.04.2009