8 Is Enough with TOM AMORIELLO – September 2018

According to a recent press release: “Neo-Classical Hard Rock Project AMORIELLO–launched by renown guitarist, educator, and author Tom Amoriello and featuring former members of Black Sabbath, Dio, Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, Quiet Riot, TNT, Loudness, Dokken, Impellitteri, and Cacophony–has released a teaser for their self-titled LP, a 12 inch vinyl due out December 2018 via H42 Records. The first single, “Battle Song” (a tribute to metal legand Ronnie James Dio), is slated to release on 9/28.”  We get Tom to discuss new music, influences, and much more in our 10 Quick Ones…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets the band put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

Thank you Todd for being supportive of new music!  AMORIELLO was a studio project that evolved from the desire to work with some musicians I have admired for a long time.  The recording has many of my favorite musicians on it who have recorded and toured with Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, Dio, Yngwie, Dio, Quiet Riot, TNT, Loudness and so many other great artists.  So you can imagine big guitars, driving rhythms, over the top vocals and more.  The recording was a year and a half in the making and was recorded in New Jersey, Florida, Los Angeles, North Carolina, Las Vegas, Poland, England, Italy, Sweden, and Nashville.  It is truly an international effort! As far as hidden nuggets, in addition to screaming guitar solos there are also individual drum, bass, keyboard and vocal solo spotlights throughout the recording.  Each musician really had their chance to shine and show the depth of their playing.  So any life long fans of Mark Boals will hear him acapella with 24 layers voices during a vocal breakdown.   Phil Soussan lays down a fretless bass solos in two spots of Nightmusic MCX that are just dark beautiful. Vinny Appice plays a longer drum spot than he ever did on any Dio recording!

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

I was always a listener and fan of musical acts as far back as I could remember.  Lots of vinyl listening but nothing of my own until I won Ozzy’s Blizzard of Oz at a lucky wheel game on the boardwalk of the Jersey shore in 5th grade.  Then the early 80’s groups from Los Angeles were so popular on radio and MTV.   It was something about those guitar solos that spoke to me.  So inspiring.  Then I would have to say the moment I purchased my first distortion box.  It was a tinny sounding stomp box from Taiwan called a Ross that made my Multivox 10 watt amplifier sound amazing to my 13 year old ear.  That imitation Les Paul called a Lark.  Those lessons at the Old Towne Music circa 1985.  Thanks mom and dad!!!

3. Who would be your main five musical influences?

Wow what a tough question to answer as we go through different phases.  In no particular order: Yngwie Malmsteen, Tony Iommi, Morrissey, Miles Davis, and Andres Segovia.  To make it an even dozen I would add: Vinnie Vincent, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Joe Stump, Julian Bream, and Queensryche. To make it a baker’s dozen: Ronnie Dio.

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be?

Just like the 5 musical influences question there are so many musicians that would be great to collaborate with.  If I had to choose I would really like to do a hard driving rock track with Tony Harnell, formely of TNT handling the vocals.  Almost equally I would love Yngwie Malmsteen to play bass on a track with me, Tom G.Warrior of Celtic Frost for something dark, Dave Mustaine to sing and trade riffs with I could go for hours.

5. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before?

Simply put, traditional heavy metal with an 80’s influence in playing technique and equipment used with a dash of Johann Sebastian Bach.

6. What’s the best thing about being a musician?

It is a great life!  Being creative whether it is teaching a kid to play “Smoke on the Water” for the first time or hearing a final mix of something that you worked so hard on.   You always hear stories about how rough it is to be a musician in this day and age but if there is a will there is a way.

7. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over”?

Well I went to college to study classical music when I was 19 and put the electric guitar away for a few years. I wish I kept it closer.

8. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

The independent record label, Sharpnel Records and what Mike Varney was executively producing from 1983-1988 was very important to my guitar education.  These were recorded at the Prairie Sun Studios in Cotati, CA.  I would not be a musician today without the recordings made by Yngwie Malmsteen, Vinnie Moore, Paul Gilbert, Jason Becker, Greg Howe, Tony MacAlpine, Kurt James, and Marty Friedman.  This would be the equivalent of hanging at Chess Records for a blues aficionado.  The Shrapnel rooster was an unreal group of guitarists and a moment in time that may never be replicated. So to sit and observe any one of those sessions at that time would be cool for me. Now for a close 2nd Place, I would have wanted to live in Tom Scholz’s basement in 1975 while he was recording the self-titled Boston debut on an 8 track recorder.  Such a powerful recording in rock history sonically with all those layered vocals, rhythm and lead guitars and great songs.  Oh yea and Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band for my 3rd choice.

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Category: Interviews