KIKO LOUREIRO – No Gravity

Kiko Loureiro is considered one of the most talented musicians nowadays by not only Angra or Metal fans, but also amongst many other top rated musicians and music media representatives. After starting his musical studies when he was just eleven years old, Kiko has never stopped developing himself as a guitarist and as a composer. A lot has happened since March 1993, when Kiko recorded his first instructional video by MPO Productions and recorded Angra’s debut album, Angels Cry, in Germany. A respectful seven additional albums with Angra have contributed to Kiko’s constantly improving development as a guitar player, which eventually catapulted him to new heights when he was awarded the prestigious “Best Guitarist Of The Year” awards by several leading publications, such as Brazilians Rock Brigade, Rock Underground, and Roadie Crew.

As a logical consequence when following Kiko’s remarkable career, the guitar maestro revealed his very first instrumental solo release No Gravity to the world. The opening tracks “Enfermo” and “Endangered Species” are also two highlights of the album, and go full out and underline very quickly why Kiko is so highly rated as a guitarist and composer today. Extremely tight and fast, sometimes arrhythmic power riffs, combined with mouth watering, highly technical licks and cleverly arranged melodic passages are all served on a plate of the highest songwriting skills, and should move all lovers of Progressive Metal to tears instantly.

What strikes most with Kiko’s No Gravity album is the fact that a musician with such strong technical skills still has not lost any sense for feeling and emotion. This is strongly evident in the title track “No Gravity,” which is another absolute highlight. It is not easy to write a solely instrumental album, hence the importance of including some tracks that enable the listener to embark on a visually imaginative journey that Kiko masters with excellence, thanks to his great sense for feeling. Kiko’s versatility is enormous, and as a matter of fact, he was born and raised in Brazil, which is a major influencing factor on the tracks “Tapping Into My Dark Tranquility,” “Beautiful Language,” and “Choro De Criança,” all of which showcase Kiko’s subtle, yet very impressive influences such as traditional Brazilian Rhythm and Jazz elements. “La Force de L’Âme” and “Feliz Desilusão” are both emotionally intense instrumental ballads featuring great arrangements underlined with clean guitar sounds, fills, and lead breaks.

No Gravity Is an absolute masterpiece and the fact that Kiko has played all instruments himself (except drums) on this album, it can actually be considered a piece of art. Drummer, Mike Terrana (Masterplan, Yngwie Malmsteen, Rage, Artension, a.o.), proves consistently throughout the album what a highly skilled drummer he is. His drumming stands for solidity, technical complexity, rhythmic consistency, accuracy, and most importantly, for song-orientated integration.

No Gravity was recorded, mixed, and mastered at House of Audio in Germany, and was produced by Kiko Loureiro and Dennis Ward (Pink Cream 69).

Lineup

Kiko Loureiro – all electric guitars, acoustic guitars, bass guitars, piano, keyboards, percussion and programming
Mike Terrana – drums and percussion
Produced by Dennis Ward and Kiko Loureiro