Music: Leo Biollo: From the Depths of Hell to the Gates of Heaven

Our Take

Whenever a solo metal artist comes along that has played every instrument on their debut album, chances are that it will either showcase a very talented individual or somehow who clearly thinks they are better than they actually are. Thankfully in the case of Canadian multi-instrumentalist Leo Biollo the former case is true, as on his debut full length release From the Depths of Hell to the Gates of Heaven he demonstrates that not only does he have some great technical ability but also the ability to create memorable material. And hopefully he is able to find an audience, as there is definitely room for Biollo in the metal world.

All of the songs on From the Depths of Hell to the Gates of Heaven fall within the thrash genre, but rather than trying to offer modern day thrash like many of today’s bands Leo Biollo offers some very 80’s sounding riffs and song structures. However, though he has clearly been influenced by many of the genre’s innovators, this does not mean that his material sounds dated or stale. In fact, thanks to some very technical guitar work and interesting solos Biollo is not only able to grab your attention but keep it there for the entire length of the album. The technicality of the instrumentals also seems much more impressive when you consider the fact that Leo Biollo did everything himself, and seeing as much of this release sounds as though it is being performed by a full band that certainly demonstrates the level of talent this artist has.

The vocals on this release have definitely been inspired by thrash as well, as the singing throughout the course of the album is clean but has some rough edges to it. Although Biollo doesn’t have the most powerful voice that I’ve heard in the thrash genre, his style fits well with the instrumentals and listeners are sure to enjoy what he has to offer. With that being said though, I think there is some room for him to continue to improve his singing ability. The entire album is said to represent events in Biollo, and though everything is represented metaphorically it seems likely that most listeners will be able to identify with the themes he discusses.

From the Depths of Hell to the Gates of Heaven is definitely one of the surprise hits of the year, and the fact that one guy has been able to create thrash that is better than many of the four/five member bands out there is pretty impressive. Leo Biollo may be an unknown name right now but I could certainly see that changing if he continues to put out albums of this quality. And considering that his website says that he has already written over 100 plus songs, it seems likely that this will happen.

http://www.leobiollomusic.com

Chris Dahlberg
November 21, 2009