Michael Angelo
Planet Gemini

"No Boundaries" was his first dazzling yet pointless solo album, which conveyed nothing more than the fact that Michael Angelo is hard to match on a technical level. And our charming and raw guitarist tries again later with another album that reproduces the same solutions as its more famous predecessor.

“Planet Gemini” does nothing but tire and bore the listener. I appreciate you, Michael, because ultimately those who appreciate pure shred worship this charming artist. But how many can withstand his stubborn composition made up of the usual riffs, the usual ultra-fast phrasing, the usual minor or major sweeps, the usual scales played at a speed that only Cooley can surpass? As already mentioned for the previous album, this "Planet Gemini" presents good ideas but used poorly. Michael Angelo might race on his Dean Double Neck, but he lacks that real substance that could make him a complete musician. And showcasing the most varied techniques is merely another demonstration of his creativity equaling zero. As usual, the album opens with an intro lasting less than 2 minutes where he shows how good he is with his instrument, and then comes the title track: “Planet Gemini” starts off well, with a great drum rhythm, but as soon as the solo part begins... well... I wonder why so much technique is thrown in the listener's face. “For reaches of space” wants to be original, but its attempts get lost, as usual, in the solo parts where the complete inability to write even a basic melody is evident. It's almost like he doesn't know how to play slowly, and can't help but move those damn fingers. “Across our universe” continues the quest for some countercurrent element, like using an instrument other than the guitar (seems like a sax... I could be wrong). But nothing. Our anti-hero continues with the second part of “No Boundaries,” which opens first with an introduction that doesn't really make sense, and then with the actual instrumental part. A full 7 and a half minutes, deliberately complex. I say deliberately because Angelo doesn't stop wanting to compete with himself. "To Alpha sector 2" is the perfect manifesto of shredding, and I've said it all. “So Much to live for” presents an unheard Michael on vocals. He should have never done it. You know the voices of the singers from Japanese cartoon themes? There you have Angelo's voice. And Angelo continues to deafen us with his bad voice in “These four walls.” The last track is one last long demonstration of extraordinary technical skill.

I can't distinguish one track from another: the solo parts are all the same, Angelo, and I say it sincerely, you can run as much as you like, but music is something else.