Category: Manuel Barbara
0 @metallian_magazine_official – #124 May – June 2021 Manuel Barbará @8stringalchemy http://metallian.online/produit/metallian-magazine-n124/ #metal #metalmag #metalmagazine #metalreviews #metalreview #albumreview #albumreviews #metalalbum #metalalbums
0 Manuel Barbará Shares How To Play “The God Complex” w/ New Guitar Video, Playthrough Premiere via TechnicalMusicReview, New Album “Moonrise” Out Now!
NEWS RELEASE
Montreal, QC – April 7, 2021
For fans of Dream Theater, Keith Merrow, Periphery, Tesseract, Jeff Loomis
Manuel Barbará Shares How To Play “The God Complex” w/ New Guitar Video
Playthrough Premiere via TechnicalMusicReview
New Album “Moonrise” Out Now!
New Jersey’s Manuel Barbará released his seven-track instrumental album “Moonrise” on March 19th. The full-length is the first introduction of heavy, ambient, and classically inspired progressive metal by Barbará who is the sole songwriter of this project.
Today, he shares more insight into the record with his latest guitar playthrough video for the track “The God Complex”, which is heavily inspired by guitar gods Jeff Loomis and Keith Merrow. The composition blends heavy guitars and tribal drum patterns with light cinematic and electronic elements. It is also the only piece on the album to have a true guitar solo.
Barbará adds:
“The drums for God Complex were tracked during a 7:00 pm to 5:00 am session nearly a month after we recorded the drums for the rest of the album. To this day, I don’t know how I managed to go to work to teach music theory the next day.”
The playthrough for “The God Complex” can be viewed via its premiere on TechnicalMusicReview HERE.
Barbará took up the guitar at the age of 16 and managed to successfully audition for Berklee at age 18. The debut album “Moonrise” is a unique piece of music, much of the writing was done during the very early days of his training in classical composition. For Barbará, this work is a journey through a series of sonic worlds and colors that he has carefully crafted. He comments on the album:
“This music has been part of my own little universe for so long, and I am beyond excited to share it with the world. The process of making the album has been an epic journey, a learning experience, and a trial by fire all wrapped into one and I am looking forward to bringing that journey to an audience, and into the future with the music that is to come.
The purpose of music for me, after all the craft and technique and study are done, is to draw the listeners in and allow them to experience totally new worlds. The details of those worlds will be up to each individual person, but I hope the audience will join me on this small adventure I’ve prepared.”
According to Barbará, these songs, so far, were only ever performed live once and are not likely to be performed again for some time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, he makes an effort during his live performances to avoid the “musical statues” syndrome that plagues so many prog bands.
A fluid and extravagant progressive masterpiece, “Moonrise” awaits fans of Periphery, Tesseract, and Jeff Loomis.
Album stream and download available on 8stringalchemy.bandcamp.com, Apple Music, and Spotify.
Previous Playthroughs:
Title Track “Moonrise” (Guitar / Bass Playthrough) – https://youtu.be/HIpLs6TXQU0
“The Nightmare Weaver” (Guitar Playthrough) – https://youtu.be/4QtXcqyAMjs
Track Listing
- Moonrise (5:08)
- The God Complex (6:08)
- Children of Prometheus (4:54)
- Mirrors I – Image (5:10)
- Mirrors II – Silver (3:48)
- Mirrors III – Reflection (4:20)
- The Nightmare Weaver (6:15)
Album Length: 35:45
More Info:
Facebook.com/8stringalchemy
Instagram.com/8stringalchemy
YouTube
EPK
– 30 –
“With its rhythmic elements and heavy riffs, Manuel Barbará’s debut album is in the purity of modern instrumental progressive metal. But his influences from classical composers add an interesting extra touch.”- Music Waves
“a spectacular showcase of the progressive qualities of Manuel Barbará.” – Games, Brains and A Headbanging Life
“without a doubt that we have a talented musician and composer in front of us. The approach is in large parts of the material progressive metal with the corresponding hardness and complexity… You can’t deny the band’s instrumental quality…” – Metal-Heads.de
“Manuel Barbará shines bright on Moonrise… this is a fascinating listen and it is easy to appreciate Manuel’s complex musical narrative… this deserves a listen as it does embody the prog metal ideal and as such, it’s a damn good album: think Tesseract or Periphery.” – RAMzine
“Unbelievable that Moonrise is the debut of a musical whiz kid. Manuel Barbará publishes an incredibly mature masterpiece, which not only pays homage to its role models Dream Theater , Keith Marrow or Periphery , but also presents a crisp progressive Djent Metal at eye level,” – Sound Magnet
—
ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS
Jon Asher – Music Publicist
#.514.581.5780
asher[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
Facebook @AsherMediaRelations
Instagram @AsherMedia
Tweet @AsherMedia
0 Streaming Now! Manuel Barbará’s Debut Progressive Metal Album “Moonrise”, Album Stream via Metal-Rules
NEWS RELEASE
Montreal, QC – March 18, 2021
For fans of Dream Theater, Keith Merrow, Periphery, Tesseract, Jeff Loomis
Streaming Now! Manuel Barbará’s Debut Progressive Metal Album “Moonrise”
Album Stream via Metal-Rules
Album Out March 19th, 2021
New Jersey’s Manuel Barbará has a debut album “Moonrise” out and it will be streaming on all music platforms for the listening pleasure of prog fans worldwide as of Friday, March 19th. Barbará is the sole songwriter of this project and it marks the beginning of his foray into the musical world.
And before the album officially drops, its full stream is being premiered via Metal-Rules HERE.
Barbará took up the guitar at the age of 16 and managed to successfully audition for Berklee at age 18. The debut album “Moonrise” is an unique piece of music, much of the writing was done during the very early days of his training in classical composition. For Barbará, this work is a journey through a series of sonic worlds and colors that he has carefully crafted. He comments on the album:
“This music has been part of my own little universe for so long, and I am beyond excited to share it with the world. The process of making the album has been an epic journey, a learning experience, and a trial by fire all wrapped into one and I am looking forward to bringing that journey to an audience, and into the future with the music that is to come.
The purpose of music for me, after all the craft and technique and study are done, is to draw the listeners in and allow them to experience totally new worlds. The details of those worlds will be up to each individual person, but I hope the audience will join me on this small adventure I’ve prepared.”
According to Barbará, these songs, so far, were only ever performed live once and are not likely to be performed again for some time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, he makes an effort during his live performances to avoid the “musical statues” syndrome that plagues so many prog bands.
A fluid and extravagant progressive masterpiece await fans of Periphery, Tesseract, and Jeff Loomis.
The full album is out on March 19, 2021.
Album pre-order is available on 8stringalchemy.bandcamp.com.
Apple Music pre-save here.
Spotify pre-save here.
Title Track “Moonrise” – Guitar / Bass Playthrough – https://youtu.be/HIpLs6TXQU0
“The Nightmare Weaver” – Guitar Playthrough – https://youtu.be/4QtXcqyAMjs
Track Listing
- Moonrise (5:08)
- The God Complex (6:08)
- Children of Prometheus (4:54)
- Mirrors I – Image (5:10)
- Mirrors II – Silver (3:48)
- Mirrors III – Reflection (4:20)
- The Nightmare Weaver (6:15)
Album Length: 35:45
More Info:
Facebook.com/8stringalchemy
Instagram.com/8stringalchemy
YouTube
EPK
– 30 –
“With its rhythmic elements and heavy riffs, Manuel Barbará’s debut album is in the purity of modern instrumental progressive metal. But his influences from classical composers add an interesting extra touch.”- Music Waves
“a spectacular showcase of the progressive qualities of Manuel Barbará.” – Games, Brains and A Headbanging Life
“without a doubt that we have a talented musician and composer in front of us. The approach is in large parts of the material progressive metal with the corresponding hardness and complexity… You can’t deny the band’s instrumental quality…” – Metal-Heads.de
—
ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS
Jon Asher – Music Publicist
#.514.581.5780
asher[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
Facebook @AsherMediaRelations
Instagram @AsherMedia
Tweet @AsherMedia
0 Manuel Barbará Conjures The Weird And Wonderful With “The Nightmare Weaver” Off Upcoming Album “Moonrise”, Guitar Playthrough Premiere via NewFuryMedia
NEWS RELEASE
Montreal, QC – February 26, 2021
For fans of Dream Theater, Keith Merrow, Periphery, Tesseract, Jeff Loomis
Manuel Barbará Conjures The Weird And Wonderful With “The Nightmare Weaver” Off Upcoming Album “Moonrise”
“The Nightmare Weaver” Guitar Playthrough Premiere via NewFuryMedia
Album Out March 19th, 2021
Heavy, ambient, classically inspired progressive metal is the name of the game for New Jersey’s Manuel Barbará. Looking to create something short, but still substantial for his debut release, he has come up with the seven-track instrumental album “Moonrise”.
Much of Barbará’s writing aims to create worlds made of sound that the listener can live in as they experience the piece. A lot of the music grows out of a single idea that he can coalesce and build the world around. The second single from the album is “The Nightmare Weaver”, which he says is the most ambitious composition on the record. He explains in further detail:
“It features ambiguous and constantly shifting tonal centers and epic clean guitars juxtaposed with enormous 8-string riffs. It ends with a weird and ambiguous chord progression reminiscent of the one at the end of “Children of Prometheus”.”
As far as more music goes, Barbará says there is another track in production and an abundance of ideas for new tunes. This album is his first foray into the music world, in which he is currently planning to attend graduate school for composition with the long-term goal of becoming a professor.
This album will resonate with all fans of this style of music, especially fans of Keith Merrow, Periphery, and Tesseract.
The single “The Nightmare Weaver” can be heard via its guitar playthrough premiere on NewFuryMedia HERE.
Spotify pre-save here.
The full album is out on March 19, 2021.
Album pre-order is available on 8stringalchemy.bandcamp.com.
Apple Music pre-save here.
Title Track “Moonrise” – Guitar / Bass Playthrough – https://youtu.be/HIpLs6TXQU0
Track Listing
1. Moonrise (5:08)
2. The God Complex (6:08)
3. Children of Prometheus (4:54)
4. Mirrors I – Image (5:10)
5. Mirrors II – Silver (3:48)
6. Mirrors III – Reflection (4:20)
7. The Nightmare Weaver (6:15)
Album Length: 35:45
More Info:
Facebook.com/8stringalchemy
Instagram.com/8stringalchemy
YouTube
EPK
– 30 –
—
ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS
Jon Asher – Music Publicist
#.514.581.5780
asher[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
Facebook @AsherMediaRelations
Instagram @AsherMedia
Tweet @AsherMedia
0 Manuel Barbará Presents His Progressive Metal Album “Moonrise”, Guitar/Bass Playthrough Premiere For Title Track via TheProgSpace
NEWS RELEASE
Montreal, QC – February 2, 2021
For fans of Dream Theater, Keith Merrow, Periphery, Tesseract, Jeff Loomis
Manuel Barbará Presents His Progressive Metal Album “Moonrise”
“Moonrise” Guitar/Bass Playthrough Premiere via TheProgSpace
Album Out March 19th, 2021
New Jersey’s Manuel Barbará is releasing his debut album “Moonrise” this coming March. The first single for this full length is the title track.
Featuring seven instrumental tracks of classically inspired progressive metal, Manuel Barbará puts a conscious effort into making each song into a cohesive, well-composed whole rather than a collection of flashy guitar tricks.
This recording features songwriter Manuel Barbará on guitars and programming, Nick Thorpe on bass along with Joey Ferretti on drums. The album is designed to take the listener on a journey through a series of loosely interconnected sound worlds that Barbará has created. He explains the single “Moonrise”:
“It was actually the first complete piece I ever wrote that I was really happy with. It has gone through many revisions since then, but it is still special to me as that first one. I wanted to make something big and epic and heavy with just enough of a weird edge to keep people interested. Funnily enough, the chorus riff, which seems to be everyone’s favorite part, was supposed to be a throw-away idea that I was going to replace later, but it stuck around.”
According to Barbará, this album is the first step towards his longtime goal to take his training as a classical composer and apply it to this style of modern metal that he loves so much in a way that goes beyond the standard Yngwie “neo-classical metal” thing.
A treat for anyone who enjoys imaginative progressive metal, “Moonrise” is highly recommended for fans of Dream Theater, Keith Merrow, and Periphery.
The single “Moonrise” can be heard via its premiere on TheProgSpace HERE.
Spotify pre-save here.
Apple Music pre-save here.
The full album is out on March 19, 2021.
Album pre-order is available on 8stringalchemy.bandcamp.com.
Track Listing
- Moonrise (5:08)
- The God Complex (6:08)
- Children of Prometheus (4:54)
- Mirrors I – Image (5:10)
- Mirrors II – Silver (3:48)
- Mirrors III – Reflection (4:20)
- The Nightmare Weaver (6:15)
Album Length: 35:45
More Info:
Facebook.com/8stringalchemy
Instagram.com/8stringalchemy
YouTube
EPK
– 30 –
—
ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS
Jon Asher – Music Publicist
#.514.581.5780
asher[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
Facebook @AsherMediaRelations
Instagram @AsherMedia
Tweet @AsherMedia
0 EPK – Manuel Barbará – Moonrise (2021)
EPK – Manuel Barbará – Moonrise (2021)
Publicist – Jon Asher – asher[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
For fans Dream Theater, Keith Merrow, Periphery, Tesseract, Jeff Loomis
Manuelbarbara.com | Facebook.com/8stringalchemy | Instagram.com/8stringalchemy | YouTube
8stringalchemy.bandcamp.com | Spotify | Apple Music
Album Title: Moonrise
Release Date: March 19, 2021
Track Listing
1. Moonrise (5:08)
2. The God Complex (6:08)
3. Children of Prometheus (4:54)
4. Mirrors I – Image (5:10)
5. Mirrors II – Silver (3:48)
6. Mirrors III – Reflection (4:20)
7. The Nightmare Weaver (6:15)
Album Length: 35:45
Album Credits
– All Songs Performed by: Manuel Barbará, Nick Thorpe, Joey Ferretti
– All Songs Written by: Manuel Barbará
– Produced by: Manuel Barbará and Charles Henry-Volk
– Mixed and Mastered by: Charles Henry-Volk
– Album Art: Annie Tohill
– Drums Recorded by Benny Grotto and Sam Stallings at Mad Oak Studios
Album Band Lineup:
Manuel Barbará – Guitars, Programming
Nick Thorpe – Bass
Joey Ferretti – Drums
Discography
2021 – Moonrise
Manuel Barbará is a New Jersey based musician and composer with a passion for progressive metal and contemporary classical music. He is a graduate of Berklee College of Music where he earned a degree in guitar Performance and Composition.
He was not born into a musical family. He did not grow up surrounded by music, and he did not dream of being a musician from a young age. In fact, despite taking piano lessons as a child, he rarely thought of music even as a recreational activity. For most of his teenage years, he intended to pursue a Computer Science career. However, inspired by bands such as Iron Maiden and Pink Floyd he took up guitar at the age of sixteen. Under the tuition of renowned guitar teacher Matt Mills, he successfully auditioned for Berklee less than three years later.
Metal drew him in with its complexity and sophistication, energy and passion. Through it, he found a gateway into the classical tradition. He has had the opportunity to study both of these styles under mentors such as Joe Stump, Jon Finn, Shaun Michaud, Norm Zocher, Marti Epstein, and Arnold Friedman.
Precision, structure, discipline, and ambiance, characterize both his guitar playing and his compositional style. Drawing from his eclectic musical background he takes equal inspiration from bands like Periphery, Tesseract, and Dream Theater as well as from instrumental guitarists like Tony MacAlpine and Paul Wardingham and composers such as Dubussy, Bartók, Pärt, and Stravinsky.
Taking his training as a classical composer and applying it to this style of modern metal that he loves so much, and going beyond the standard Yngwie “neo-classical metal” influence, Barbara will present his debut album “Moonrise” this coming March 2021.
Barabra adds:
“This music has been part of my own little universe for so long, and I am beyond excited to share it with the world. The process of making the album has been an epic journey, a learning experience, and a trial by fire all wrapped into one and I am looking forward to bringing it to an audience. The purpose of music for me, after all the craft and technique and study are done, is to draw the listeners in and allow them to experience totally new worlds. The details of those worlds will be up to each individual person, but I hope the audience will join me on this small adventure I’ve prepared.”
Much of the writing of the full length was done during the very early days of his training in classical composition and he has even more music to come (unrecorded, as of yet) that is much more refined and elaborate in its use of compositional techniques and harmonic language.
