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Tag: Yngwie J Malmsteen

0 Canadian Guitar Prog PYRAMIDS ON MARS Shares Guitar Playthrough ‘F-22 Raptor’; New Album “Edge of The Black” Out Now!

  • February 4, 2020
  • by Asher
  • · Music News · Pyramids On Mars

(contact info below)

NEWS RELEASE

Montreal, QC – February 4, 2020

For fans of Joe Satriani, Rush, Yngwie J Malmsteen, Steve Vai

Canadian Guitar Prog PYRAMIDS ON MARS Shares Guitar Playthrough ‘F-22 Raptor’

New Album “Edge of The Black” Out Now!

Guitarist Kevin Estrella is sharing his latest guitar playthrough video for the track ‘F-22 Raptor’ off the third full length “Edge of the Black” released this past December from his project Pyramids On Mars. The album offers up an aural palette of intense instrumental progressive shredding rock that’s emotional, provocative and 4-dimensional.

Watch the playthough here: https://youtu.be/-SV7BF5mnKM

“Edge of the Black” follows Pyramids On Mars‘ two previous albums and was written, composed and performed solely by Kevin Estrella who cites influences from musical greats including J.S Bach and Antonio Vivaldi along with today’s guitar virtuosos Yngwie Malmsteen and Joe Satriani. “Edge of the Black” pays homage to these artists while still maintaining Estrella’s own creative flair.

Estrella explains the track in further detail:

“‘F-22 Raptor’ was inspired from watching several videos on the incredible flying capabilities of the super jet.  I have gotten inspiration for songs from watching videos.  For example ‘Battle from Rome’ off my previous release Echo Cosmic was inspired by watching the video game trailer for Ryse, Son of Rome.  Watch the trailer, and you can imagine hearing the song Battle for Rome in it.

Many people comment that my music would make great video game soundtracks.

‘F-22 Raptor’ is inspired by Ozzy Osbourne’s song ‘Miracle Man’ off No Rest for the Wicked.  The breakout album for Zakk Wylde.  With its driving rhythm.  I didn’t make the comparison until after my song was written.  Then I heard the unconscious influence.  I thought it was pretty cool!  Zakk Wylde is a big inspiration for Edge of the Black.  The end of the guitar solo on Nacht Waffen has a wide vibrato screaming ending very much influenced by Zakk Wylde.      

The guitar solo in F-22 is obviously influenced by my other greatest influence, Yngwie J Malmsteen.  The whole song is played on my custom-built Yngwie Malmsteen Stratocaster that you see me playing in the playthrough video.  I built that guitar myself and gave it a custom ‘crop circle’ paint job.  Has a scalloped maple neck, brass nut, DiMarzio HS-3 humbucker in neck position, DiMarzio PAF-Pro humbucker in the bridge (Joe Satriani’s pickup).  Everything else is stock from my ’88 Stratocaster.  The guitar is amazing.”

“Edge of The Black” is available on Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music.

Track Listing:
1. Blood Moon 5:42
2. Nacht Waffen 6:56
3. Song of Light 5:44
4. F-22 Raptor 5:53
5. The Ambassador 4:57
6. Mercury Magnetar 4:58
7. Arcturian Rain 4:38
8. Time to Believe 4:40
9. Arioso Lullaby 4:39
10. Whale Song 4:28
Album Length: 52:40

For more info:
PyramidsOnMars.com
Facebook
Instagram

About:

Every once in a while there comes along a band that is so different or unique, you would think they were dropped on Earth from another planet.  Pyramids On Mars is one of those bands. What first catches you, is that they are an instrumental band. A combination of elements such as hard rock, industrial, metal and psychedelic rock: and then the lead guitar comes soaring in.  Well crafted, beautiful, melodic phrases so catchy and memorable they will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

Pyramids On Mars is the solo project of guitarist Kevin Estrella.  He wanted to do something musically different that would stand out from the crowd. Estrella’s musical style is very similar to world-renowned rock guitarist Joe Satriani, so much so that Estrella has nicknamed himself the “Satriani of the North.”

“Of course Satriani has had a huge influence on me,” he says “But he (Satriani) does more of a bluesy thing whereas I am more influenced by classical music.  I absolutely love the Baroque classical composers J.S Bach and Antonio Vivaldi who are my biggest musical influences.

Estrella recorded, produced, engineered and mastered his debut album, self-titled “Pyramids On Mars” in 2013.  Since then, he has been capturing music industry attention-getting international radio airplay in the U.S, Canada, South America, and Europe.  He is a regular guest on Brian ‘the hammer’ Jackson radio (Los Angeles) to over 4 million listeners and a weekly speaker on Real Rock Radio (Chicago).

– 30 –

“Not only is Kevin Estrella a understated multi instrumentalist but he can write some amazing pieces of music that have influences of Bach and Vivaldi whilst marrying the best guitar virtuosos of today. This is the must have guitar instrumental album of 2019.” – All About The Rock

“The whole album is persistently conceptualising the idea of a place beyond the black, leaving a lingering sense of both existentialism and awe at Kevin Estrella’s musical talent and ability.  He fully allocates all the elements of the band equal respect to create a holistic and visceral thrill that emotionally charges the whole album whilst telling a story that has to be listened to.” – Original Rock 

“What we have here is over 50 minutes of intensive guitar playing that holds the attention by being layered with varied tempos, melodies and hooks.” – Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life

“No lyrics are necessary for the dynamic Estrella, who delivers every shred of guitar you hear throughout the entirety of Edge of The Black’s ten tracks. The album is as daring and progressive as the classic Joe Satriani instrumental record Surfing With The Alien was upon its release in 1987. It drips with passion, energy, and melody, and pays homage to not only Satriani but also Estrella’s other important influences, such as Rush. Rush is ingrained in the circuitry of Estrella, a band that was very much “instrumental” in Estrella going the route he did with his musical career. ” – PureGrainAudio

“This album was interesting. It does take the listener on a journey, and it cannot be denied that Estrella is unbelievably talented. The sci-fi, edge of the universe subject matter is very clear, and fans of this kind of thing will love this album.” – Grater Mag
—

ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS

Jon Asher – Music Publicist
#.514.581.5780
asher[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
Facebook @AsherMediaRelations
Instagram @AsherMedia
Tweet @AsherMedia

0 Canadian Guitar Prog PYRAMIDS ON MARS Shares Guitar Playthrough ‘The Ambassador’; New Album “Edge of The Black” Out Now!

  • January 21, 2020
  • by Asher
  • · Music News · Pyramids On Mars

(contact info below)

NEWS RELEASE

Montreal, QC – January 21, 2020

For fans of Joe Satriani, Rush, Yngwie J Malmsteen, Steve Vai

Canadian Guitar Prog PYRAMIDS ON MARS Shares Guitar Playthrough ‘The Ambassador’

New Album “Edge of The Black” Out Now!

Guitarist Kevin Estrella is sharing his latest guitar playthrough video for the track ‘The Ambassador’ off the third full length “Edge of the Black” released this past December from his project Pyramids On Mars. The album offers up an aural palette of intense instrumental progressive shredding rock that’s emotional, provocative and 4-dimensional.

Watch the playthough here: https://youtu.be/mFPp247iOak

“Edge of the Black” follows Pyramids On Mars‘ two previous albums and was written, composed and performed solely by Kevin Estrella who cites influences from musical greats including J.S Bach and Antonio Vivaldi along with today’s guitar virtuosos Yngwie Malmsteen and Joe Satriani. “Edge of the Black” pays homage to these artists while still maintaining Estrella’s own creative flair.

Estrella explains the track in further detail:

“The idea for The Ambassador was actually sparked from the guitar it was played on. It is played on a Signature ‘Aurora’ Guitar. Built by the Signature Guitar Company sometime around 1987. Alex Lifeson of Rush made the guitar famous playing it exclusively for the albums “Hold Your Fire” and “Show of Hands”. Alex designed the guitar, along with Russ Heinl. What makes it unique is the balance of Basswood (from a rare variety found only in Quebec) and has the three active single-coil pickups, giving the guitar a very unique: clear, bright yet warm distinctive sound. No guitar sounds like it. It was meant to be the ultimate Superstrat. It’s almost like an acoustic guitar on hyperdrive. Only 500 Signatures were ever made. My Signature Aurora is quite unique. The original owner purchased it from Steve’s Music Store in Toronto back in the late eighties. It was a floor model. It doesn’t even have a serial number. It is quite the collector’s item.  

The Ambassador was written by-that-guitar. I didn’t write the song, the Signature guitar did. Speaking of Rush, the song is heavily influenced by Rush’s early works from the eighties. The concert video Show of Hands comes to mind was a huge influence on the Edge of the Black sound, particularly in the songs The Ambassador and Arcturian Rain.

The theme of the song is about an Ambassador who has been selected from Earth, chosen to be a spokesperson for the people of Earth. Scientists found a way to open a portal to another galaxy and he was chosen to go through it and hopefully meet some Extraterrestrial nation on the other side. Some other interesting things come to mind in the song. The guitar solo is doing some interesting combinations of two-note per string sweep picking, combined with string skipping arpeggios a-la Paul Gilbert style. The solo ends in a nice diatonic extension arpeggio legato phrasing. These and other techniques I teach on my online instructional guitar lessons https://pyramidsonmarsguitarlessons.pivotshare.com“

“Edge of The Black” is available on Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music.


Track Listing:
1. Blood Moon 5:42
2. Nacht Waffen 6:56
3. Song of Light 5:44
4. F-22 Raptor 5:53
5. The Ambassador 4:57
6. Mercury Magnetar 4:58
7. Arcturian Rain 4:38
8. Time to Believe 4:40
9. Arioso Lullaby 4:39
10. Whale Song 4:28
Album Length: 52:40

For more info:
PyramidsOnMars.com
Facebook
Instagram

About:

Every once in a while there comes along a band that is so different or unique, you would think they were dropped on Earth from another planet.  Pyramids On Mars is one of those bands. What first catches you, is that they are an instrumental band. A combination of elements such as hard rock, industrial, metal and psychedelic rock: and then the lead guitar comes soaring in.  Well crafted, beautiful, melodic phrases so catchy and memorable they will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

Pyramids On Mars is the solo project of guitarist Kevin Estrella.  He wanted to do something musically different that would stand out from the crowd. Estrella’s musical style is very similar to world-renowned rock guitarist Joe Satriani, so much so that Estrella has nicknamed himself the “Satriani of the North.”

“Of course Satriani has had a huge influence on me,” he says “But he (Satriani) does more of a bluesy thing whereas I am more influenced by classical music.  I absolutely love the Baroque classical composers J.S Bach and Antonio Vivaldi who are my biggest musical influences.

Estrella recorded, produced, engineered and mastered his debut album, self-titled “Pyramids On Mars” in 2013.  Since then, he has been capturing music industry attention-getting international radio airplay in the U.S, Canada, South America, and Europe.  He is a regular guest on Brian ‘the hammer’ Jackson radio (Los Angeles) to over 4 million listeners and a weekly speaker on Real Rock Radio (Chicago).

– 30 –

“Not only is Kevin Estrella a understated multi instrumentalist but he can write some amazing pieces of music that have influences of Bach and Vivaldi whilst marrying the best guitar virtuosos of today. This is the must have guitar instrumental album of 2019.” – All About The Rock

“The whole album is persistently conceptualising the idea of a place beyond the black, leaving a lingering sense of both existentialism and awe at Kevin Estrella’s musical talent and ability.  He fully allocates all the elements of the band equal respect to create a holistic and visceral thrill that emotionally charges the whole album whilst telling a story that has to be listened to.” – Original Rock 

“What we have here is over 50 minutes of intensive guitar playing that holds the attention by being layered with varied tempos, melodies and hooks.” – Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life

“No lyrics are necessary for the dynamic Estrella, who delivers every shred of guitar you hear throughout the entirety of Edge of The Black’s ten tracks. The album is as daring and progressive as the classic Joe Satriani instrumental record Surfing With The Alien was upon its release in 1987. It drips with passion, energy, and melody, and pays homage to not only Satriani but also Estrella’s other important influences, such as Rush. Rush is ingrained in the circuitry of Estrella, a band that was very much “instrumental” in Estrella going the route he did with his musical career. ” – PureGrainAudio

“This album was interesting. It does take the listener on a journey, and it cannot be denied that Estrella is unbelievably talented. The sci-fi, edge of the universe subject matter is very clear, and fans of this kind of thing will love this album.” – Grater Mag
—

ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS

Jon Asher – Music Publicist
#.514.581.5780
asher[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
Facebook @AsherMediaRelations
Instagram @AsherMedia
Tweet @AsherMedia

0 Canadian Guitar Prog PYRAMIDS ON MARS Premieres Full Stream of Third Album “Edge of The Black” via Bravewords

  • December 19, 2019
  • by Asher
  • · Music News · Pyramids On Mars

(contact info below)

NEWS RELEASE

Montreal, QC – December 19, 2019

For fans of Joe Satriani, Rush, Yngwie J Malmsteen, Steve Vai

Canadian Guitar Prog PYRAMIDS ON MARS Premieres Full Stream of Third Album “Edge of The Black”

Guitarist Kevin Estrella’s project Pyramids On Mars has a new album being released on December 21, 2019, entitled “Edge of the Black”. This third full length from Pyramids On Mars offers up an aural palette of intense instrumental progressive shredding rock that’s emotional, provocative and 4-dimensional.

Teaming up with Bravewords, Pyramids On Mars is premiering the album’s full stream before it officially drops HERE.

Estrella adds:

“On ‘Edge of The Black’, I wanted to put emphasis on songwriting and telling a story. The emphasis is not just on the lead guitar melody, but on the band as a whole. Harmonic variations on repeating themes are strongly utilized; like rhyming phrases in spoken language that allows easier accurate retelling of the original story. This idea of repeating music phrases/themes so the audience can easily recall it and hum it all the way home.

Many people would think that being an instrumental guitarist that I must listen to a lot of guitar players.  On the contrary, I do not.  Yes, I was originally influenced by guitar players like Joe Satriani and Yngwie Malmsteen and spent many years learning their style.  But my own sense of identity has come from the music I am most passionate about, which is Baroque Classical Music. I am a huge Yngwie Malmsteen fan. I spent two years, in fact, listening to nothing, but Malmsteen and studied his style.  But I did not want to become another Malmsteen clone. I realized that in order to play like him, I had to listen to his influences. My life changed when I started listening to Bach, Vivaldi, and Paganini. It was like hearing music for the very first time.  I listen to mostly classical music these days.  

When you listen to Edge of the Black, most of the guitar melodies are actually violin melodies.  And many of them are found in my online instructional guitar lessons. There are a few other people who inspired Edge of the Black.  You will hear Iron Maiden, Rammstein and Queen influences. Some of the bass parts are inspired by Steve Harris (Iron Maiden) and John Deacon (Queen).

Personally ‘Edge of The Black’ sounds like if Joe Satriani and Yngwie Malmsteen joined Rush.”

“Edge of the Black” follows Pyramids On Mars‘ two previous albums and was written, composed and performed solely by Kevin Estrella who cites influences from musical greats including J.S Bach and Antonio Vivaldi along with today’s guitar virtuosos Yngwie Malmsteen and Joe Satriani. “Edge of the Black” pays homage to these artists while still maintaining Estrella’s own creative flair. Estrella shares his thoughts on the album

“Edge of The Black” pre-order available on Bandcamp.


Track Listing:
1. Blood Moon 5:42
2. Nacht Waffen 6:56
3. Song of Light 5:44
4. F-22 Raptor 5:53
5. The Ambassador 4:57
6. Mercury Magnetar 4:58
7. Arcturian Rain 4:38
8. Time to Believe 4:40
9. Arioso Lullaby 4:39
10. Whale Song 4:28
Album Length: 52:40

For more info:
PyramidsOnMars.com
Facebook
Instagram

About:

Every once in a while there comes along a band that is so different or unique, you would think they were dropped on Earth from another planet.  Pyramids On Mars is one of those bands. What first catches you, is that they are an instrumental band. A combination of elements such as hard rock, industrial, metal and psychedelic rock: and then the lead guitar comes soaring in.  Well crafted, beautiful, melodic phrases so catchy and memorable they will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

Pyramids On Mars is the solo project of guitarist Kevin Estrella.  He wanted to do something musically different that would stand out from the crowd. Estrella’s musical style is very similar to world-renowned rock guitarist Joe Satriani, so much so that Estrella has nicknamed himself the “Satriani of the North.”

“Of course Satriani has had a huge influence on me,” he says “But he (Satriani) does more of a bluesy thing whereas I am more influenced by classical music.  I absolutely love the Baroque classical composers J.S Bach and Antonio Vivaldi who are my biggest musical influences.

Estrella recorded, produced, engineered and mastered his debut album, self-titled “Pyramids On Mars” in 2013.  Since then, he has been capturing music industry attention-getting international radio airplay in the U.S, Canada, South America, and Europe.  He is a regular guest on Brian ‘the hammer’ Jackson radio (Los Angeles) to over 4 million listeners and a weekly speaker on Real Rock Radio (Chicago).

– 30 –

—

ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS

Jon Asher – Music Publicist
#.514.581.5780
asher[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
Facebook @AsherMediaRelations
Instagram @AsherMedia
Tweet @AsherMedia

0 Canadian Guitar Prog PYRAMIDS ON MARS Next Single ‘The Ambassador’ Off Upcoming Album Out Dec 21st

  • December 13, 2019
  • by Asher
  • · Music News · Pyramids On Mars

(contact info below)

NEWS RELEASE

Montreal, QC – December 12, 2019

For fans of Joe Satriani, Rush, Yngwie J Malmsteen, Steve Vai

Canadian Guitar Prog PYRAMIDS ON MARS Next Single ‘The Ambassador’ Off Upcoming Album Out Dec 21st

Guitarist Kevin Estrella’s project Pyramids On Mars has a new album being released on December 21, 2019, entitled “Edge of the Black”. The full length offers up an aural palette of intense instrumental progressive shredding rock that’s emotional, provocative and 4-dimensional.

Teaming up with MusicLegends.ca, Pyramids On Mars is premiering the next single ‘The Ambassador’ here.

Estrella explains the track in further detail:

“The idea for The Ambassador was actually sparked from the guitar it was played on. It is played on a Signature ‘Aurora’ Guitar. Built by the Signature Guitar Company sometime around 1987. Alex Lifeson of Rush made the guitar famous playing it exclusively for the albums “Hold Your Fire” and “Show of Hands”. Alex designed the guitar, along with Russ Heinl. What makes it unique is the balance of Basswood (from a rare variety found only in Quebec) and has the three active single-coil pickups, giving the guitar a very unique: clear, bright yet warm distinctive sound. No guitar sounds like it. It was meant to be the ultimate Superstrat. It’s almost like an acoustic guitar on hyperdrive. Only 500 Signatures were ever made. My Signature Aurora is quite unique. The original owner purchased it from Steve’s Music Store in Toronto back in the late eighties. It was a floor model. It doesn’t even have a serial number. It is quite the collector’s item.  

 

The Ambassador was written by-that-guitar. I didn’t write the song, the Signature guitar did.

Speaking of Rush, the song is heavily influenced by Rush’s early works from the eighties. The concert video Show of Hands comes to mind was a huge influence on the Edge of the Black sound, particularly in the songs The Ambassador and Arcturian Rain.

 

The theme of the song is about an Ambassador who has been selected from Earth, chosen to be a spokesperson for the people of Earth. Scientists found a way to open a portal to another galaxy and he was chosen to go through it and hopefully meet some Extraterrestrial nation on the other side. 

Some other interesting things come to mind in the song. The guitar solo is doing some interesting combinations of two-note per string sweep picking, combined with string skipping arpeggios a-la Paul Gilbert style. The solo ends in a nice diatonic extension arpeggio legato phrasing. These and other techniques I teach on my online instructional guitar lessons https://pyramidsonmarsguitarlessons.pivotshare.com/“

Following Pyramids On Mars’ two previous albums, “Edge of the Black” was written, composed and performed solely by Kevin Estrella who cites influences from musical greats including J.S Bach and Antonio Vivaldi along with today’s guitar virtuosos Yngwie Malmsteen and Joe Satriani. “Edge of the Black” pays homage to these artists while still maintaining Estrella’s own creative flair. Estrella shares his thoughts on the album:

“On Edge of The Black, I wanted to put emphasis on songwriting and telling a story. The emphasis is not just on the lead guitar melody, but on the band as a whole. Harmonic variations on repeating themes are strongly utilized; like rhyming phrases in spoken language that allows easier accurate retelling of the original story. This idea of repeating music phrases/themes so the audience can easily recall it and hum it all the way home.” 

“Edge of The Black” pre-order available on Bandcamp.

Singles:
‘F-22 Raptor’ here.
‘Song of Light’ here.
‘Nacht Waffen’ here.


Track Listing:
1. Blood Moon 5:42
2. Nacht Waffen 6:56
3. Song of Light 5:44
4. F-22 Raptor 5:53
5. The Ambassador 4:57
6. Mercury Magnetar 4:58
7. Arcturian Rain 4:38
8. Time to Believe 4:40
9. Arioso Lullaby 4:39
10. Whale Song 4:28
Album Length: 52:40

For more info:
PyramidsOnMars.com
Facebook
Instagram

About:

Every once in awhile there comes along a band that is so different or unique, you would think they were dropped on Earth from another planet.  Pyramids On Mars is one of those bands. What first catches you, is that they are an instrumental band. A combination of elements such as hard rock, industrial, metal and psychedelic rock: and then the lead guitar comes soaring in.  Well crafted, beautiful, melodic phrases so catchy and memorable they will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

Pyramids On Mars is the solo project of guitarist Kevin Estrella.  He wanted to do something musically different that would stand out from the crowd. Estrella’s musical style is very similar to world-renowned rock guitarist Joe Satriani, so much so that Estrella has nicknamed himself the “Satriani of the North.”

“Of course Satriani has had a huge influence on me,” he says “But he (Satriani) does more of a bluesy thing whereas I am more influenced by classical music.  I absolutely love the Baroque classical composers J.S Bach and Antonio Vivaldi who are my biggest musical influences.

Estrella recorded, produced, engineered and mastered his debut album, self-titled “Pyramids On Mars” in 2013.  Since then, he has been capturing music industry attention-getting international radio airplay in the U.S, Canada, South America, and Europe.  He is a regular guest on Brian ‘the hammer’ Jackson radio (Los Angeles) to over 4 million listeners and a weekly speaker on Real Rock Radio (Chicago).

– 30 –

—

ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS

Jon Asher – Music Publicist
#.514.581.5780
asher[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
Facebook @AsherMediaRelations
Instagram @AsherMedia
Tweet @AsherMedia

0 Canadian Guitar Prog PYRAMIDS ON MARS Shreds ‘Nacht Waffen’ Off Upcoming Album Out Dec 21st

  • December 5, 2019
  • by Asher
  • · Music News · Pyramids On Mars

(contact info below)

NEWS RELEASE

Montreal, QC – December 5, 2019

For fans of Joe Satriani, Rush, Yngwie J Malmsteen, Steve Vai

Canadian Guitar Prog PYRAMIDS ON MARS Shreds ‘Nacht Waffen’ Off Upcoming Album Out Dec 21st

Guitarist Kevin Estrella’s project Pyramids On Mars has a new album being released on December 21, 2019, entitled “Edge of the Black”. The full length offers up an aural palette of intense instrumental progressive shredding rock that’s emotional, provocative and 4-dimensional.

Teaming up with MetalRules.com, Pyramids On Mars is premiering the next single ‘Nacht Waffen’, a track influenced by Estrella’s love for the band Rammstein and fascination for Germany’s Secret Space Program as he explains further.

“There are a lot of interesting things going on with Nacht Waffen.  First being, the song is heavily influenced by Rammstein.  I am a huge Rammstein fan.  The title Nacht Waffen is about the Secret Space Program (SSP).  Nacht Waffen (Dark Fleet in German) is the breakaway society that evolved after WWII when Germany lost the war.  The Nazi’s had already reverse engineered UFO’s from extraterrestrial technology and built their own fleet of flying saucers called Haunebu II.  Because of my deep connection in the UFO community, I have been pulled into the SSP world.  I am friends with many veterans like Penny Bradley who are outspoken about the program. 

But there are other interesting things going on in the song.  Its an instrumental song, but the verse is actually speaking in a tonal language.  It is saying “DO YOU HEAR ME.”  How is this possible?  You will need to visit www.pyramidsonmars.com and listen to the radio interviews about my ongoing extraterrestrial contact and how they downloaded me with the Tonal Language of the Whales.

Truth is stranger than fiction.”

Listen to ‘Nacht Waffen’ HERE.

Following Pyramids On Mars’ two previous albums, “Edge of the Black” was written, composed and performed solely by Kevin Estrella who cites influences from musical greats including J.S Bach and Antonio Vivaldi along with today’s guitar virtuosos Yngwie Malmsteen and Joe Satriani. “Edge of the Black” pays homage to these artists while still maintaining Estrella’s own creative flair. Estrella shares his thoughts on the album:

“On Edge of The Black, I wanted to put emphasis on songwriting and telling a story. The emphasis is not just on the lead guitar melody, but on the band as a whole. Harmonic variations on repeating themes are strongly utilized; like rhyming phrases in spoken language that allows easier accurate retelling of the original story. This idea of repeating music phrases/themes so the audience can easily recall it and hum it all the way home.” 

“Edge of The Black” pre-order available on Bandcamp.

Singles:
‘F-22 Raptor’ here.
‘Song of Light’ here.


Track Listing:
1. Blood Moon 5:42
2. Nacht Waffen 6:56
3. Song of Light 5:44
4. F-22 Raptor 5:53
5. The Ambassador 4:57
6. Mercury Magnetar 4:58
7. Arcturian Rain 4:38
8. Time to Believe 4:40
9. Arioso Lullaby 4:39
10. Whale Song 4:28
Album Length: 52:40

For more info:
PyramidsOnMars.com
Facebook
Instagram

About:

Every once in awhile there comes along a band that is so different or unique, you would think they were dropped on Earth from another planet.  Pyramids on Mars is one of those bands. What first catches you, is that they are an instrumental band. A combination of elements such as hard rock, industrial, metal and psychedelic rock: and then the lead guitar comes soaring in.  Well crafted, beautiful, melodic phrases so catchy and memorable they will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

Pyramids on Mars is the solo project of guitarist Kevin Estrella.  He wanted to do something musically different that would stand out from the crowd. Estrella’s musical style is very similar to world-renowned rock guitarist Joe Satriani, so much so that Estrella has nicknamed himself the “Satriani of the North.”

“Of course Satriani has had a huge influence on me,” he says “But he (Satriani) does more of a bluesy thing whereas I am more influenced by classical music.  I absolutely love the Baroque classical composers J.S Bach and Antonio Vivaldi who are my biggest musical influences.

Estrella recorded, produced, engineered and mastered his debut album, self-titled “Pyramids on Mars” in 2013.  Since then, he has been capturing music industry attention-getting international radio airplay in the U.S, Canada, South America, and Europe.  He is a regular guest on Brian ‘the hammer’ Jackson radio (Los Angeles) to over 4 million listeners and a weekly speaker on Real Rock Radio (Chicago).

– 30 –

—

ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS

Jon Asher – Music Publicist
#.514.581.5780
asher[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
Facebook @AsherMediaRelations
Instagram @AsherMedia
Tweet @AsherMedia

0 Canadian Guitar Prog PYRAMIDS ON MARS Shares ‘Song of Light’ Off Upcoming Album Out Dec 21st

  • November 26, 2019
  • by Asher
  • · Music News · Pyramids On Mars

(contact info below)

NEWS RELEASE

Montreal, QC – November 26, 2019

For fans of Joe Satriani, Rush, Yngwie J Malmsteen, Steve Vai

Canadian Guitar Prog PYRAMIDS ON MARS Shares ‘Song of Light’ Off Upcoming Album Out Dec 21st

Guitarist Kevin Estrella’s project Pyramids On Mars has a new album being released on December 21, 2019, entitled “Edge of the Black”. The full length offers up an aural palette of intense instrumental rock that’s emotional, provocative and 4-dimensional.

Following Pyramids On Mars’ two previous albums, “Edge of the Black” was written, composed and performed solely by Kevin Estrella who cites influences from musical greats including J.S Bach and Antonio Vivaldi along with today’s guitar virtuosos Yngwie Malmsteen and Joe Satriani. “Edge of the Black” pays homage to these artists while still maintaining Estrella’s own creative flair. Estrella shares his thoughts on the album:

“On Edge of The Black, I wanted to put emphasis on songwriting and telling a story. The emphasis is not just on the lead guitar melody, but on the band as a whole. Harmonic variations on repeating themes are strongly utilized; like rhyming phrases in spoken language that allows easier accurate retelling of the original story. This idea of repeating music phrases/themes so the audience can easily recall it and hum it all the way home.” 

Teaming up with PureGrainAudio.com, Pyramids On Mars is premiering the J.S. Bach inspired track ‘Song of Light’, which even kicks off with a harpsichord in the intro.

Listen to ‘Song of Light’ HERE.

“Edge of The Black” pre-order available on Bandcamp.

First single ‘F-22 Raptor’ can be heard here.


Track Listing:
1. Blood Moon 5:42
2. Nacht Waffen 6:56
3. Song of Light 5:44
4. F-22 Raptor 5:53
5. The Ambassador 4:57
6. Mercury Magnetar 4:58
7. Arcturian Rain 4:38
8. Time to Believe 4:40
9. Arioso Lullaby 4:39
10. Whale Song 4:28
Album Length: 52:40

For more info:
PyramidsOnMars.com
Facebook
Instagram

About:

Every once in awhile there comes along a band that is so different or unique, you would think they were dropped on Earth from another planet.  Pyramids on Mars is one of those bands. What first catches you, is that they are an instrumental band. A combination of elements such as hard rock, industrial, metal and psychedelic rock: and then the lead guitar comes soaring in.  Well crafted, beautiful, melodic phrases so catchy and memorable they will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

Pyramids on Mars is the solo project of guitarist Kevin Estrella.  He wanted to do something musically different that would stand out from the crowd. Estrella’s musical style is very similar to world-renowned rock guitarist Joe Satriani, so much so that Estrella has nicknamed himself the “Satriani of the North.”

“Of course Satriani has had a huge influence on me,” he says “But he (Satriani) does more of a bluesy thing whereas I am more influenced by classical music.  I absolutely love the Baroque classical composers J.S Bach and Antonio Vivaldi who are my biggest musical influences.

Estrella recorded, produced, engineered and mastered his debut album, self-titled “Pyramids on Mars” in 2013.  Since then, he has been capturing music industry attention-getting international radio airplay in the U.S, Canada, South America, and Europe.  He is a regular guest on Brian ‘the hammer’ Jackson radio (Los Angeles) to over 4 million listeners and a weekly speaker on Real Rock Radio (Chicago).

– 30 –

—

ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS

Jon Asher – Music Publicist
#.514.581.5780 | asher[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
Facebook @AsherMediaRelations | Instagram @AsherMedia | Tweet @AsherMedia

0 Soar Away With Powerful Solos With ‘F-22 Raptor’ From PYRAMIDS ON MARS

  • November 5, 2019
  • by Asher
  • · Music News · Pyramids On Mars

(contact info below)

NEWS RELEASE

Montreal, QC – November 5, 2019

For fans of Joe Satriani, Rush, Yngwie J Malmsteen, Steve Vai

Soar Away With Powerful Solos With ‘F-22 Raptor’ From PYRAMIDS ON MARS

Guitarist Kevin Estrella’s project Pyramids On Mars has a new album being released on December 21, 2019, entitled “Edge of the Black”. Offering an aural palette of intense instrumental rock, it’s emotional, provocative and 4-dimensional

The first single from this album is ‘F-22 Raptor’, the song soars like the jet itself, with intricate riffs set alongside aggressive chugging and the visuals are of the USAF stealth tactical fighter the song is named after.

Following up on the two previous albums from Pyramids On Mars, “Edge of the Black” was written, composed and performed solely by Keven Estrella who cites influences from musical greats including J.S Bach and Antonio Vivaldi with today’s guitar virtuosos Yngwie Malmsteen and Joe Satriani. Edge of Black pays homage to these artists while still maintaining Estrella’s own creative flair. Estrella shares his thoughts on the album:

“On Edge of The Black, I wanted to put emphasis on songwriting and telling a story. The emphasis is not just on the lead guitar melody, but on the band as a whole. Harmonic variations on repeating themes are strongly utilized; like rhyming phrases in spoken language that allows easier accurate retelling of the original story. This idea of repeating music phrases/themes so the audience can easily recall it and hum it all the way home.” 

Full of determination and talent, Estrella compares his music to that of Satriani and Rush. In his own words:

“I honestly think ‘Edge of the Black’ will do for this decade what Joe Satriani’s ‘Surfing With The Alien’ did for instrumental rock back in the ’80s.  It captures the same passion, energy, and melodic hooks, yet it has an updated sound. It is no secret I am heavily influenced by the band Rush. They are a part of my circuitry.”

Listen to ‘F-22 Raptor’ via its premiere on Prog-Sphere HERE.

“Edge of The Black” pre-order available on Bandcamp.


Track Listing:
1. Blood Moon 5:42
2. Nacht Waffen 6:56
3. Song of Light 5:44
4. F-22 Raptor 5:53
5. The Ambassador 4:57
6. Mercury Magnetar 4:58
7. Arcturian Rain 4:38
8. Time to Believe 4:40
9. Arioso Lullaby 4:39
10. Whale Song 4:28
Album Length: 52:40

For more info:
PyramidsOnMars.com
Facebook
Instagram

About:

Every once in awhile there comes along a band that is so different or unique, you would think they were dropped on Earth from another planet.  Pyramids on Mars is one of those bands. What first catches you, is that they are an instrumental band. A combination of elements such as hard rock, industrial, metal and psychedelic rock: and then the lead guitar comes soaring in.  Well crafted, beautiful, melodic phrases so catchy and memorable they will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

Pyramids on Mars is the solo project of guitarist Kevin Estrella.  He wanted to do something musically different that would stand out from the crowd. Estrella’s musical style is very similar to world-renowned rock guitarist Joe Satriani, so much so that Estrella has nicknamed himself the “Satriani of the North.”

“Of course Satriani has had a huge influence on me,” he says “But he (Satriani) does more of a bluesy thing whereas I am more influenced by classical music.  I absolutely love the Baroque classical composers J.S Bach and Antonio Vivaldi who are my biggest musical influences.

Estrella recorded, produced, engineered and mastered his debut album, self-titled “Pyramids on Mars” in 2013.  Since then, he has been capturing music industry attention-getting international radio airplay in the U.S, Canada, South America, and Europe.  He is a regular guest on Brian ‘the hammer’ Jackson radio (Los Angeles) to over 4 million listeners and a weekly speaker on Real Rock Radio (Chicago).

– 30 –

—

ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS

Jon Asher – Music Publicist
#.514.581.5780 | asher[@]ashermediarelations.com
Facebook @AsherMedia | Instagram @AsherMedia | Tweet @AsherMedia

0 NEWS: ProgMetalZone Song Premiere PYRAMIDS ON MARS ‘Battle For Rome’; New Album ‘Echo Cosmic’ Due Out Sept 8th

  • July 8, 2015
  • by Asher
  • · Music News · Pyramids On Mars

For Interview, Album Requests, Media List contact

Jon Asher – Music Publicist – ashermedia [AT] gmail.com

Radio Promotions – radiotrackingashermedia [AT] gmail.com

#514.581.5780 – www.ashermediarelations.com

NEWS RELEASE

Montreal, QC – July 8, 2015

For Album Promo, please send request to ashermedia[at]gmail.com

For fans of Joe Satriani, Metallica, Meshuggah, Iron Maiden, Rush, Yngwie J Malmsteen, Steve Vai, Megadeth, Pink Floyd, David Gilmour

PyramidsOnMars.com | Videos |  Facebook | Twitter @PyramidsOnMars_ | Reverbnation

Soundcloud | Youtube | Rhapsody | Instagram

Sales Links: Bandcamp | iTunes | Amazon | Google Play | Indie Pool

EPK | Download Press Photo | Download Album Cover

ProgMetalZone Song Premiere PYRAMIDS ON MARS ‘Battle For Rome’; New Album ‘Echo Cosmic’ Due Out Sept 8th

Track Listing: Pyramids On Mars – Echo Cosmic
1. Dream Division (5:14)
2. Battle for Rome (5:48)
3. Death Valley Driver (5:25)
4. Tribute (2:54)
5. Heaven’s Gate (6:04)
6. Sailing the Oceans of Neptune (5:05)
7. Spectre of Orion (5:36)
8. Order of the Freemasons (8:09)
9. Occam’s Razor (6:08)
10. Echo Cosmic (4:56)
Album Length: 55:24

     Crafting Progressive rock, industrial, and metal influences fused with his passion for classical composers such has J.S Bach and Antonio Vivaldi, guitarist Kevin Estrella is carving a new musical direction that few dare to attempt with his solo project PYRAMIDS ON MARS. Written all by Estrella from the guitars, bass and drums, his latest effort ‘Echo Cosmic’ due out on September 8, 2015 is an impressive ten track journey to follow up his 2013 self-titled debut album. With an ear for melody, and natural use of odd time signatures blended with modern heavy guitar riffs and the sound of classic 1970’s analog keyboards, your adventure of music from the Mystical Red Planet begins now with the premiere of the first single ‘Battle For Rome’ on ProgMetalZone.com at the following link: http://www.progmetalzone.com/2015/exclusive-prog-metal-zone-song-premier-battle-for-rome-by-instrumental-progressive-metal-project-pyramids-on-mars/ 

‘Echo Cosmic’ Album trailer : https://youtu.be/UTJw6alDZ3A

For more info, please visit http://www.pyramidsonmars.com

About:

Inspired the by the studies of UFOs, aliens and the artifacts of in our solar system, PYRAMIDS ON MARS is an embodiment of spacey music that brings  both worlds together as both a musical concept, and message to the world of the alien presence. Formed in 2011, PYRAMIDS ON MARS is the solo creation of guitarist Kevin Estrella who offers an aural palette of intense, emotional, 3-dimensional, heavy and melodic progressive rock/ metal that includes a range of influences such as Baroque classical guitar, classical composers J.S Bach and Antonio Vivaldi along with today’s guitar virtuosos Yngwie Malmsteen and Joe Satriani.

Estrella’s latest effort under the PYRAMIDS ON MARS name is ‘Echo Cosmic’ set for release on September 8, 2015 to follow 2013’s full length self-titled debut

“I honestly think “Echo Cosmic” will do for this decade what Joe Satrani’s ‘Surfing With The Alien’ did for instrumental rock back in the ’80’s.  It captures the same passion, energy, and melodic hooks, yet it has an updated sound.  Heavier than Satriani though.  He is influenced mostly by the blues.  I am influenced by metal and classical music. I have always focused on melody.  Same with composers like J.S Bach and Antonio Vivaldi.  The masters of melody.  They are pretty much all I listen to.  So what I am doing on stage today, was the norm 300 years ago. ” comments Estrella.

Featuring ten tracks of emotionally high energy music that mostly came to life in Estrella’s dreams over the last two years, the album as whole pays homage to some of Estrella’s biggest influences while still staying true to himself and his own creations.

“On Echo Cosmic, I wanted to put more emphasis on the rhythm guitars, bass and drums.  The keyboards are still there, but they play more second fiddle sort of speaking.  Some songs are stripped right down to just bass, drums and lead guitar. I wanted this album it to be more in your face with less clutter.” says Estrella.  “The writing on this album is also inspired by the bands I love the most.  I love so many bands and love so many styles.  So, I tend to write in whatever style I want to. There are so many other band styles I want to explore.  I am probably one of the most unique bands out there that I have no one particular ‘sound’.  But all the songs have a common thread/element that identifies them as being Pyramids On Mars.  I think I have an advantage others do not have, because I can transform like a chameleon.” says Estrella.

Track by Track Breakdown of Echo Cosmic explained by PYRAMIDS ON MARS’ Kevin Estrella:
“To summarize, the overall story line of ‘Echo Cosmic’ is about mankind’s history of broadcasting radio and tv signals for over 100 years from earth to space.  Theoretically, some of these signals should be picked up by alien civilizations.  We are announcing our existence through this cosmic echo we are sending out.  We may be an insignificant species in a vast universe, but we are leaving a footprint that has infinite infuence.” comments Estrella.
1. Dream Division:  The whole introduction I heard in a dream.  Started off simply with guitar, but got more interesting when the bass and drums join in and are all doing something different from each other.  But it all worked.  Almost like division. Thus the name.
2.Battle for Rome:  Influenced by the X-Box One game trailer Ryse Son of Rome.  Watch the trailer, and you can imagine this song playing in it.
 
3. Death Valley Driver:  The main rhythm guitar and drums were bedtracks for this song.  Reminded me of driving fast on a desert road.
 
4. Tribute:  I was experimenting with some ’80’s guitar tone presets.  Improvising, I played the main rhythm part.  It sounded like something Randy Rhoads would play.  Decided to write a song dedicated to him.
 
5. Heaven’s Gate:  Influenced by a band who has a a dead guy with leather skin for a mascot.
 
6. Sailing the Ocean’s of Neptune:  Heard the main riff in my head for weeks.  Finally wrote the song.  Had a real Hendrix feel to it, with a large Extreme influence.
 
7. Spectre of Orion:  A song originally written in a band I used to be in called Omega Factor which consisted of just me and a drummer
 
8. Order of the Freemasons:  Song written back in 2011.  A very dark song about a dark subject.  It is more a work of art rather than being a radio friendly song.  A song I am very proud of. 
 
9. Occam’s Razor:  A fast, thrash metal song with sharp, jagged teeth.  You will hear  at least three metal band influences in this one!
10. Echo Cosmic:  The flagship of the CD.  A song that creates a feeling of loneliness and isolation.  That which we are in this vast universe.   

– 30 –

“If anything, it is taking the road less travelled – in this case, guitar-driven, instrumental music- that helps Pyramids on Mars stand out from the plethora of other groups vying for a piece of the prog rock pie.”   –  Canadian Musician Magazine 

“Kevin Estrella, much like Vai, much like Satriani, can make his guitar truly communicate and display emotion. There’s a real passion that Kevin plays with that only comes along every so often…a real magic.  There could be a complete saturation with this type of instrumentally-driven music one day. I have the feeling that even IF this was to happen, Pyramids on Mars would STILL stand out miles from the rest.”  – Sleeping Bag Studios 

“The music scene is very saturated with artists and bands pretty much doing the same thing (stylistically speaking).  With the current popularity of instrumental guitarists like Joe Satriani, there is a good possibility of instrumental rock coming back.  Pyramids on Mars have a niche market with very little competition that they can control the market share in that music genre.” Coalition Entertainment Management  Jesse Mitchell |Coalition Music

“And with influences like Metallica (probably post-black album), Jimi Hendrix, and Joe Satriani it is clear that Pyramids on Mars knows the kind of music they love, how to create their own version, and make us listeners enjoy it as much as they do.”  Metal Addicts

“The guitarist member is impressively high-quality.  His constant and non-stop lead work is where he shines.  Smooth, melodic, adapt and soaring lead after lead on song after song speaks of good soloing.  Kevin Estrella is in the same ballpark as David Gilmour.”  – Metallian

“Pyramids on Mars is a musical journey. Dizzying guitar work swiftly flying between genres and showing skill that few acts are capable of achieving in the country right now.”  Two Way Monologues

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