Inspiration from Pink Floyd, Iron Maiden, Tesseract, Periphery, Paul Wardingham, Jeff Loomis, and Keith Merrow have been huge influences over the years, along with a love for late 19th century Classical Music, with composers such as Debussy, Bartók, Stravinsky, and Pärt being particularly important in his development.

Since that time, Manuel has performed in a great many small venues and clubs around the Boston area, and previously performed with Rogozo, Vera Kay, and The Canvas Collective.

After many years spent in bands that just fell apart, Manuel decided to take the bull by the horns and start his very own solo project, and by 2018 started working on his debut album, pieced together from bits and pieces of smaller compositions that he had put to one side over the years. They always say things happen for a reason, and it’s all about the journey and what you do with it, something that was fast showing itself to Manuel, as old compositions were now starting to have a new lease of life.
Now, with a debut album complete, Manuel hopes to expand his horizons and launch his solo project further as soon as the world gets off its knees.

“Pretty much. There’s always going to be a difference when you’re on stage – you’re trying to entertain a crowd and you’re going to need to put on an act. I don’t have any reason to create a character for myself though”.

Finally, I asked Manuel what he enjoys the most about this solo project, and if there was anything he wished he had known before starting a career in music, he told me;

“I like having an umbrella under which I can pretty much put whatever I want and not be afraid that it’s all going to go up in smoke the second the band decides to pack it in. I hope to be involved in more collaborative efforts in the future, but it is very nice to have something that is just mine. As for being prepared, I ask myself this all the time. I came to this a little later than most people, so I do wish I had had more experience making connections and being part of a scene before I dived into the deep end. In the end, though, I think the process of learning the lessons I’ve learned has been pretty much as important as the lessons themselves”.

Instrumentally, this cacophonous compendium of creativity strikes the air in a way that words could never express, taking you on a journey through a multifaceted multiplex of musicianship, and a minefield of explosive energy that dominates the stratosphere with enough raw power to split the atom.

Manuel’s faultless finger work sets his fret board ablaze with mind blowing accuracy, coupled with crunching riffs that scars the very air surrounding him.

His keyboard skills have certainly paid off over the years, and throughout this album, almost casting a spell through an undercurrent of ambient textures spent by the keys, with many synthesized moods to stir the senses.
Each track, almost pays tribute to the mentorship of Matt Mills, and is a credit to Manuel’s hard work and dedication over the years in perfecting his craft.

Enlisting the help of fellow musicians and good friends Joey Ferretti on drums and Nick Thorpe on bass, this project couldn’t of been in better hands, with Joey and Nick offering a tight, syncopated display from the rhythm section, full of dynamic fills, flams and a fat pulse of resonant bass that punches through the solar plexus.

In all, this album will take you on a journey through the mind, and one you may not even recognise, with many moods set to trigger the thought processes. But no matter what you experience, the journey will most certainly be worthwhile.

To buy the album, click the artwork below

Instrumentally, this cacophonous compendium of creativity strikes the air in a way that words could never express, taking you on a journey through a multifaceted multiplex of musicianship, and a minefield of explosive energy that dominates the stratosphere with enough raw power to split the atom.

Manuel’s faultless finger work sets his fret board ablaze with mind blowing accuracy, coupled with crunching riffs that scars the very air surrounding him.

His keyboard skills have certainly paid off over the years, and throughout this album, almost casting a spell through an undercurrent of ambient textures spent by the keys, with many synthesized moods to stir the senses.
Each track, almost pays tribute to the mentorship of Matt Mills, and is a credit to Manuel’s hard work and dedication over the years in perfecting his craft.

Enlisting the help of fellow musicians and good friends Joey Ferretti on drums and Nick Thorpe on bass, this project couldn’t of been in better hands, with Joey and Nick offering a tight, syncopated display from the rhythm section, full of dynamic fills, flams and a fat pulse of resonant bass that punches through the solar plexus.

In all, this album will take you on a journey through the mind, and one you may not even recognise, with many moods set to trigger the thought processes. But no matter what you experience, the journey will most certainly be worthwhile.

Star Rating – 10/10

Star Suggestion –

If ever there were two tracks to tempt the listener into buying this album they would be –

“Moonrise” and “God Complex”.

Inspiration from Pink Floyd, Iron Maiden, Tesseract, Periphery, Paul Wardingham, Jeff Loomis, and Keith Merrow have been huge influences over the years, along with a love for late 19th century Classical Music, with composers such as Debussy, Bartók, Stravinsky, and Pärt being particularly important in his development.

Since that time, Manuel has performed in a great many small venues and clubs around the Boston area, and previously performed with Rogozo, Vera Kay, and The Canvas Collective.

After many years spent in bands that just fell apart, Manuel decided to take the bull by the horns and start his very own solo project, and by 2018 started working on his debut album, pieced together from bits and pieces of smaller compositions that he had put to one side over the years. They always say things happen for a reason, and it’s all about the journey and what you do with it, something that was fast showing itself to Manuel, as old compositions were now starting to have a new lease of life.
Now, with a debut album complete, Manuel hopes to expand his horizons and launch his solo project further as soon as the world gets off its knees.