Matteo Mancuso is hailed as a guitar virtuoso, revered within the guitarist community for his revolutionary approach. The Journey promises awe-inspiring artistry that transforms the instrument into pure innovation.
In this generation of overload, Matteo Mancuso might be a guitar god. A deity at least, for in the tight-knit community of guitarists, he is lauded as the next big thing. What he has developed and put forward is nothing less than revolutionary, and my fan review will prove this to you. You see, 6 months ago, I was (probably) naive to what this young gentleman has created. You too, will be in awe of The Journey.
Inspirations to draw from
From Al Di Meola, Tosin Abasi, Steve Vai and Joe Bonamassa’s glowing reviews, there might be a lot of pressure to put something original out that takes the cake. He takes the cake, eats it too and stands on the pedestal he deserves. He is being credited to reinventing guitar playing, though many have had a technique on the same fertile ground. A person has 5 fingers, and a traditional guitar has 6 strings. If you get the math right, you would consider the pick to be a handicap. This is where Spanish guitar instrumentalists were ahead in the game. Explore the work of Paco de Lucia, and you will be in awe of the technique.
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I think the name Silkroad is perfect. It is of a route that is established, but the travel changes. With hauntingly beautiful tones, Matteo Mancuso takes us through the gentle approach of his theory. As a critic, I am ashamed to admit that I don’t know enough about music theory to break down what Matteo has done here. Or that is exactly what you would expect from a critic. As he threads through verses, he keeps a jazz spine, playing through it like it’s a Rubik’s Cube and he invented it. The flourishes in Polifemo show you how easily he can switch between techniques. Sometimes like a bass, in some parts like a Spanish guitar and in some like shred master EVH. He’s made the guitar his best friend, and this is their first biography.
He lives and breathes guitar…obviously
Let’s delve into the genres of this kid. I’ve been studying him for months like a fanatic stalker, so I know he loves the entire board of music. He adores Jeff Beck, worships Allan Holdsworth and effortlessly shreds Paul Gilbert. What the guitar has done through time, he chooses to dive into it all, and watch it like a wide-eyed child in wonder, knowing he’ll work towards doing it one day. As he has absorbed it all like one guitar loving sponge, you can see how much he respects his idols as he emulates them in covers.
Then comes the tone. As his flesh hits the strings, what is produced is a tone even John Mayer might chase. It is buttery, velvety, and like the smell of petrichor. It remains, as an essence. Then comes the distortion. He dials it in exquisitely, as though to make a statement within the shredding. He has balanced this very delicately, he says in interviews how difficult certain shredding is for him to relearn with fingerstyle. Matteo Mancuso means business. In this case, with a Yamaha Revstar.
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Matteo Mancuso yearns for tone
Matteo is loyal to this brand. To this model. In my life, I have rarely seen guitarists go for an electric Yamaha. With playing like this, Matteo Mancuso is like a walking advertisement. Listen to Drop D or Samba Party. Incredible detail, dextrous movement and a feeling that he was born with this guitar strapped. He plays in corporate gigs with the same interest, for music is music to him. He shares his technique, tips his hat to Frank Gambale and Meola as well. Playing in scenic settings, there are videos of him at several jazz festivals or tribute moments. A short track like Blues for John gives Matteo an opportunity to show how he can modulate genres into this style.
Jazz explorations turn to metal and sometimes a flourish of blues or pop. He weaves it like the orchestrator he is, for one needs 5 brains to do what his individual fingers do. When he closes this with The Journey, you can’t help but admire the travel. That we all took. You got to witness a star, and watch the guitar being used in a way you probably never might have. Matteo Mancuso is the present of guitar. He holds the future, gracefully, at his fingertips.
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