"Inventive, fresh, elegantly fluid guitar magic." Armed with a killer tone and a reflective and soaring energy, Mike Fillius burns with a style that can't easily be likened to shredders we know. He's just too musical, too versatile, too fluid and elusive. Zakk crossed with Satch crossed with Petrucci... it's all here and the result is a spiritually replenishing exploration of the guitar. Martin Popoff www.martinpopoff.com Folks who are into artists like Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and John Petrucci should be aware of a new guitar hero on scene. His name is Mike Fillius, and this dude handles his guitar like he was born with it in his hands and hasn't stopped playing since. On his first solo album, Fillius presents a set of ten tunes that tread just about everywhere a shredder can go. Take the artful melodies of Vai, the rockin' anthems of Satriani, and the heavy metal roar of Metallica all rolled into one neat ball, and you'll be close to what many of Fillius's compositions sound like. Being a metalist, though, doesn't stop him from taking a stab at surf rock and rock-a-billy, albeit his own revved up versions. While most of the album is high-octane metal shredding, Fillius never forgets the melodies and always manages to come up with inventive riffs. The album remains interesting from start to finish, with each track having its own signature. We're not talking 100% metal here, though. Once in a while, Fillius turns off the distortion pedal to work his grooves with a clean tone. In these cases, he sometimes sounds a bit like the late and great Danny Gatton. Even in these more conservative tracks, though, it's not too long before he's back wailing out a dozen notes a second, with the amp cranked to 11. Metal is definitely in Fillius's heart. I should mention that this is a self-produced CD The tracks on the album are expertly performed and produced, you will definitely want to listen. [you'll see that Mastermind's Rich Berends sits in on drums -ed.] www.progressiveworld.net Closer to the Edge Reviewed by: Clayton Walnum, June 2002 Mike Fillius is a North American shredder who puts the same efforts into his songs as he obviously has with his chops. Fillius’ main influence is Satriani to my ears. Fillius has the more unusual almost ambient tone of Not of This Earth yet his more metal inclination pops up on a track like Trespassing, great riffage with the intro and uber leads. There is great attention to texture in this disc and that is so important when it comes to an instrumental disc. Interesting shades of Eric Johnson appear tone-wise (Spillway Jam notably) but are subdued to the near ambient early Satriani vibe with Mike Fillius’s own unique mix of styles. Great idea to cover Pipeline shred style, I’ll have to show this tune to my ageing surfer dad. Some cool little twists in it, gotta love it. Nice bass work is also a feature of the disc and the drum contributions have a good solid groove. This is the best indy CD I have received yet for review, good focus and total dedication to the music. This is possibly even an album for non-instrumental lovers to try out due to the textural detail and shred fans must check Mike Fillius out, Faves: Pipeline, The Nomad, Trespassing, Spillway Jam Rating: 86 Review by King In Crimson New Zealand The Surfing Alien's Music Reviews www.thesurfingalien.com Mike Fillius is a very unique guitar player blending aspects of jazz, fusion, blues, metal, jazz, surf and more. a real interesting platter of sound. He is a very well versed guitar player and knows his stuff. These songs are really cool and are a recommended for and fan of versatile guitar playing. If your into different styles of guitar playing I know you'll fall in love with Fillius's music. He writes real interesting melody lines, and shouldn't be put on the same plane as the normal shred till you die players. Click here for the track by track review Looking back, Fillius is a great player and I could just imagine what his playing would sound like in a band with vocals type format. His leads are tight and well written and his song writing is sharp. His chop work is very diverse and you'll soon find that out. If your into players that aren't afraid to go outside the box, then Mike Fillius is your man. He covers all grounds, jazz, blues, fusion, rock, and metal. Mike will overload your brain with great guitar playing and interesting song writing. Another plus to this recording is that Fillius used a real life drum and not a drum machine or sampling. It gave the album a more real feel. The sound quality is good and you can tell he put lots of work into this release. So please check out Mike Fillius's work, Reviewed by Nick Martinelli www.theShredzone.com Mike Fillius is a guitar player from New York who debuts here with a ten track album. Instrumental CD’s are cool but most start to bore me after a few songs. Mike made however an album that does not sound the same from the beginning to the end. He puts a lot of variation in his playing and the songs are also very diverse. He goes from flat out power metal over rock to blues, and add a bit of jazz and surf for good measurements. His playing can be very aggressive and shredding and often within the same song he changes to gentle melodic playing. Mike is without a doubt a great talent who is developing his own distinguished sound and I am sure he will have no problem finding his place between the other guitar heroes. If you’re into instrumental guitar CD’s then check this one out. Rating 8.5 Bruno Van DeVelde Undertow Metal Reviews Belgium Mike Fillius "Volume 1" Here's one of those guitarists that have been around the circuit awhile travelling from state to state with numerous bands, solo efforts and tons of venues. This CD is a diverse and really good one if you like it a bit heavier; which I do and this guy don't slouch and stick to one set genre. This is obvious when you get to songs like "Pipeline"! Mike also has other material available but mostly for TV, radio and the sort. As far as his playing, many styles come to mind but he stays to his own most of the time. I could throw a more Metal influence at you like Skolnick, Sykes, Moore (Vinnie) and "Satch", but very little doses of these guys and a subtle blend before bashing you with monstrous rhythms and as quick as that happens, a harmonious section comes in making this as unpredictable as the band Tourniquet without the vocals. Mike is currently working on a heavy metal project with vocals and I'm hoping he keeps up with his instrumental stuff as he could be the next ground-breaker for sure. Hear it for yourself on mp3 and tell me this guy has no potential.. I highly doubt you'll come to that conclusion! Reviewed by Wayne Klinger Quintessence Metal Webzine Mike Fillius Volume 1 Rating 7.9 An instrumental guitarist from New York City, Fillius brings to mind artists such as Satriani and Blues Saraceno, but flashes a raw and heavier edge in some places. Some thicker Gary Hoey is brought to mind as well. A very professionally done release. "Halls to Hell" is a strong track, and "Down to Dirt" is good as well, with some distorted vocals mixed in. "Trespassing" is a heavy piece, "Bad Wiring" has a carefree feel, and both "Pipeline" and "Spillway Jam" are good. Ultimate Metal Reviews Once it seemed that there would be no more great enchanted guitar debuts. The kingdom of said guitars had fallen into a terrible state because so many of the fine instruments had fallen dumb from overuse. The people of the kingdom cried until it seemed that their eyes, like so many of those magical guitar necks, had been wrung dry. The king sat on his bed day after day and even contemplated smashing his throne into tiny pieces. There are so many other new kingdoms out there now, he said. They don’t care much for anyone except for Jimi and Neil anymore. He wept and wept and then, on a very sad day, the king and his kingdom seemed to disappear. Those who approached the kingdom to deliver news or goods were surprised when they could not find it and those who had gone on quests believed they no longer had a home. Other kingdoms rose in the next ten years but the people of the great land, the land that fell all around these kingdoms, never felt the joy they had when the kingdom of the great enchanted guitars could be visited by all throughout their vast land. But there was hope: one day a young man who’d been quiet and alone during the time of the great enchanted guitars sat down to practice in the woodshed behind his mother and father’s modest home. It’s no use,Michael, his father said. All the great notes are gone. Father, said Michael, I know what you are saying but I also know better than to believe you. I have to do something to keep hope alive. The young man practiced and practiced for a year, running through scales and modes and licks he’d heard men named Satriani and Beck play as they traveled through with their enchanted guitars. And for that first year and the year after the notes were nothing close to enchanted: they were mere lifeless chunks of reported speech. Then, one day, while his father chopped wood and his mother sewed a pair of black leather trousers, the young man (who preferred to be called Mike) began playing a song called Pipeline, a standard in the kingdom. Great Gilmour! his father shouted, nearly dropping his axe on his foot. The boy’s got fluid! He’s got flare. It’s like Joe and Jeff but a little bit rawer around the edges, it’s very European sounding. We’re going to have to get him to see the king. The father ran into the shed,embraced the boy, and told him that they would have to go and see the king immedietly. The boy brought his guitar and his humble amp and the two marched off together to the castle. Although the king did not at first wish to see them and although the boy and his father grew tired of waiting, they stood there three days in all until the young man finally said, Father, my chops will suffer greatly if I do not practice soon. Very well, his father said. Perhaps that nice merchant over there will allow you to plug into his outdoor outlet. The merchant, when asked, said he would, though, he added, he doubted whether the young man had what it took. The young man tuned up, plugged in, and said to his father, I’d like to start with something called ‘Bad Wiring,’ if that’s okay with you. His father, who had no idea what that meant, nodded yes and the young man began to play. The king, who was sitting on his bed again, staring at an antique copy of Guitar For The Practicing Musician, heard something coming from beneath his window and went over to take a look. It can’t be live,he said. It has to be a recording of something from the glory days of the kingdom. But it sounds, he said and paused. It sounds so alive. And indeed it did. While the king stood there, his curtains obscuring his face, he heard the young man slide with ease from pieces such as The Nomad to the Billy Gibbons-on-jazz stylings of Spillway Jam to the final graceful notes of something called In The Past. But it was really the young man’s version of Pipeline that made everything come together and as the young guitarist hit the climax of the song the king(tall, Italian, fingers for miles) began to weep. This time his tears were not tears of sadness but tears of joy. Hail! Hail! the king shouted. You have saved the kingdom and there will be enchanted guitars once more! And they lived happily ever after indeed. Jedd Beaudoin ytsejam.com Mike Fillius/Volume One Simply, NY based guitar player's solo album, Mike Fillius's volume one cd, contains high energetic guitar instrumentals with various elements of metal, fusion, blues, surf, and rock with unique way and interesting approach. Even though it is released as independent production, actually sound production is very crisp and well-made. The formation of his band consists of Mike Fillius (guitar/bass), Randy Gromley (bass), Lance Justis (drums), and Rich Berends (drums) as you know that Rich is a help from energetic prog rocker, Mastermind. Definately, the focal point must be Mike's fluid and killer guitar phrasings and performance. Esp., he is very careful to choose the tones, sounds, and melodic lines for fitting each song. It is evident that his guitar playing normally does not go beyond what a tune asks for. Mostly, every tune has distinctive hard driving and heavy sounds with metallic energy. Esp., his tunes like "Trespassing" and "Normad" have really heavy and crunchy directions. On the other hand, a few songs of this album give different atmopsheres, emotional, and calmer feeling; e.g., Volume One has some strong surf-rock tones (on his cover tune of Ventures' classic "Pipeline"), 12 bar blues-style exciting rocking "Spillway Jam", and emotionally driven hot track, "In The Past". Overall, His guitar performance should appeal the fans who enjoy the tones and guitar playings of John Petrucci, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Vinnie Moore, Tony MacAlpine, Eric Johnson, Mattias "IA" Eklund, and Torben Enevoldsen. It is kind of hard to compare other guitar instrumentals. Nevertheless, Mike Fillius - Volume One cd is well constructed energetic guitar-oriented album for enjoyment. Actually, driving rhythm & nice groove created by his band is really rocking, hypnotic and comfortable. Esp., drumming sounds really fat and gorgeously tight :) What this album on the whole sets apart from other guitar instrumentals is diversity and various elements blended really well like nice fragrant and potpourri. His volume one cd is really cooked well and balancing out pretty well in the compositional department. His album's approach is kind of similar to vocal oriented rock albums, so there is no filler, nor boring moments at all. Every tune shines and sings, just like a vocalist sings emotionally in a vocal oriented track. Highly recommended for the guitar music fans. Probably, if you read the word of guitar-oriented instrumentals without vocals and keyboards, most stuff might turn off such people who are not interested in instrumentals. In the case of Mike Fillius, volume one cd does not belong to such case. It is quite enjoyable listening joyride for me with his music. Perhaps, Mike Fillius is one of very few interesting and unique guitar players not to show-off meaninglessly, rather concentrated on making interesting hooks, good vibes, fluid playings, and chunky sounds. He deserves more attention. If you die-hard guitar freaks, you should keep in mind his works. (4.25 out of 5) Reviewed by Tetsu Hamanaka of PILGRIM WORLD Japan www.hamanaka.com/pilgrim2/ Mike Fillius - Volume 1 Falling somewhere between Joe Satriani and Steve Vai with touches of Randy Rhoads, New Yorker, Mike Fillius. He's rather good to say the least. Highlights include a cover of the early 60's classic 'Pipeline' and originals like 'Halls to Hell' or the hells at your door feel of 'Trespassing', the racing 'Bad Wiring' or the country 12-bar rock of 'Spillway Jam'. This guy'll blast you with killer guitar riffs, and I wish Mike the absolute best of luck - I think he'll go far. Mike fills you up with 6-string instrumental charm 'n' splendour. Check out his website - for more info on this guitar guru. By Glenn Milligan U.K. www.metalliville.com www.mikefillius.com |