Michael Angelo Batio ( ; born June 12, 1956), also known as Michael Angelo, Mike Batio or MAB, is an American heavy metal guitarist. He was the lead guitarist for the glam metal band Nitro in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He is currently the permanent guitarist for the band Manowar.
He is best known for playing heavy metal and its subgenres such as neoclassical metal and speed metal.
Biography
Early life and career Batio was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, to an Italian father and a German mother.Reffett, Dave (December 12, 2011). "Interview: Michael Angelo Batio Discusses Tone, Gear and His 'Speed Kills' DVD". Guitar World. NewBay Media. Retrieved 2014-10-28. He started playing the piano and composing music at the age of five, and first played guitar at the age of ten. By twelve he was playing in bands in youth clubs, churches, and shows, playing for 10–12 hours on the weekends. He started listening to and watching professionals and sitting down and trying to work out riffs and tunes.
He attended Northeastern Illinois University and achieved a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Theory and Composition. After he had graduated, Batio looked to become a session guitarist in his hometown. When he asked for a job at a nearby studio, he was given a piece of music and simply asked to play it. He managed to play it adding his own improvisations and fills, making him the studio's primary call-out guitarist.
Holland, the Michael Angelo Band and Nitro (1984–1993) Batio began his recording career in 1984 when he joined new Chicago-based heavy metal band Holland, an eponymous project set up by ex-Steppenwolf singer Tommy Holland. With major label Atlantic Records, the band released their debut studio album in 1985 entitled Little Monsters, which saw moderate success in the United States. The band split up soon after, and a compilation of material from the Little Monsters sessions, Wake Up the Neighborhood, was released in 1999 through Batio's label M.A.C.E. Music.
In 1987, after the breakup of Holland, Batio joined glam metal artist Jim Gillette on his solo album "Proud to Be Loud", before founding the band Nitro with bassist T.J. Racer and drummer Bobby Rock. In 1989 Nitro released their first studio album, O.F.R., from which they released two singles, "Freight Train" and "Long Way From Home". The music video for "Freight Train", which received much airplay on MTV, was notable for featuring Batio playing his now famous 'Quad Guitar', a notion which FHM magazine voted one of the "50 most outrageous moments in rock history".
Solo career (1993–present)
In April 1993, Batio founded his own record label, M.A.C.E. Music, which became one of the first labels online in 1996. He used this label when he began recording his first album, No Boundaries, which he released in 1995. Batio's second studio release was Planet Gemini in 1997, which showed a very progressive, experimental side to his playing. In 1999, Batio released his second instructional video, Jam With Angelo, which came with his third studio album as a companion CD: Tradition. This was quickly followed by a fourth full-length album in 2000, Lucid Intervals and Moments of Clarity, which was credited to "Mike Batio and Rob Ross", the latter being the drummer.
In 2001, Batio released a CD with his band "C4," covering songs from his Holland years and including the original "Call to Arms." It was his 1st all vocal CD since recording with Nitro. Batio and C4 were featured on "Rock My Ass",Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: a TV show self-described as "Chicago's live music venue from your couch". This was not Batio's first appearance on the show, having also appeared in 1999 with a band called No Remorse.Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine:
In 2004, Batio released a compilation album, Lucid Intervals and Moments of Clarity Part 2.
In 2005, Batio released Hands Without Shadows, which featured guest appearances from such musicians as Mark Tremonti, Rudy Sarzo and Bill Peck.
On September 2, 2022, Manowar announced that Batio will join the band for their 2023 world tour.
Film appearance In 1991, Batio's guitar work appeared in the low budget horror film Shock 'Em Dead.
Style
Batio was voted the "No. 1 Fastest Guitar Shredder of All Time" by Guitar One Magazine in 2003.
He is ambidextrous.
Equipment
Guitars
Batio has an extensive collection of around 170 guitars, which he has accumulated since the 1980s. Among his instruments are a Dave Bunker "Touch guitar" (double neck with both bass and guitar, similar to the Chapman Stick), a 1986 Fender Stratocaster 1962 re-issue and several other vintage and custom-built guitars. Among his custom-made guitars is a 29-fret guitar made of military-grade aluminum, which makes the guitar very light. For live performances Batio is an exclusive user of Dean Guitars, both electric and acoustic. In 2007 he designed and developed a signature guitar with Dean, known as the MAB1 Armor Flame.
Earlier in his career when he was first endorsed by Dean guitars, he also supported Dean's campaign for DiMarzio pickups and used DiMarzios in his guitars. These include the DiMarzio PAF, Super Distortion (sometimes using the Super Distortion both in the neck and bridge position, as he did in his Gibson Charvel Circuit Board double guitar. This was the main setup during the recording of No Boundaries). Batio has also used pickups of other brands including Seymour Duncan, namely the Pearly Gates and JB models and also Bill Lawrence pickups. Currently other than using EMGs in his signature guitar he also has a collection of the other brand pickups in his Dean limited edition collectors' models, such as DiMarzio Custom Super Distortions (based on the Super 2 and Super Distortion) in his USA Dean Time capsule Blue Burst ML and the Seymour Duncan pair he used (refer to above) in his USA Dean Collectors edition Hardtail.
Double Guitar
Batio plays a Double Guitar, a V-shaped, twin-neck guitar which can be played both right- and left-handed. The first version of this instrument was actually two separate guitars simply played together, as opposed to being one entity. A Flying V was fastened to a snare drum in a left-handed position, while another one was strapped around his shoulder. The next version of the guitar, as designed by Batio and guitar technician Kenny Breit, featured a flight case latch attached to the back of each guitar, which could reportedly be assembled in five seconds. By far his most famous and definitely his most photographed double guitar is his USA Dean Mach 7 Jet Double Guitar along with its custom Anvil flight case. One of his inspirations for the radical design was jazz saxophonist Rahsaan Roland Kirk, who was known for playing two or three instruments simultaneously. Batio saw Kirk in concert during his teens, and said the jazz musician "blew his mind.""Michael Angelo Batio: I always wanted my guitars to be different and unique", Joe Matera interview, 2008, Ultimate Guitar Archive.
When the Double Guitar was first used in concert, Batio noticed that the guitars created a lot of feedback when played together. He decided that he needed to invent a way to dampen the strings when both guitars were played at the same time, hence the invention of the "MAB String Dampener", which is now available to buy from M.A.C.E. Music.
The Double Guitar was named as the 8th "coolest guitar in rock" by online music magazine Gigwise.
Quad Guitar As well as the Double Guitar, Michael Angelo also invented and designed the Quad Guitar. The guitar was originally built in conjunction with Gibson, and built by Wayne Charvel in California. The top two guitars have seven strings, while the bottom two have the regular six. The first Quad, as used in the video for Nitro's "Freight Train", was stolen in El Paso, Texas, after the second show of Nitro's O.F.R. tour. When Batio was performing in November 2004, a young fan named Simon Jones and his father turned up with a guitar case which held inside the two top guitars of the Quad, as found by Mick Seymour. Dean designed and had Mike Lipe build a new Quad Guitar in 2008.
The Quad Guitar was recently named as the second-"coolest guitar in rock" by online music magazine Gigwise.
Some of the mentioned guitars appears on Rob Scallon's video with Michael Angelo Batio on his Youtube Channel.
Discography Studio albums + List of studio albumsTitleAlbum detailsNo BoundariesReleased: April 1994 Label: M.A.C.E. Formats: CD, cassettePlanet GeminiReleased: 1997 Label: M.A.C.E. Format: CDTraditionReleased: 2000 Label: M.A.C.E. Format: CDLucid Intervals and Moments of ClarityReleased: August 2000 Label: M.A.C.E. Format: CDCall to ArmsReleased: March 2001 Label: M.A.C.E. Format: CDHoliday StringsReleased: November 2001 Label: M.A.C.E. Format: CDHands Without ShadowsReleased: October 27, 2005 Label: M.A.C.E. Formats: CD, digitalHands Without Shadows 2 – VoicesReleased: September 8, 2009 Label: M.A.C.E. Formats: CD, digitalIntermezzoReleased: November 14, 2013 Label: M.A.C.E. Formats: CD, digitalSoul in SightReleased: January 16, 2016 Label: M.A.C.E. Formats: CD, digitalMore Machine Than ManReleased: June 12, 2020 Label: Rat Pak Formats: CD, LP, digital
Compilations + List of compilation albumsTitleAlbum detailsLucid Intervals and Moments of Clarity Part 2Released: 2004 Label: M.A.C.E. Format: CD2 X AgainReleased: November 5, 2007 Label: M.A.C.E. Formats: CD, digitalShred Force 1: The Essential MABReleased: April 14, 2015 Label: Rat Pak Formats: CD, digital
Singles As lead artist + List of singles as lead artist, showing year released and album nameTitleYearAlbum"The Badlands"2020More Machine Than Man"More Machine Than Man""Unbroken"rowspan="6" "Hurt"2022"No Boundaries" (live)"Idiot""White Room/Layla""Freight Train" (acoustic version)2023
As featured artist + List of singles as featured artist, showing year released and album nameTitleYearAlbum"Meet the Master"2011rowspan="2" "Foxy Lady"2018"Hayabusa"2019Madre Tierra"Spoils of War"2020rowspan="6" "Instant Glamour""Little Wing"2021"Read It and Weep""Superstition""Pharaoh's Canticle""IV: Death"2022IV Horsemen"Fingers of Fury"Press Start"Badge"rowspan="5" "After the End of Art""Forgotten"2023"Pulsar""In My Sleep"2024
Other appearances + List of other appearances, showing year released, other artist(s) and album nameTitleYearOther artist(s)Album "The Haunted House"1982Mister Varney Presents U.S. Metal: Unsung Guitar Heroes, Vol. II2011 Troy Stetina, Mark Tremonti, Bill Peck, Eric FriedmanTroy Stetina: The Sound and the Story"Power Exalted"2012MonkeysoopExperimetal II"Scream at the Stars"Sylencer, Roland GrapowA Lethal Dose of Truth"Star X Speed"2013Jacky VincentStar X Speed Story"Southern Cross"2014Michael CernaStarbound"Bad Breath"2015Mr. FastfingerSpirit Rising"The Guitar Battle for Peace"Christian Russo, William StravatoThe Guitar Battle for Peace"Simple but Effective"Christian Russo, Carlo Fimiani, William Stravato, Patrick Abbate"Phantomania"2017Dark TrilogyInvictus"Eruption"2018Deep Cuts & Rarities"It Came from Outer Space"2019Andrew BordoniAndrew Bordoni"Shredding of the Cosmos"2021The Beast of Nod, Matias Quiroz, Sanjay KumarMultiversal"Avalanche"2022Rob Silverman, Casey Grillo, John Spinelli, Michael Silverman, Larry KornfeldDrumology, Vol. II
References
External links