This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (July 2007) (Find sources: Michael Romeo – news, books, scholar)

Michael Romeo
Romeo playing live in Novara, Italy in 2007
Background information
Birth name	Michael James Romeo
Born	March 6, 1968 (1968-03-06) (age 41) New York, NY U.S.
Genres	Progressive metal
Occupations	Musician
Instruments	Guitar
Years active	1994 - present
Associated acts	Symphony X Ayreon Redemption
Notable instruments
Caparison Dellinger II - Michael Romeo Custom ESP M-II Deluxe

Michael James Romeo (born March 6, 1968) is an American guitarist and a founding member of the progressive metal group Symphony X.

[edit] Early life

Michael Romeo's introduction to formal music training began with piano lessons when he was 10 years old. ^[1] He also played clarinet. However, it wasn't until after hearing his first Kiss album that he seriously considered switching to the guitar. He ended up purchasing a cheap acoustic guitar at a garage sale.

Influenced by Kiss, Led Zeppelin, Rush, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, ^[1] he became serious about the guitar after listening to the albums Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman from Ozzy Osbourne. He was also heavily influenced by the neoclassical technique and style of Randy Rhoads. ^[1]

[edit] Equipment

Since 2005, Romeo has taken advantage of a new custom model, Caparison Dellinger II - Michael Romeo Custom, which he used to record Symphony X last album, Paradise Lost. Throughout his career, Romeo has also used ESP M-II Deluxe guitars with EMG Active pickups and Fender Stratocasters to perform and record other albums from the band.

In terms of amplification in the studio, he uses an Engl Fireball as well as a recently acquired Engl SE E670 that is used strictly for recording purposes. Live, Romeo makes use of both the Engl Fireball and Powerball models. Recent photographs that have been made available at Symphony X Official Website show him also using other amplifiers from brands such as Marshall and Madison. He has also been known to use a Mesa Triaxis and Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier for recording.

In terms of effects, Romeo pairs his various amplifiers with a TC Electronics G System and a Boss NS2 Noisegate.

[edit] Side Projects

In 1994, he released a solo album entitled The Dark Chapter.

As a guest musician for Ayreon, Romeo has played guitar solos on the song "Dawn of a Million Souls" (featuring lead vocals by Russell Allen), from Ayreon's 2000 album Universal Migrator Part 2: Flight of the Migrator, and on the song "E=MC²", from Ayreon's 2008 release, 01011001. Romeo also did the guitar work for Vitalij Kuprij on his "Piano Overture' song in his album Forward and Beyond. Romeo also played a guest solo on the Eidolon album The Parallel Otherworld on the song Arcturus #9

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b c} symphony x website [1], michael romeo tells the story of his influences and musical career .

[edit] External links

• Biography of Michael Romeo