Greek guitar virtuoso Gus G., well known in rock and metal circles for his work as OZZY OSBOURNE's guitarist and as leader of his own band FIREWIND, has announced an initial batch of European tour dates in order to promote his first, long-overdue solo album, "I Am The Fire", which will released on March 17 in Europe and March 18 in North America via longtime international partners Century Media Records. The touring campaign sees Gus G. kick off with some shows in his native Greece and in Cyprus, teaming up with guitar legend and former SCORPIONS member Uli Jon Roth as well as singers Jorn Lande (MASTERPLAN) and Mats Levén (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, THERION, CANDLEMASS). The dates are as follows: March 07 - Kerkyra, Greece - Eptatehnon March 08 - Thessaloniki, Greece - Block 33 March 09 - Edessa, Greece - Kanavourgeio March 10 - Larnaca, Cyprus - Savino Rock Bar March 11 - Athens, Greece - Kyttaro Live March 12 - Athens, Greece - Kyttaro Live Gus G. has also confirmed co-headline dates with fellow guitar virtuoso and former MEGADETH member Marty Friedman as part of the "Guitar Universe 2" tour, which showcases a collaboration of two of the world's most exciting guitar players coming to Europe in May 2014. Here are the dates announced so far, with many more to be revealed in the coming weeks: May 01 - Tampere, Finland - Klubi May 02 - Helsinki, Finland - Nosturi May 03 - Stockholm, Sweden - Stockholm Rocks Festival May 11 - Colmar, France - Grillen May 12 - Munich, Germany - Backstage May 15 - Essen, Germany - Turock May 16 - Zoetermeer, The Netherlands - De Boerderij May 18 - Uden, The Netherlands - De Pul May 20 - Savigny Le Temple, France - L Impreinte May 21 - London, UK - O2 Islington Academy May 22 - Nuneaton, UK - Queens Hall Gus G. checked in to comment on the touring runs as follows: "Looking forward to starting my tour this spring and sharing the stage with two legendary guitar players! "Me and Uli Jon Roth will be doing some exclusive shows in Greece this March, while in May I'll be teaming up with another hero of mine, Marty Friedman! "Looking forward to playing my new songs from 'I Am The Fire' live for the first time.""I Am The Fire" track listing:01. My Will Be Done (featuring Mats Levén)02. Blame It On Me (featuring Mats Levén)03. I Am The Fire (featuring Devour The Day)04. Vengeance (featuring David Ellefson)05. Long Way Down (featuring Alexia Rodriguez)06. Just Can't Let Go (featuring Jacob Bunton)07. Terrified (featuring Billy Sheehan)08. Eyes Wide Open (featuring Mats Levén)09. Redemption (featuring Michael Starr)10. Summer Days (featuring Jeff Scott Soto)11. Dreamkeeper (featuring Tom S. Englund)12. End Of The Line (featuring Mats Levén) The cover artwork, pictured below, was designed by Gustavo Sazes (ARCH ENEMY, KAMELOT, DREAM EVIL).A first song from the album can be heard via the video for the album's opening track, "My Will Be Done" (featuring Mats Levén), which was produced by Patric Ullaeus of Revolver Film Company, who has previously worked with DIMMU BORGIR, LACUNA COIL, IN FLAMES, SONIC SYNDICATE and KAMELOT, among others.Gus handles all guitar, bass and keyboards on "I Am The Fire", and is joined by a roster of friends and guests that help bring his vision to fruition: drummers Jeff Friedl (A PERFECT CIRCLE, PUSCIFER, DEVO) and Daniel Erlandsson (ARCH ENEMY), bassists David Ellefson (MEGADETH), Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, DAVID LEE ROTH) and Marty O'Brien (TOMMY LEE, WE ARE THE FALLEN, LITA FORD), and vocalists Mats Levén (CANDLEMASS, ex-YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, THERION), Blake Allison (DEVOUR THE DAY), Michael Starr (STEEL PANTHER), Alexia Rodriguez (EYES SET TO KILL), Tom S. Englund (EVERGREY), Jacob Bunton (ADLER) and Jeff Scott Soto (TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, TALISMAN, ex-JOURNEY, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN). "I Am The Fire" was mixed by Jay Ruston (ANTHRAX, STONE SOUR, STEEL PANTHER) and was recorded between Los Angeles and Gus' home country of Greece through the latter half of 2013. A few of the album's tracks include "Eyes Wide Open", "Redemption", "End Of The Line" and "Blame It On Me". The album showcases a well-balanced mix of active rock, classic hard rock, traditional metal and guitar-driven instrumentals, taking listeners on a diverse journey and opening doors to Gus G.'s soulful playing. The album's first commercial single title track, "I Am The Fire" will be released digitally February 25 in North America. Gus G. has had an amazing rise within the worldwide rock and metal scenes and has amassed an impressive body of work, both in studio and touring. He emerged as an up-and-coming talent with the groups DREAM EVIL (Sweden), MYSTIC PROPHECY (Germany) and NIGHTRAGE (Greece), but it is his work with his own band FIREWIND (who have released seven studio albums and two live releases) and as a member of Ozzy Osbourne's band that have helped him emerge as one of the world's top metal and rock guitarists. His work on Ozzy's "Scream" album led to a Grammy nomination in 2010, and his list of accolades includes Guitar Player magazine's "Best Metal Guitarist," the "Dimebag Darrell Shredder" award at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards, and Metal Hammer Greece "Best Guitarist" on four separate occasions.
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