A virtuously played, melodically stirring solo work for lovers of neo-classical electric guitar art.

"The Quest" will undoubtedly become a collector's item the moment it is released. The first solo album of Swiss guitar artist Roger Staffelbach (Artension, Artlantica, Angel of Eden) was created with the support of a top team and offers eight classy, colorful original compositions as well as two vivid interpretations of great compositions: Antonio Vivaldi's "Summer Presto" from the "Four Seasons" and the Aria from Johann Sebastian Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major.

On par with the masters

Roger has been one of the respected exponents of neoclassical power guitar since the mid-1990s. The genre was largely defined in the 1980s by pioneers such as Yngwie Malmsteen and Tony MacAlpine. So the bar for all successors was always sky-high, but as with all his band releases since the strong 1996 Artension debut "Into the Eye of the Storm", Roger is on par with his idols with his first instrumental album "The Quest" - from precise shred riffing and seamless melodic leads to soulful concert guitar passages. In doing so, he develops his very own stylistic touch.

Universe 3.0

1986, Staffelbach dove into a "completely new universe" as a 14-year-old when he first listened to Yngwie's "Trilogy" album, which encouraged him to switch from trumpet to electric guitar. His father, however, did not support the purchase of an Aria Pro II Flying V unless Roger could prove him he could play something significantly melodic on a rocked-down acoustic guitar. The culmination of his years of studying was a course of study at the renowned GIT, the Guitar Institute of Technology in Los Angeles.

Inspired Teamwork

Roger has always focused on inspired teamwork with valued players. This appreciation is mutual: Over the years, he has come together with various greats of his guild, including bassist John Onder (Michael Schenker), guitarist Chris Caffery (Savatage, Trans-Siberian Orchestra), drummers Mike Terrana (Rage, Tarja) and Dani Löble (Helloween), and multi-instrumentalist Shane Gaalaas (Uli Jon Roth, Yngwie) to name a few.

Artension's chemistry, and with it the foundation of an illustrious seven-album career, was based on Roger's longtime partnership with pianist Vitalij Kuprij (Trans-Siberian Orchestra) – a perfect fit for Shrapnel Records, the label of Mike Varney, wo had discovered Malmsteen and MacAlpine.

In addition, there were two albums with Angel of Eden ("The End of Never") and Artlantica ("Across the Seven Seas") in collaboration with Italian keyboardist Mistheria (Bruce Dickinson), who also enlisted Roger for his solo albums "Dragon Fire" and "Gemini" as well as for the two long players of the Vivaldi Metal Project.

The soundscapes of "The Quest" were also created in teamwork with a creative keyboardist. "I admire pianists and keyboardists for their talent and virtuosity." Argentine Ariel Perchuk served as arranger on Roger's compositions from South America. "Ariel was a big Artension fan and at one point sent me some material of his. I was thrilled by his style."

Genuine joy of playing

Virtual tinkering, such as with programmed drum tracks, was not an option for Roger. He consistently went the traditional route and relied on a real band lineup for "The Quest": "It was important to me to record everything as organically as possible."

Besides Ariel, a seasoned rhythm section brought life to the Album: bassist Steve DiGiorgio (Testament, Artension, Sadus) and drummer John Macaluso (Michael Romeo, Ark, TNT, Yngwie.).

Experts in the studio

For the recording of his own tracks, Roger relied on the craft of colleague Roland Grapow (Masterplan and longtime guitarist of Helloween). Roland supported Roger with his expertise as an engineer. "It was a great experience. He gave me good input, and we worked out a few ideas together as well."

Completing the overall work with mixing and mastering was Simone Mularoni (Michael Romeo, Ancient Bards, Rhapsody, DGM, Labyrinth).

Perfect moments

"The Quest" breathes vitality and lightness throughout the Album. Only these two components guarantee a well-rounded artistic unity. But Roger has also come full circle in general: "I've been dreaming of my own instrumental album ever since I first heard Yngwie's 'Trilogy Suite Opus 5'. The perfect moment to do it was now." His personal conclusion: "The Efforts put into it were more than worth it."

Every facet of the album proves his verdict is right: "The Quest" keeps revealing different nuances even after the umpteenth repetition.