Michael Romeo’s latest solo outing, “War of the Worlds Part II” came out a few months ago, and it’s still impressing the minds and ears of any half respectable prog-metal fan. With extreme guitar wizardry, grandiose orchestration and the soaring voice of Dino Jelusick, the album expands the sonic universe created on “War of the Worlds Part I” and quenches the thirst of the Symphony X fan-base for new music. At the core of it all, the exquisite basslines of John ‘JD’ DeServio and the thunderous drumming of John Macaluso provide the basis upon which Romeo soars, and occasionally take the spotlight as well.
Drummer John Macaluso is no stranger to working with Romeo, having replaced Symphony X’s drummer Jason Rullo on tour in 2013, and also playing drums on “War of the Worlds Part I”. John is also one of the founders of Ark, and has played with James Labrie, George Lynch, Dee Snider and many more. His work with guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen is also memorable, having played on the albums “Alchemy” and “War to End All Wars”.
War Of The Worlds, Part II” Album Artwork
Having played on more than 200 records in his impressive career, Macaluso is now dedicated to writing a book and recording a DVD explaining a technique he helped popularize, called linear drumming. While many of the best examples of linear drumming can be found in hip hop and R&B, John helped popularize this style in rock and metal, and intends to showcase the style on his book, “United Sounds of Separation”. On top of that, John is gearing up for an upcoming tour with guitar virtuoso Jennifer Batten, with whom he worked extensively in the past.
Sonic Perspectives collaborators Rodrigo Altaf, Samantha Buckman and Jonathan Smith teamed up to discuss John Macaluso’s extensive career, his main influences, working on a Hollywood set with Nicholas Cage, his approach to drum solos and several other topics. Listen to their chat below and remember that for more interviews and other daily content, make sure to follow Sonic Perspectives on Facebook, Flipboard and Twitter and subscribe to our YouTube channel to be notified about new interviews and contents we publish on a daily basis.
