Al Atkins is the founder and original vocalist for Judas Priest. He is responsible for co-writing some of the greatest heavy metal songs in history, such as "Victim of Changes" and one of Andy's favorite songs ever, "Dreamer Deceiver". He has been putting out critically acclaimed heavy metal CDs for many years now, most recently the top notch "Holy Rage" album.

Al is scheduled to sing on the second and third Lyraka CDs. He will be portraying the character Semmonet, who is the Pharaohic vizier, father of our hero Neires, and ally to the demanding Queen Lilliput.

Al's book details the founding of Judas Priest as well as his heavy metal lifestyle:

Guitardämmerung!  

Andy DiGelsomina (pronounced "DEE-Jehl-Soh-ME-nah") is an opera composer and a lead guitar player. He has been a lifelong admirer of Ritchie Blackmore, and is an avid enthusiast of the composer Richard Wagner. 

Andy hears a link between the powerful, uniquely personal expression of Richard Wagner and the music genre called heavy metal. Although the influence was often indirect, the Wagnerian link is apparent in myriad forms: from the passionate music of bands like Manowar, Judas Priest, Rainbow, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, and Bathory, to the unique, unmistakable guitar styles of players like Ritchie Blackmore and Michael Schenker.

Andy considers large portions of Wagner's works to be more heavy metal than practically anything since. Though it's commonly accepted that Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath invented guitar-driven heavy metal, Richard Wagner was the father of the musical genre itself.

Andy's grandfather was an Art music enthusiast, and his influence, as well as songs like "Burn", first sparked Andy's interest in in baroque, classical, and romantic music. Andy's favorite pieces of music are Richard Wagner's Götterdämmerung, and the Rainbow songs Stargazer and Eyes of the World .

Speaking of Rainbow, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow was Andy's first metal album and to this day he loves the music of the 1970's era of Rainbow above any other Rock/Metal. This favoritism encompasses the albums from the Ronnie James Dio and Graham Bonnet periods exclusively. Ritchie Blackmore has been overall the biggest influence on Andy's guitar playing.

Though Ritchie Blackmore has been Andy's biggest lead guitar inspiration, it was actually Tony Iommi's playing on the first Black Sabbath album that motivated him to begin studying the electric guitar. In particular, the song "Warning" from that album featured an intensely personal, improvised-sounding lead guitar part that Andy felt he had to learn. The most important thing that Andy learned from this solo was to play with feeling (heart) first, with technique (mind) a distant second.

Guitar had intimidated Andy before hearing Tony, because players like Blackmore, Ulrich Roth, and Randy Rhoads sounded incredibly advanced. Tony Iommi had formidable skill, but his style lent itself to making a young guitar player think, "Hey, I can do that!" Tony Iommi has remained a giant of guitar and both him and Black Sabbath have remained favorites of Andy's ever since. In fact, both Tony Iommi and Ritchie Blackmore have greatly influenced Andy's guitar-oriented songwriting.

In regard to other metal gods, Andy became a fan of Judas Priest in 1977, when he purchased a cut-out vinyl copy of Sad Wings of Destiny. This was an early period in the band's career, when few others in the U.S. even knew who they were. Andy feels that he grew up with the band, and has been consistently inspired by them over the years.

Andy was first introduced to the music of Scorpions back in 1978, at the age of 12. The guitar playing of Ulrich Roth completely awed him, and continues to do so to this very day. Roth's style was parallel to Ritchie Blackmore's in terms of the art music and Jimi Hendrix influences, but featured even more experimentation and complexity. Andy has followed the progress of Ulrich (now known as Uli) since, and considers him to be both his only precedent and competition in what he calls the "Dawn of the Heavy Metal Composer-Guitarist".

In 1986, after Andy had been playing guitar for over two years, he was introduced to the albums Rainbow Rising and Michael Schenker Group's Assault Attack. This constituted the most significant event in Andy's playing and writing since he first picked up the guitar. Though he had been a fan of Rainbow and Michael Schenker for years, he had been unaware of those particular albums (both releases had mainly been popular overseas). Andy was struck by how musically involved those albums were; that his beloved Metal could be so musical. From that point on, those albums became a spiritual thing to Andy; he dreamed of someday composing and playing music as involved and dramatic as that on Rising and Assault Attack. Those albums seemed to him to have so much more drama and personality than the neo-classical trend that followed them in the 1980's.

Andy is both inventing and pioneering what he calls "Wagnerian Opera Metal", and this has resulted in the groundbreaking music of Lyraka.

Here are some kind words about Andy:

Andy says that his life really started when he met Jasmine. before then, he had given up even music.

In case you hadn't guessed, Andy is crazy about rainbows. One of Andy's favorite songs is "Catch The Rainbow". In realizing his twenty-five year dream of working with living legend, Graham Bonnet, Andy feels he has really "caught the rainbow".

Andy plays a customized '70's Fender Stratocaster with jumbo Gibson frets and DiMarzio HS pickups. His gear includes a DOD 308 pedal, Dunlop Bad Horsie Wah, and a BOSS NS-2 Noise Suppressor. His amplifiers of choice are Marshall DSL 2000 and Marshall JCM 800.

Inspirations:
Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow
Richard Wagner
Black Sabbath
Manowar
Judas Priest
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Michael Schenker Group
Deep Purple
The Who's "Quadrophenia"Album
Atul Tandon
Emily Dickenson
Muhammad Ali
Robert Frost
Gene Simmons
Béla Bartók
Aaron Copland
Bathory
Johnny Winter
Ulrich Roth
Johann Sebastian Bach
Anton Bruckner
Edward Van Halen
Richard Strauss
Joseph Haydn
Randy Rhoads
Giuseppe Verdi
Graham Bonnet
Gustav Mahler
Gary Moore
Metallica (Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets exclusively)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Deicide
Henryk Gorecki's Third Symphony
Jeff Beck
Ronnie James Dio
Jason Becker
Death/Chuck Schuldiner
Ulrich Roth's Scorpions
Testament/ Alex Skolnick
Extra special thanks to Joe Stump, a great player and a terrific person.

Thanks also to the marvelous guitar players and songwriters at the Dinosaur Rock Guitar site.

Finally, thanks so much to our veterans, without them no one would have the chance to live their dreams.

HELP OUR WOUNDED VETERANS HERE:

         

"Sacred Heart of Jesus, have Mercy on us and on the whole world."

Graham Bonnet is considered not only a living vocal legend, but one of the top vocalists living. His prolific career speaks for itself. Graham has sung on four songs for the Lyraka CD, playing the roles of both the musical narrator and Palace Guard.

A statement from Graham Bonnet reads: "I have been given opportunities in the past to do many kinds of projects; a word I don't like because it is one used, in my opinion, too many times. Lyraka is an adventure for me. Jasmine and Andy have given me the chance to sing and be involved in the creative side of a new world. I think we have come up with something unique. This is a different path; a road less travelled and a new light. Thanks to Jasmine and Andy for their great images... they make my job all that much easier."

Our composer Andy DiGelsomina says, "As evidenced by Graham's classic 'Desert Song', Graham's voice is perfect for Epic Metal; not to mention 50's and 60's rock, rhythm and blues, jazz, hard rock and even extreme metal! He remains one of the elite world class Rock vocalists to this very day. Many people aren't as familiar with Graham's non-belting singing voice, which can be even more moving. Bottom line, the resoundingly individual tone, flexibility, creativity, and nuance of Graham's voice makes it an invaluable instrument. Having worked with Graham, the former singer for my favorite band (Rainbow), and tied with Ronnie James Dio as my favorite singer ever, was one of my dreams come true."

Empress Jasmine

A.K.A.

The Gothic Metalhead Empress of Mermaids

Jasmine dreamt up and is the total inspiration behind the entire Lyraka concept, including but not limited to the Lyraka screenplay, music and artwork. Jasmine created Lyraka.com using Dreamweaver, Fireworks and Flash.

For more exclusive pictures of Jasmine, visit her page.

This page reveals what inspires Jasmine and how she came to be the way that she is.

When she was four years old she went to the theater for the first time in her life and saw, "The Little Mermaid". Ever since then she's had an obsession with mermaids. She spent her childhood daydreaming and singing along with Ariel.

When Jasmine was seventeen she met a man that changed her life forever. Andy DiGelsomina wrote a song for her, "Coronation" which inspired her to no end. Much to her delight, many more songs were to come and many years of being in love.

Andy DiGelsomina has enriched her life in many ways. His philosophical musings aroused in her a desire to ponder the relationship between the subconcious and conscious aspects of the mind, as well as the significance of symbolism and archetype. Simply by being Andy's other half, she's learned via osmosis the hypotheses of the greatest thinkers such as Friedrich Nietzsche, Georg Hegel, Carl Jung and of course the musical genius of Richard Wagner.

When she saw "Beowulf" in theaters, she was blown away by the state-of-the-art 3D CGI animation. Jasmine's decided that Motion Capture is the technology she's going to use to present her movie.

Jasmine has an interest in starting other screenplays. One would be a zombie flick and the other would be a libretto for an Italian vampire opera called, "L'idolo Vendicato" (The Avenged Idol).

She loves most of the same albums that Andy loves. She also loves certain albums by Nine Inch Nails, Skinny Puppy, Marilyn Manson, Orgy and Cradle of Filth.

Jasmine listens to industrial, opera, techno, gothic, black metal and heavy metal bands. She also appreciates death metal, punk and thrash. If there's a mosh pit, she'll likely stick around!

Jasmine is a hardcore gamer. If Jasmine were a Sim, her traits would be Artistic, Athletic, Computer Whiz, Loner and Lucky. Her favorite board game is Monopoly and her favorite MMORPG is World of Warcraft.

Who says video games are for overweight, depressed people? The impressive attributes of the ultimate femme fatale, Lara Croft, and many characters in the Resident Evil series have inspired Jasmine to pursue martial arts and weightlifting.

 

In the video on the left, Jasmine lifts the third heaviest weight that she's ever achieved. On the right, she shows that rowing fifty pounds for fifty reps is a breeze. You can search for Lyraka on Bodyspace to check out some of her powerlifting records. She has deadlifted 276 pounds for six reps.

Photographers: Jasmine is available for your mermaid or gothic fashion photo shoot. You may contact her directly for booking.

 

Ken Kelly has been creating much coveted works of fantasy art for over thirty years and was taught by Frank Frazetta.

Ken Kelly is petitioned by rock legends and best-selling authors alike. He has created CD cover artwork for Kiss, Rainbow and Manowar among others. He has portrayed many well-known characters  for comics and books such as Conan the Barbarian, Vampirella and Tarzan.  To make a long story short, lets just say I wouldn't have quite enough time to read all of the books that his artwork is featured on. Apparently, Ken Kelly very much likes to paint.

Our composer, Andy DiGelsomina, reminisces, "I remember buying Kiss' Destroyer and Love Gun albums when I was very young, mostly because I was knocked out by the album covers. Ken's art totally blew away the music on those albums in terms of quality. I am fantastically inspired and honored to be working with Ken Kelly: not only is he my favorite fantasty artist, but with his participation it's like I now have a spiritual link my favorite bands ever, Rainbow and Manowar."

 

Liz Vandall has an illustrious history in the Progressive Rock and Hard Rock fields. She's best known for her extensive work with guitar maestro Uli Jon Roth, and was also lead singer for the band Sahara in the late 80s and early 90s.

Andy DiGelsomina comments: "I needed a multi-faceted singer with a distinct Classic Rock influence to fit the personality of a character in the Lyraka opera. Liz Vandall completely fits those requirements, and I'm thrilled at the chance to work with her. Her vocal style really sets her apart from the other vocalists, adding dimensions to the opera as a whole."

If neo-classical rock vocalists were rated as cars, Mark Boals would be considered the Lamborghini of the genre. His landmark work with Yngwie Malmsteen and Tony MacAlpine constitutes some of the most influential in the history of not only the aforementioned Neo-Classical genre, but Power and Progressive Metal as well.

 

 

Rob Diaz is the vocalist for the Chilean heavy metal band, Vastator. Vastator, formed in 1986, has released three full length albums that have received critical and popular success amongst heavy metal enthusiasts. The albums are reknowned for having combined different Metal genres in exciting and creative ways.

Our Guitarist-Composer Andy DiGelsomina states, "I am devastated by the voice of Señor Diaz. He has all of the operatic heavy metal ability of classic Rob Halford and King Diamond, yet showcases a profoundly individual style. Señor Diaz is mostly known for his more scathing vocal performances, but he has a rich, captivating baritone opera voice as well. This makes him a vital addition to my opera."

Thom Carvey 

Thom Carvey is a thoroughly experienced musician whose technique would stand out anywhere in the world. He teaches saxophone and bass guitar.

Andy DiGelsomina states, "Thom Carvey proved to be an essential element in the Lyraka opera. The quality of his musicianship is extraordinarily high; he won't settle for just playing along with parts, he adds brilliant contrapuntal dimensions and proves his willingness to be diverse. Thom is the only bass and saxophone player that I'd ever have on board the Lyraka project."

Tommy Heart is a German Hard Rock and Operatic Heavy Metal singer.  His bands V2, Fair Warning, and Soul Doctor have achieved especially great success in Europe and Japan. Tommy has also provided vocals for the legendary guitarist Uli Jon Roth's project, Sky of Avalon. Tommy sings the part of the character Neires for Lyraka.

Our composer, Andy DiGelsomina, states: "I was completely amazed at Tommy's operatic performance on Ulrich Roth's Symphonic Legends, and felt compelled to contact him for inclusion in the Lyraka opera. I was further impressed by his other bands; the flexibility, range, and overall quality of his voice is just perfect for my compositions. He is easily among the elite hard rock and heavy metal vocalists, in that he is capable of handling genuinely operatic parts, as well as subtle ballads and heavy metal scorchers.

"Tommy is truly the modern equivalent of a Wagnerian Heldentenor. My music will ensure that such a designation applies to those singers with the ability to sing Rock, Metal, and other genres as well as classic Opera. We hope to be working with him alot more in the future."

Veronica Freeman

Veronica Freeman is one of the top heavy metal vocalists in the world. She fronts the popular band Benedictum. Veronica will be contributing vocals for Scatherus.

Our composer, Andy DiGelsomina, states: "Working with Veronica is a massively inspiring development. There are few vocalists in the world with her kind of power and versatility. I had considered death and black metal vocalists for Scatherus, but my music demands a much more dynamic approach. Veronica completely fulfills that requirement. ."

Veronica is the very definition of the term "bad-ass". She delivered a vocal performance that actually out Udos even Udo Dirkschneider himself, whilst showcasing her own, inimitable style. Hellish tone, devastatingly delivered. It's an awe-inspiring performance. You have to hear it to believe it. There will be more of "Scatherus" on our second CD.

 

West Street Digital Recording is operated by former 8084 guitarist, Andre Maquera. West Street Digital has proved itself to be a very discreet and confidential entity, protecting the musician's recordings as a matter of professionalism and respect. Andre is responsible for playing all rhythm and acoustic/nylon guitars for Lyraka, and plays many of the guitar harmonies.

Andre wears many hats as a producer, capable of producing great recordings in many different types of music. He has handled the demands of Lyraka's diverse material with ease, making him a producer and engineer of the highest rank. Andre is an awe-inspiring guitar player, having distinctive, exciting rhythm and lead styles. His playing is influenced by Ritchie Blackmore, Michael Schenker, Gary Moore, Eddie Van Halen and Jeff Beck among others. He even has a Jeff Beck Fender Stratocaster on display in the studio.

Mingo Maquera is an aspiring guitar hero and will be featured on Lyraka Volume 2.