Guitarist Joe Stump (HOLYHELL, REIGN OF TERROR) is a featured artist in Lion Music's guitar virtuoso line-up for July. A Q&A; session with the label has been posted on the labels site; an excerpt is below.

Q: Tell us about your music.

Stump: "Guitar driven metal that combines a variety of varying schools of metal and hard rock, from neo-classical speed metal, thrash metal, European power metal and old school hard rock. A killer blend of heavy riffs , strong melodies and over the top high tech shred guitar."

Q: Tell us more about your Lion Music releases.

Stump: My latest solo offering Virtuostic Vendetta is the best record I've ever made, I strongly feel I managed to put it all together on this one. Playing, compositionally, production-wise, guitar-tones/etc. this far exceeds my past efforts in all categories. I also manage to combine the over the top shredding I'm predominantly known for with plenty of old school hard rock guitar elements all played with plenty of balls and attitude and it's all showcased nicely inside some very cool tunes."

Q: Any other projects you are working on?

Stump: "HolyHell, female fronted power metal band I play with. Great band, all amazing players and the singer Maria Breon is more like female DIO-style singer than one of those girlie operatic euro chicks. The music ranges from epic power metal to gothic stuff to more classically tinged speed metal along with some Dio-era SABBATH elements. The debut album was released in the States just a few weeks ago , it's been out in Europe well before that and the band has been touring in support of it."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

Footage of Stump shot at a recent Sam Ash guitar showcase in Cincinnati, Ohio can be seen below.