Guitar icon MICHAEL ANGELO BATIO was interviewed by Belgium's Metal To Infinity about his new CD, Intermezzo. An excerpt follows:

Q: How long have you been working on this new album?

A: "I worked on the writing, recording and finally the releasing of Intermezzo for almost 2 years. My tour schedule keeps me on the road about 250 days a year, so I had to write and record Intermezzo during my time away from touring. What helped is that I get a lot of song ideas when I am on tour and I record them on my iPhone. I later went over every single idea, took the best ones and used those ideas as the basis for all of the songs on the record."

Q: The list of guest musicians is quite impressive, why did you invite these people to work on your new solo album?

A: I have had a lot of big name guitarists on previous solo albums and I wanted to have the biggest guest artist list yet on Intermezzo. My criteria for the guest guitarists was simply that I had to be a fan of their work. Guitarist DAVE REFFETT not only did two great solos on Intermezzo but really helped in getting many of the guitarists featured on the record. We made a list of who we would like to be on Intermezzo and Dave knew many of them personally better than I did. Dave did a great job! "

Q: For someone who has not yet heard Intermezzo, what does this album have to offer? To whom would you recommend this new CD?

A: "I would say that if you are a fan of progressive rock music and love to hear great songs and great production played by many famous virtuoso musicians, than this album is for you! I feel Intermezzo is the best album I have ever recorded and released and I am proud of every note on it."

Read the full interview at this location.

M.A.C.E Records recently released the new Michael Angelo Batio music video ,'8 Pillars of Steel'. The song was written by Batio and longtime friend, Marc McNally.

The video features guest solos by music icons, George Lynch (DOKKEN, LYNCH MOB, KXM), Elliott Dean Rubinson (ULI JON ROTH, MICHAEL SCHENKER), Jeff Loomis (CONQUERING DYSTOPIA, NEVERMORE), Craig Goldy (DIO), Dave Reffett (SHREDDING THE ENVELOP), Andrea Martongelli (ARTHEMIS), Rusty Cooley (DAY OF REKONING) and virtuoso drummer, Joe Babiak.

Watch the incredible, star-studded video below:

'8 Pillars Of Steel' is the first single from Batio's new album, Intermezzo, which features all new original music. It is filled with Michael’s signature virtuoso guitar playing, mixed meters, great melodies, superb arrangements and world class production. The album features an amazing list of some of the best guitarists on the planet. This is the first album that Michael recorded using his new Dean signature MAB 7 Warrior, 7 string guitar. It is available for purchase on his website, itunes, amazon, and other major online retailers.

The complete list of guest guitarists on the album includes: GEORGE LYNCH (LYNCH MOB, ex-DOKKEN), Guthrie Govan (THE ARISTOCRATS), JEFF LOOMIS (ex-NEVERMORE), Michael Romeo and Mike Lepond (SYMPHONY X), Rusty Cooley, Dave Reffett, Craig Goldy (DIO, DIO DISCIPLES), Elliot Dean Rubinson (MICHAEL SCHENKER, ULI JON ROTH), Chris Poland (ex-MEGADETH), Andrea Martongelli (ARTHEMIS), Florent Atem, Alex Stornello, JOE STUMP (HOLY HELL, RAVEN LORD), Annie Grunwald (FORMLESS), Bill Peck, Maxxxwell Carlisle (HELLION), and Joe Rose.