Released this past November in Europe, Rockshots Records has announced the North American release of progressive metal guitarist Dustin Behm's debut solo album The Beyond on January 19th. 

Picking up the guitar at the age of 13 and attending the Guitar Institute of Technology at the Musician's Institute in Los Angeles where he studied with world renowned guitarists such as Paul Gilbert, Scott Henderson, Greg Harrison and tapping master TJ Helmerich this offering from Behm features 13 shredding tracks.

After being snowed indoors for weeks at a time in one of the most extreme winters in Oregon history, Behm (guitarist for Portland's instrumental progressive metal band Increate) was eager to create new music and began work on his dream of creating his first solo album. After writing and recording during the spring and summer of 2017, Behm's debut solo album The Beyond was complete. On the release, Behm plays guitar, E-Bow, bass, keys and programming as well as handling production duties and album layout.

The Beyond was inspired musically by early ‘90s progressive death metal such as Spheres era Pestilence combined with modern metal influences Meshuggah, Allan Holdsworth and Chris Poland's "Return to Metalopolis". Other inspirations for this debut were Behm's simple love for classic horror movies, especially European horror of the ‘70s and ‘80s that can be seen in the album artwork, skillfully painted by Mark Cooper. The artwork represents figures from a series of nightmares Behm had as a child (of which Mark was unaware when he painted the piece).

Tracklisting:

“Mechanization”
“Poltergeist”
“Alien Voodoo”
“Interdimensional Traveler”
“The Beyond”
“Genesis”
“Rituals”
“Descent Into The Unknown”
“Haunted Labyrinth”
“Obelisk”
“Last Resort”
“Awakening”
“Towers Of Glass”

“Mechanization”:

(Photo by: Sleeper Studios)