ProgressiveWorld.net recently caught up with former MEGADETH guitarist Glen Drover to discuss his new solo album, Metalusion. An excerpt is available below:

Assisting Drover with forging a perfect musical balance are a number of special guests, including NEVERMOREs power metal/prog metal guitarist Jeff Loomis, OPETH’s and TALISMAN’s ass-kicking axe man Fredrik Åkesson, veteran Steve Smyth of the Bay Area’s FORBIDDEN, OHM’s guitar hero and erstwhile Megadeth genius Chris Poland and classical metal master Vinnie Moore of UFO.

"As was the case for many of the guests who appear on Metalusion, I simply asked the guys if they would be interested in playing on the record, ripping a solo or two, and everyone was into it," says Drover. "I love collaborating with other musicians, jamming, trading files, and this record is a testament to that."

While each guitarist guest poured his own distinct playing style into the molten mixture of metal-fusion, Drover was molding and guiding the overall construction of these massively heavy tracks from their inception. Drover wrote or co-wrote nearly all of the original compositions on the record (with the exception of 'Frozen Dream', credited to SAGA's Gilmour and featuring Smyth on co-lead guitar), including the soaring 'Colors Of Infinity', the dark, multi-sectional 'Illusion Of Starlight', the meditative 'Ascension', and the adrenaline-soaked and lightly Spanish-flavored opener, 'Ground Zero' (featuring skyrocketing solos by Chris Poland and Vinnie Moore).

"Chris [Poland] was always my favorite Megadeth guitarist by far; he’s just from another planet," says Drover. "Vinnie Moore's playing I've always loved, ever since his first album [Mind's Eye on the Shrapnel label] came out in 1986. It's amazing to have these two guys appear on the record."

Metalusion is certainly packed to the gills with talent and Drover garners the best from himself and others. Drover is particular about the overall impact of these often spiraling and fiery instrumental compositions, but the guitarist says he didn’t dissect every note he played on Metalusion. "I'm an ad lib kind of guy," says Drover, who mixed, mastered and co-engineered the album. "That’s where the best stuff comes from, anyway."

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The Metalusion tracklist is as follows:

'Ground Zero'

'Frozen Dream'

'Egyptian Danza'

'Colors Of Infinity'

'Illusions Of Starlight'

'Don't Let The World Pass You By'

'Mirage'

'Ascension'

'The Purple Lagoon'

'Filthy Habits'

Drover recently contacted BW&BK; with the following announcement:

"I have decided to make my online and home guitar lessons my first priority now, and have just recently opened up three more days for lessons. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to start for every week. Lessons will include focus on improving guitar skills in all areas, as well as interactive guitar recordings in Pro-Tools for developing and constructing solo skills over rhythm patterns, harmonies, etc. Contact Glen Drover at gdlessons@gmail.com. Serious inquiries only."