The Renaissance Man: What Happened to Francesco Artusato?
If the broken link scripts chewing through our 2011 archives reminded us of anything, it's that Chaos and the Primordial was an absolute watershed moment for instrumental metal. Indeed, this should get you out there searching for these classic albums on CD.When Francesco Artusato dropped The Francesco Artusato Project in 2011, the guitar community collectively paused. Here was a Berklee graduate who possessed the terrifying alternate picking of a death metal veteran, fused with the fluid, alien legato phrasing of Allan Holdsworth. He was a harmonic anomaly.
You probably know Francesco as the rhythmic anchor for heavy hitters like All Shall Perish, Devil You Know, and Light the Torch. But his solo output from that 2011-2014 era (Our Dying Sun followed shortly after) was mandatory listening for anyone trying to push extreme metal guitar into progressive, intellectual territory. His sweeping was mathematically perfect, and his chordal voicings were incredibly dark and dense.
So, why does he feel like a "Lost Virtuoso" to the instrumental shred community today?
Because Francesco realized something most guitarists never do: Virtuosity is a mindset, not just a physical trait.
In recent years, Francesco has stepped back from the relentless touring grind and quietly pivoted his intense creative focus into the visual arts. He is currently working as a Senior Vehicle Concept Artist and 3D designer. If you look at his current portfolio of high-end automotive renders and 3D concept art, you see the exact same mind at work. The same obsession with detail, structure, and perfection that made him a world-class guitarist has made him a world-class digital artist.
Required Listening:
Chaos and the Primordial (Track: "Typhoeus")
Album Track Listing
- Track 1: Chaos and the Primordial
- Track 2: Quantum Tunneling
- Track 3: Typhoeus Spotify
- Track 4: Gardens of Yama
- Track 5: Ceased Time
"Typhoeus" stands as a masterclass in modern instrumental metal, showcasing Francesco Artusato’s formal training from the Berklee College of Music. The track perfectly balances extreme metal speed with neoclassical, fusion and avant-garde composition.
Core Guitar Techniques
- Ambidextrous Tapping Layouts: Artusato utilizes multi-finger fretboard tapping. He maps out wide-interval geometric patterns, tapping fifths or octaves above his fretting hand to build hyper-fast, disjointed melodies.
- Polyrhythmic Note Groupings: He mixes rhythmic subdivisions, fluidly stringing together 16th notes, eighth-note triplets, and sextuplets. Altering the note-per-string count across groupings disrupts the standard rhythm.
- Sweeping & Fluid Legato: High-speed sweep picking and seamless legato passages weave through unusual scales, creating an "alien," cascading wall of sound.
- Exotic Modal Fusion: The harmonic framework avoids standard metal structures, relying on complex modal blending (including the Lydian mode and Mixolydian variants) to produce an unsettling atmosphere.
- Multi-Track Layering: Dense walls of guitar tracks create wide stereo arrangements and complex, intertwined counter-melodies.
Gear & Production Architecture
To articulate these frantic techniques without losing note definition, Artusato uses a highly specific gear setup:
- Extended Range Guitars: 7 and 8-string guitars provide low-end growl while leaving ample high-register room for solos.
- High-Articulation Pickups: Active Seymour Duncan Blackouts or passive Duncan Distortions preserve strict note separation during fast sweep and tapping runs.
- High-Gain Amps: Studio tracks are funneled through Engl, Soldano, and Peavey amplifiers to deliver a saturated, sharp bite.
Our Dying Sun (Track: "The Last Particle")
"Layers of Corrosion - The Last Particle" is the epic, 7-minute closing track on the 2011 instrumental metal album Chaos and the Primordial by The Francesco Artusato Project. Serving as the technical climax of the record, the track leans heavily into progressive metal structures and showcases a shift toward complex, syncopated phrasing.
Album Track Listing
Released via Sumerian Records, the full 10-track journey of Chaos and the Primordial includes:
- Chaos And The Primordial (06:39)
- Quantum Tunneling (04:22)
- Typhoeus (05:32)
- Gardens of Yama (05:26)
- Ceased Time (04:42)
- The Metamorphosis (04:44)
- Pour L'Egyptienne (02:31)
- Aktion T4 (05:34)
- The Madness Of... (04:15)
- Layers Of Corrosion - The Last Particle (07:10)
Core Guitar Techniques
- Dream Theater-Style Start-Stop Phrasing: The song relies heavily on jarring, staccato progressive metal movements. Artusato uses precise, synchronized muting to create abrupt, syncopated rhythm breaks that mimic mechanical or atomic decay.
- Advanced Odd-Meter Riffing: Rather than relying on standard time signatures, the rhythm guitar architecture weaves fluidly through shifting odd meters. This framework forces the lead melodies to navigate asymmetrical accents.
- Melodic Counterpoint Over Heavy Grooves: Unlike the unrelenting speed of previous tracks, this piece balances technicality with soulful, soaring lead lines. Artusato juxtaposes highly expressive string bends with dense rhythm tracking.
- Extended Range Scale Runs: Utilizing the full range of his 7 and 8-string guitars, the solos bridge deep, rumbling low-register sweeps with hyper-fast chromatic runs in the highest register.
Gear & Production Architecture
To capture both the immense crushing weight and clear note separation of this massive album finale, the studio production used a deliberate audio design:
- Dynamic Active Pickups: High-output Seymour Duncan Blackouts are utilized to give the complex, low-tuned start-stop riffs massive punch without turning into muddy frequencies.
- Layered High-Gain Amplification: The heavy rhythm tracks are tracked using a blending of Engl and Soldano amplifiers, delivering a sharp, saturated attack that anchors the shifting rhythm section.
- Wide Stereo Imaging: The production features intensely layered left-and-right rhythm guitar panning. This creates a wide sonic space that allows the solo tracks to sit clearly in the center of the mix.
The Francesco Artusato Project - Our Dying Sun
Artusato demo Ibanez RG2011SC-BK
As industry pioneers of 7 & 8 string guitars and extended range instruments for production models, Ibanez has always been on the cutting edge. Instead of focusing on the lower register, we've added higher notes, with an extended 30 fret fingerboard to create an extreme shredding machine!
The rosewood fingerboard contains 30 Jumbo frets at the standard long scale length (25.5"). Also featured is an eye-catching, extra-deep cutaway that allows access to the higher frets effortlessly while retaining the beauty of an authentic RG body shape. Other key features include a 5-screw All-Access Neck Joint with a smoother heel scoop for your thumb, which allows the maple neck to be firmly and seamlessly bolted to the resonant Alder body.
This guitar is equipped with the famous Ibanez Edge-Zero tremolo with the Zero Point System, a recessed output jack, and white DiMarzio® pickups.
Furthermore, this guitar includes a special hidden feature. We didn't want to sacrifice the tone of a Neck pickup for the extra length of the fingerboard. Instead, we retained the popular 5-way split switch and developed a Neck Pickup Simulator Circuit powered by a 9v battery, specially designed for this extremely limited edition RG. This allows for the ultimate shredding machine without compromise!
Francesco Artusato: demo Ibanez RG2011SC-BK 4K