''No Boundaries'' is the debut solo studio album by American heavy metal musician

Michael Angelo Batio Michael Angelo Batio (), also known as Michael Angelo, Mike Batio or MAB, is an American heavy metal music, heavy metal guitarist and columnist from Chicago, Illinois. He was the lead guitarist for the Los Angeles-based glam metal band Nitro (b ...

. Recorded at M.A.C.E. Studios in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, it was released on September 1, 1995 by his own label M.A.C.E. Music. Batio performed the majority of instruments on the release, as well as producing, engineering and mixing the album.

Background and production

Michael Angelo Batio began his solo career shortly after the break-up of his previous band

Nitro Nitro may refer to: Chemistry *Nitrogen, a chemical element and a gas except at very low temperatures, with which many compounds are formed: **Nitro compound, an organic compound containing one or more nitro functional groups, -NO2 **Nitroalkene, ...

, which featured lead vocalist

Jim Gillette James "Jim" Gillette (born November 10, 1967) is an American singer, notable for being the frontman of glam metal band Nitro. Originally a member of the band Tuff, Gillette released a solo album in 1987 and then formed Nitro with guitarist Mi ...

, in 1992. His debut solo album, ''No Boundaries'', was recorded at M.A.C.E. Studios and mixed at Monsterdisc, both in his hometown Chicago, with Batio handling all production, engineering and mixing; Jason Rau mastered the album. All electric and acoustic guitars, bass, keyboards and percussion programming were performed by Batio, with Rob Ross contributing drums to "Rain Forest", "Science Fiction" and "2X Again". The album's title track, "No Boundaries", was originally written for one of Batio's instructional guitar videos, not for the album itself, with the guitarist claiming he "didn't even know the song ... would be popular". The video in question was the 1991 Metal Method production ''Speed Kills''; the track was later featured on the video ''Speed Lives'', which breaks down and teaches the song in 27 parts. Additionally, "The Finish Line" was featured on ''Speed Lives 3''.

Reception and legacy

Quoting a review by critic Kevin Prowse, Guitar Nine Records noted that ''No Boundaries'' "has been heralded as one of the top ten instrumental guitar CDs of the 90s". Prowse praised the "mastery of various lead uitartechniques like speed picking,

string skipping String skipping is a guitar-playing technique that is used mainly for solos and complex riffs in rock and heavy metal songs. Explanation of technique String skipping is a method of achieving a guitar sound that is different from more traditiona ...

arpeggio A broken chord is a chord broken into a sequence of notes. A broken chord may repeat some of the notes from the chord and span one or more octaves. An arpeggio () is a type of broken chord, in which the notes that compose a chord are played ...

s and cross string

tapping Tapping is a playing technique that can be used on any stringed instrument, but which is most commonly used on guitar. The technique involves a string being fretted and set into vibration as part of a single motion. This is in contrast to stand ...

" on display, and selected "Science Fiction", "Rain Forest" and "No Boundaries" as particular highlights on the album. In 2007, Batio released the album '' 2 X Again'', which features remixed and remastered songs from ''No Boundaries'' and follow-up album '' Planet Gemini'' with re-recorded drums by Joe Babiak. From ''No Boundaries'', all tracks except "Intro: This CD Is Dedicated to You" and "The Finish Line" were included. The guitarist's 2015 "career-spanning retrospective" compilation album ''Shred Force 1: The Essential MAB'' features "2X Again", "Rain Forest", "No Boundaries" and "Peace" (on digital versions only), all of which were originally released on ''No Boundaries''.

Track listing

Personnel

Personnel credits adapted from the album's booklet. * Michael Angelo –

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

s, percussion programming, additional drums,

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

, mixing *Rob Ross – drums ("Rain Forest", "Science Fiction" and "2X Again") *Jason Rau – mastering *Rich Siegle –

art direction Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the visi ...

design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design'' ...

*Gary Mankus –

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed ...

References

{{Authority control 1995 debut albums Michael Angelo Batio albums M.A.C.E. Music albums