Personnel: George Bellas (guitar, keyboards, bass guitar); Matt Guillory (keyboards); Kevin Chown (bass guitar); Deen Castronovo, Brad Kaiser, Mike McCarron (drums).
George Bellas' debut solo album, Turn of the Millennium, is the kind of record that guitar fanatics will find appealing, which shouldn't be surprising, since it was released on Shrapnel Records, a label notorious for its shredders. Bellas is a fine example of shred-metal, and if it had been released in 1987 instead of 1997, he could have become a minor hard rock star. The entire album feels like an elaborate showcase for his elaborate technique. Bellas' approach is similar to that of Yngwie Malmsteen, especially in how he grafts classical scales and modulations onto metal licks. Bellas certainly is technically adept, and capable of frighteningly fast scales and sweep picking. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
