Length 70:12 Producer Michael Angelo Batio | Label Rat Pak | |
Released April 14, 2015 (2015-04-14) Genre Heavy metal
neoclassical metal
progressive metal
hard rock | ||
Shred Force 1: The Essential MAB is a compilation album by American heavy metal musician Michael Angelo Batio. Released on April 14, 2015 by Rat Pak Records, it is a career retrospective featuring songs from many of Batio's previously released studio albums. Shred Force 1 was produced by Batio and features a wide range of guest musicians. The album registered on several Billboard charts.
Contents
Recording and production
Shred Force 1: The Essential MAB features tracks from many of Batio's previously released albums, as well as some previously unreleased tracks and re-recordings. The songs feature numerous musical guests, including vocalist Todd La Torre, guitarists Dave Reffett and Mark Tremonti, bassists Chuck Garric and Rudy Sarzo, and drummer Bobby Rock. Rat Pak Records selected the tracks to include on the collection, of which Batio has said he approved because "a lot of times artists can't even tell what's going to be the hit song". The album was mixed and mastered by Chris Wisco at Belle City Sound in Racine, Wisconsin.
Promotion and release
The release of Shred Force 1: The Essential MAB was first announced in March 2015, described in a press release as a "career retrospective" which "highlights Michael's best work to date". The previously unreleased recording of Rush's "What You're Doing" included on the album was made available for streaming upon its announcement, as was the Intermezzo track "8 Pillars of Steel". Speaking about the release, Batio described it as "the culmination of [his] best musical work". As a promotion for Shred Force 1, Dean Guitars entered customers who pre-ordered the album into a prize draw to win an MAB1 Armored Flame guitar.
Commercial
Shred Force 1: The Essential MAB charted on several Billboard charts, reaching number 2 on the Top Heatseekers chart, number 11 on the Hard Rock Albums chart, number 21 on the Independent Albums chart, and number 39 on the Top Rock Albums chart.
Critical
Media response to Shred Force 1: The Essential MAB was generally positive. Jeb Wright of the website Classic Rock Revisited described the album as "a pure slab of electric guitar mastery" and "a must have for all fans of the shred guitar genre". Target Audience Magazine's Tillman Cooper praised it as "polished, beautiful, [and] awe-inspiring", highlighting the tribute tracks "Slowhand", "Diamond" and "R R R".