So Damn Good/Guitar Player Magazine - October 2007
Guitarist Bill Lonero and crew have gear endorsements out the wazoo, promotional help from Apple Computer, two-million MySpace plays, and they claim to have invented "instrumental guitarcore," so you should really hate them. But you can't, because they're just so damn good. This song kicks ass-it's melodic, blistering, and brilliant.
Guitarcore/Jim Dalrymple - Gibson.com
There’s quite literally an endless amount of music genres these days, but none focuses more on the talent and melodic power of a guitar than guitarcore. A new term coined by California instrumental guitarist Bill Lonero (whose band LoNero — same name, different spelling — champions the genre)"(click here to read the entire article)
Complete and utter breakthrough/All Access Magazine
A complete and utter breakthrough of what consumers have been listening to for many years, LoNero’s Relentless CD is groundbreaking, riveting and above all a possible instrumental rock classic. Bill LoNero the lead guitarist and founder of the group may be what drive’s the group, and his masterful guitar playing is as if he and his guitar are as one, but as you listen to one track after the other, the entire band is perfectly up there with Bills quality, emotion, and passion for their instruments, they all play their instruments as if they were one with their individual instruments. The entire album where Bill is backed by William Baglivo on the rhythm and harmony guitar, Mike McKaigg on bass and Steve Spicer on drums work as one, making the CD Relentless sound as if it was played as an extension of all hands on all instruments. I was blown away, whether the songs where hard rocking songs like the title track Relentless, No Regrets and others, or a bit more down tempo like Lahaina Nights and Morning. They all worked and took the listener on their own personal trip.
This is a band in their prime and on the song Drastic drummer Steve Spicer got to prove that like Bill on the guitar, Steve is a master on the drums who seems to feel most at home when playing the hard hitting rock licks that so many kids start playing drums for in the first place. I think that without these four members playing together right now, in this place and time, their music would not be what it is. I do know this genre of music, this feel of music is sorely missing from the music scene, and is something that I believe hardcore music fans are missing, and that a whole new generation is missing out on.
In every single song you feel their passion, from start to end, there is not one song you want to skip over, from the beginning they take you on a wild ride from hard hitting rock tunes like the title track Relentless, Drastic, Loose, and Listen, to slowing it down with two songs that make you want to be laying next to a lover Lahaina Nights and Morning. What surprised and intrigued me most was their versatility; they had a 49 second Cajun/Zydeco piece called Swamp Juice and closed the CD with an awesome version of Amazing Grace, that kept all its heart, but rather than hearing it come from a Gospel Choir or Church it came from a rock band and was just as moving and beautiful as any version I have ever heard before. This is absolutely a band that deserves to be heard, and noticed. This CD is available at ITunes, I suggest picking it up, they are a new great instrumental rock band for the 21st Century, and not to be overlooked.
Ready for the airwaves/San Jose Metro
BATTLE AXES: Pumping out straight-ahead, all-instrumental rock with the technical precision of a computer engineer whiz on speed, LoNero takes the stage at VooDoo tonight supporting their long-awaited sophomore album, Relentless. Led by one of the best guitarists in the local scene, Bill Lonero, the quartet rips out metal-laced rock anthems that are as polished as anything you're going to find circulated on the airwaves or the well-established arena circuit. If you dig the sounds of Joe Satriani or Steve Vai, but don't feel like kicking down half your paycheck to Ticketmaster to see them live, swing by the VooDoo and check out what this local ax-man and LoNero bring to the amp wars.
Best Instrumental I Have Ever Heard!!!!!/Eternal Terror Webzine
LoNero is from California and play the best instrumental music I have ever heard; It is not just instrumental skills, but also a variety of arrangement and major difference of composition that blows you away after listening to it. Its not just guitar solo after guitar solo on the top of rhythms and sounds- the whole band is equal in the sound picture. On top of it all, even if it is hard rock, the best thing about LoNero is that they display something as noble as feeling and living the music, something that you don't come across a lot in today's rock scene. Guitar players and instrumental players can actually feel how the music blends and separates far beyond our belief and capability to understand. LoNero has really created something new and refreshing, that also the international arena of all types and on all areas are moved by. They are everything you can expect as a guitar enthusiast and music lover. This band will definitely be with me for a long time. Now the bragging is enough and its time to introduce you to the members of this band. on acoustic and electric guitars we have Bill Lonero, on bass and synth is Mike McKaigg, and behind a wall of percussions we catch a glance of Steve Spicer, also with a contribution on synth, Last we have William Baglivio, wait he went to take a leak, but he will be back with rhythm guitar on one track. Guest performers listed are Zack Harrison on additional rhythm guitar on tracks 4 and 11, and Frank Casanova on 2 solo guitar on track 7. Let me say that track 6 is a very nice little piece of harmony and slide guitar done like a connoisseur by Bill Lonero, and in the intro of track 7 it is easy to recognize the sound of Robert Plant, guess what song the radio track is from. Track 12 is the bass maestro's playground and he uses it with heart and soul. Besides track 12 and 14 which are LoNero's version of the traditional "Amazing Graze" Bill Lonero is the leading actor when it comes to composing with contributions from Steve Spicer and Zack Harrison, this makes it easy to know which instrument are used to highlight the melody and separate the melody lines from the rhythmical and progressive lines. And it is with great joy to listen to each instrumentalist getting to use his instrument with room to play in the contributions. When I put the cd on the repeat function is on, and then I just press play and lean back in my soft chair enjoying LoNero, start a new review, yell at the neighbor for driving to fast in the curb or just plain empty my head, LoNero has come up with the concept, produced, illustrated and designed Relentless to perfection. And its recorded by Juan Urteaga at TriDent studio in Pachecho, California. Thank You LoNero.
One of the BEST albums/Patty - Austin Texas
I FUCKING LOVE YOU GUYS!!! This is one of the BEST albums I've ever heard. Ya'll don't need no stinkin' singer. Shit that rocks that good speaks for itself. read more....
