While most kids are out and about trying to think up what trouble they could possibly get into, 13-year-old Vox Realis was indoors, practising his guitar. Ever since picking up his first guitar at just 7 years of age, Realis has ploughed all of his time and energy into mastering the instrument, earning the praise and subsequent guidance of Kiko Loureiro (Megadeth, Angra) along the way, who saw something special in the aspiring musician. Not content to merely practice for himself, Realis started the YouTube series Metal For Breakfast - which has since gone viral - putting his name and guitar prowess out there to a global audience.
The result is his recently released debut single Overkill, which also features Felipe Andreoli (Angra) on bass and Dirk Verbeuren (Megadeth) on drums. HEAVY recently sat down to chat with the young guitarist and start by asking him to go into the musical side of Overkill a bit deeper.
"I knew that I needed to find my own voice, and I wanted to make sure that what was in my head was represented in the song," Realis measured. "I'm really about tones, and so I really just embraced a song structure that is accessible to listeners, but I can still get what I want from my head into the song. This song is full of emotion, and I had lots of fun with the different effects and the drive and really capturing what I was feeling. School and life is pretty hard at 13 (laughs), and this song is my first attempt to communicate those sometimes conflicting and really big emotions."
We bring up his age and ask Realis if it is difficult being thrust into the limelight so young.
"Yes," he replied honestly, "but everyone is so supportive and excited to see where this all goes. They also recognise that I'm young and all this guitar needs to be my choice. My parents, my mentors and my teacher, they all help me keep a balanced life and encourage me to embrace the long and patient journey that is becoming a musician."
In the full interview, we talk more about Overkill and bringing the song to life. Vox tells us about the writing process for the song and how he put his own DNA through it. He mentions the two guest musicians playing on the track and how they came to be involved, as well as having Kiko Loureiro as his mentor and the importance of that in his future plans.
Vox talks about his passion for guitar and having old-style metal musicians as inspiration, but sprinkling enough of himself into the creative process to make it his own. He talks of future musical plans and what got him interested in guitar, plus winning the Musicians Institute Summer Program Scholarship and what it means moving forward. He spoke of future plans and mapping things out in steps, Metal For Breakfast and more.
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