Nick Vasallo is a die hard prog fan’s dream come true. The man is a doctor of music and a critically acclaimed composer of classical music that is played worldwide. What more can you ask for? After a couple albums of his solo work, Nick helped form, and handles the vocals in, the band Oblivion. You can read our own Mike Thall’s very positive review of Oblivion’s debut “Called to Rise” album here.

Dr. Vasallo finished a new piece, titled “Only One Survives,” and debuted it April 9th 2013. This epic 18 minute piece features various “characters” that fight throughout the music until only one remains. The entire piece was performed by three musicians: Jennifer Culp, Marc Shapiro, and Jack Van Geem. The frenetic cello and piano, pounding percussion, and haunting melodic lines honestly make this more of a symphonic metal piece than a classical piece but that’s semantics. I’ve included the bonus tracks from “Called to Rise” and another Vasallo piece in case anyone’s interested. Just listen and enjoy.

-Trisolino

Links: Nick Vasallo Facebook // Twitter // Official Website

Oblivion Facebook // Twitter // Bandcamp