Progressive metal guitarist, Martin Gonzalez (best known for his work on the soundtrack for the RWBY anime franchise), has released “Purpose.” The second single from his upcoming debut album, Suspiro, the track features a guest performance from Haken guitarist/keyboardist Richard Henshall. Suspiro is due out March 22nd. Check out the video for “Purpose” below, and read more from Martin Gonzalez.
Pre-order Suspiro here.
Commenting on Henshall’s contribution to the track, Martin shares, “I asked Richard to be a part of the song, and he delivered an epic solo that highlighted my vision. He is one of my favorite guitar players and I have followed him since I was a kid. It feels surreal to have him on the record!”
Speaking on the concept of “Purpose”, Martin adds:
“When you have something you’re deeply passionate about and you look forward to living your life, getting up from bed is not so hard. ‘Purpose; is a song about that. When I was a kid and wanted to explore the entire world, I had a big sense of what I wanted to do even if I was unaware of it. Now as an adult, I look back and try to find my purpose again. I think of this song as an instrumental anime opening to my life! It has that “happy” but melancholic feeling to it as well as some prog metal & deep house elements.”
In addition to the contributions of his wife (Elizabeth Hull), Suspiro also features a number of stellar collaborators, including Zac Zinger (League of Legends / 8-bit Orchestra), Richard Henshall (Haken) and Cenk Esen.
Suspiro tracklisting
01 Clueless
02 Ouroboros (feat. Elizabeth Hull)
03 Finding Home (feat. Cenk Esen)
04 Purpose (feat. Richard Henshall)
05 Hydrilla (feat. Elizabeth Hull)
06 Reality Check (feat. Zac Zinger)
07 Suspiro
More from Martin Gonzalez:
Martin Gonzalez is a Colombian-born, US-based guitarist & composer for anime and video games – best known for his work as composer on the Season 9 soundtrack of the Rooster Teeth anime RWBY, his metal band Atomic Guava, and his latest endeavor as a solo artist.
After graduating Berklee College of Music in 2019, Gonzalez started working as a freelance composer & music producer scoring for the eighth season of the anime RWBY, which led him to become the lead composer for the show in Season 9. Simultaneously, he worked with his band Atomic Guava and released two EPs and one studio album (Peasants of the Future – 2022) as well as two albums and an EP with his former band Ok Goodnight (Limbo – 2019, The Fox & The Bird – 2023). At the end of 2022, Gonzalez decided to launch his solo career with the release of the Blossoms EP, and by 2023 he released a full OST along with a couple of singles.
In the span of a year, Martin’s solo work has gathered over 4 million streams as an independent artist, and birthed collaborations with Zac Zinger (League of Legends / 8-bit Orchestra), Richard Henshall (Haken), Elizabeth Hull (Atomic Guava), John Benoit (Resilia), Casey Lee Williams (RWBY, Ok Goodnight), Lechuga & Cenk Esen, and most notably garnering praise from Ex-Guns n’ Roses guitarist Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal.
Suspiro is Martin’s debut solo album, coming out in March 2024, and his most personal work to date. Gonzalez’s aspirations to tour and share his music with the world are the next domino to tip, and he has every intention of making it happen this year.
Follow Martin Gonzalez:
https://www.instagram.com/martingonzalezmusic/
https://martingonzalezmusic.com/
https://youtube.com/@martingonzalezmusic
https://twitter.com/martingonar