Omen

Omen was composed in the winter of 2021 for my friend and colleague Patrick Oliverio. Patrick and I quickly became friends in February of 2021, after he heard an instrumental metal demo of mine that I posted on Facebook. After he heard what I was working on for heavy metal band and solo tuba (a Heavy Metal Concerto, which is now complete, and a solo album, forthcoming in 2022), he enthusiastically reached out and asked me to write a similar piece for solo trumpet. Writing for such a virtuosic performer and fellow metalhead has been one of my favorite experiences thus far as a composer. The title of Omen was inspired by the Schechter "Omen” model guitar which I had purchased right around the time I began composing this piece. One can hear me playing this exact guitar on all of theclean, non-distorted parts of the piece. I recorded the remainder of Omen with a 7-string Ibanez RG-7421 electric guitar and a 5-string Sire M5 bass guitar, using amp simulator plugins from Neural DSP and drum samples from GetGood Drums. Nelson T. Gast did the final mix and mastering of the backing track. Further inspiration behind the title for this piece came from the many trials and tribulations brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. For a while, many of the omens we received were foreboding and dangerous. For many months, it seemed that each day brought new and more terrifying news about this terrible coronavirus. After so many lives had been claimed globally, February and March brought hope and light, as vaccine rollouts began to ramp up. This was the perfect time for me to compose this work, and I am immensely grateful to Patrick for reaching out and for helping to gather the consortium which funded the creation of this piece. Heavy metal is one of the most expressive genres of music, able to capture such a wide gamut of emotions. One can hear, throughout Omen, music representing our collective emotions of struggle, fear, anger, and frustration. One can also hear music reflecting strength, resilience, hope, and bravery. It is my hope that this work will provide catharsis for performers and audiences alike. My sincerest thanks go again to Patrick, to the consortium members, to my composition teacher and mentor David Biedenbender, to the many heavy bands who have inspired me all my life, and to the frontline workers who carried us through the COVID-19 pandemic. I hope that you enjoy performing Omen, and that it brings you the comfort that heavy music has brought me this year. “You cannot kill the metal / The metal will live on.” – Jack Black (Tenacious D, “The Metal”) \m/