BETA Records - Your music matters!

Mike Albright is an exceptionally talented, Hard Rock/Metal guitarist from Pennsylvania. Mikes' hard hitting instrumental music is very unique in its sound, and is a must have for any die hard metalhead.
His first CD, "When Lightning Strikes", is a rollercoaster ride of hard rock madness.
Mike is currently hard at work on his follow up to "Lightning", a CD titled "ECLIPSE". BETA Records is expecting a late winter 2009 release.
Mikes' finger blistering, yet melodic, style of playing solos, is blended with some serious kickass rhythms, resulting in a very different sound. Tapping into a multitude of influences ranging from Randy Rhoads to Leslie West, Mike also shines with a style that is all his own. Not exactly Satriani-esque, Mike Albrights style is heavier, laced with punchy rhythms, and accented with intricate yet tasteful solo work.
Mike's earlier days were spent in local Philadelphia area bands such as Defiance, Deception, and Pegasus. After a lengthy break from the music scene, Mike returned in 2005 with "When Lightning Strikes", from Statue Record Group LA.
In 2006, Mike joined Philly original band, Hangman's Cry. After over 2 years in the band, and a multitude of shows, the HC days were over due to musical differences within the band.
In the last few months of the stint with HC, Mike had to get reconstructive elbow surgery on his left arm to repair the badly damaged joint and also repair a compressed ulnar nerve. After a summer of re-hab, and hour upon hour of re-honing guitar skills, Beta Records is happy to announce that his playing is better than ever.
Mike, along with remaining members of Hangmans Cry, Bill Lawson, and Darren Brown, have cut all ties to the band and have been working on their new project, "Sinister Sid". The band is set to announce their new vocalist soon, and will hit the studio to finish their debut CD.
Meanwhile, Mike is working on completing what he refers to as a "Magnum Opus", called Eclipse. The project has been ongoing for 2 years, plagued by scheduling, lack of recording time due to other music obligations, and health issues.
"The rough patch is over", Mike states, "The last band took a lot of my time, time I could have spent on this CD. The elbow situation only made things worse, something had to give."
It did.
"My decision to leave HC, although from a band perspective was Darren, Bill's and mine, was going to happen one way or the other. I'm thrilled that they saw thing the same as I did, things were simply stagnant. Personally I grew weary of always looking backwards instead of forward. Living in the past may be okay for others, but not for me. We aim to reinvent the hard rock genre, not mimic what has already been done a million times before, 20 frikkin' years ago. To me this is all about musical self expression. In the past I have been accused of being about myself, and not the fans. Not true! If an artist claims to do 100 percent of it for the fans, then that's either B.S., or they simply put no feeling or soul into the music. A true rock and roll fan can see when a musician puts his or her soul into the MUSIC, and if you put that into it, then it is not all about the fans! Do it from the heart, not the mind. I've given up on the "becoming joe rock superstar" dream a long time ago. I am all about the music, and what I put out, and yes, what I get out of it. I will never compromise this integrity, or play suck up in certain cliques to get what I want. That is the true spirit of rock, to me. Be yourself, not a frikkin' poser. I would much rather fail doing things my way, than succeed by doing it someone elses."
"The Eclipse CD is going to embody this whole attitude, and its going to show it in every note that you hear. I am just happy to be working the final 3 songs, but although way behind schedule, I will not shortcut to get it done."
"When Lightning Strikes" can be ordered by emailing a request for an order form at.......ECLIPSECD@BETARECORDS.COM