Stephan Forte Will Release "Enigma Opera Black" on October 28

French guitar virtuoso Stephan Forte announces his brand new solo album Enigma Opera Black (Zeta Nemesis) to be released October 28, 2014.

This is Forte's first studio album in three years and the first released on his brand new label Zeta Nemesis.

Without the constraint of outside pressure and forces, the guitarist was able to swing for the fences in a way he hadn't in the past.

The result is a fresh neo-classical, metal masterpiece that incorporates a number of different thematic elements to explore the darker side of the human condition.

First song "Zeta Nemesis" featuring Marty Friedman.

"I've been listening to a lot more modern kinds of stuff, whether it's metal or classical, and I wanted to do an instrumental album, but not the kind of cliche Neo-Classical 80's kind of thing," Forte said.

"Even though my first album is not really like that, it can have that kind of feeling. It's still dark and metal and heavy, but I really wanted to move to something more modern."

Pre-order Enigma Opera Black

Though his roots and his inspiration have always come from speed-metal players like Jason Becker, Marty Friedman and the inimitable Yngwie Malmsteen, Forte was keen to incorporate new trends into his music.

"I've been influenced by Meshuggah a lot," he said. "I've taken a lot of that stuff and mixed it with my own sensibilities and my vision for arrangement."

With that in mind, Forte incorporated an array of lower end instruments to bring metal music into a contemporary mind frame.

"Even though I'm not a big fan of the word 'djent' because I think nowadays it means just about anything, I kind of like the thought of using lower range instruments," he said.

"The fact that we've been using seven or eight string basses makes everything sound a bit more modern."

Recorded at X Fade Studios in Nanterre, France, Enigma Opera Black was co-produced by Forte's Adagio bandmate and keyboard player Kevin Codfert who he has worked with for the past thirteen years.

The duo spent a whole year writing, recording and mixing the new material, honing down the songs, then adding layer upon layer of lush instrumentation to create a sonic landscape that is both breathtaking in its sonic beauty and staggering in its technical acumen.

"I took my time," Forte said.

"I really wanted to take my time and to be happy with every note, and even though I'm not happy with every note now, at least I'm close and created something that I enjoy listening to."

For Enigma Opera Black Forte is taking more matters into his own hands in the quest for greater freedom both creatively and financially. "I've been working with labels since the beginning with my band Adagio in 2001," he noted.

"Of course, since then the market has quickly changed and nowadays, for an indie musician, you don't need the label anymore.

I didn't see the point of giving a big share of my royalties to someone just to give me an advance and distribute the album physically, especially in a day when no one goes into the stores to buy physical CDs."

Of his new label Zeta Nemesis Forte said, "It's kind of an experiment. It's an expensive experiment for me, but I wanted to try it.

The goal is to not distribute physically into the stores and make it available in only two spots physically, Amazon and my own website. That way the customer doesn't have to look too hard for it."

More than anything, Enigma Opera Black is a record that reflects Forte's intense interest in finding beauty through darkness.

"I like my music to be dark. That's the main idea behind the concept." Adding, "I'm on the good side of things, but I'm just seeing it through a darker veil."