Michael James Romeo (born March 6, 1968) is an American guitarist and a founding member of the progressive metal group Symphony X. He is one of two members to appear on every Symphony X release (the other being Michael Pinnella).

Romeo was ranked #91 out of 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time by Guitar World.[1]

Contents 1 Early life 2 Equipment 3 Side projects 4 References 5 External links Early life

Michael Romeo's introduction to formal music training began with piano lessons when he was 10 years old.[2] He also played clarinet. However, it wasn't until after hearing his first Kiss album that he seriously considered switching to the guitar. He ended up purchasing a cheap acoustic guitar at a garage sale.

Influenced by Kiss, Led Zeppelin, Rush, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer,[2] he became serious about the guitar after listening to the albums Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman by Ozzy Osbourne. He was also heavily influenced by the neoclassical technique and style of Randy Rhoads,[2] Ritchie Blackmore,[3] Yngwie Malmsteen, and Uli Jon Roth and guitar virtuosos like Shawn Lane; along with well-known composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig Van Beethoven and Igor Stravinsky. Romeo's own influence has rubbed off on younger players, including Dragonforce's Herman Li, who listed Romeo among his Top 10 favorite guitarists in 2011. Romeo is a fan of Star Wars, and has recorded an arrangement of themes from John Williams' scores for the series under the title "Star Wars Suite". His favorite Star Wars character is Darth Vader.[4]

Equipment Caparison Dellinger II – Michael Romeo CustomManufacturer Caparison GuitarsPeriod 2005–presentConstructionBody type SolidNeck joint Bolt-onWoodsBody MahoganyNeck Hard MapleFretboard MapleHardwareBridge Schaller S-FRT (Floyd Rose type)Pickup(s) 2 HumbuckersNeck: DiMarzio Tone ZoneBridge: DiMarzio X2NColors available White