On Thursday November 10th, Diablo Valley College presented an upcoming Prog-Metal band “The Element” with massive success and applause.

Lead guitarist and main vocalist, Rafael Macedo, is studying composition here at DVC and has become close friends with faculty in the Music Department.

Professor Bruce Cook of the DVC Music Department organized another concert with Rafael Macedo performing advanced acoustic guitar and other instruments.

Macedo started writing music when he was 17 years old, leading him to pursue DVC music theory and various instrument classes outside of school.

Macedo was able to organize members of The Element in 2012 when he was in Brazil, touring around the southern continent for a few years before returning to America.

“When writing music, there is a lot to take in. To me, it’s all about working with other people’s taste and creating something together. A band doesn’t work alone. Our keyboardist for instance wrote many of the songs we’re about to debut tonight.”

Today, Macedo is finishing his associate degree and teaching local students guitar lessons when he is not composing.

“The Element” featured material from their two unreleased albums, From Sand – Pt I & II, as well as “other surprises never before heard in public” said Macedo.

Progressive metal, or Prog-Metal, is a unique genre within metal featuring classical composition techniques not usually found in heavy metal.

For instance the vocal notes and main guitar lines are composed in the same structure as classical and baroque symphonies with various time changes, tempo speeds, and changing keys.

“Our goal is to entertain the average person.” Mitch Stewart the bassist explains. “We’ve been collaborating together for years.”

Multiple companies such as Pearl Drums, Jackson Guitar, ENH Gear, and SIT Strings have endorsed the band. Allowing the band members to focus on composition rather than mundane equipment costs.

“The Element” is a new Prog-Metal band with very talented composers who pay very close attention to music theory instead of simply screaming into the microphone.

They’re planning on returning for another show at DVC, hoping to gain enough exposure to reach a larger audience, and hunting for a label to release an album with.