Ex-MEGADETH guitarist KIKO LOUREIRO releases another new solo single 'Mind Rise'

Kiko states: “After years of playing in massive arenas and headlining festivals, there’s something refreshing about focusing on the fundamentals. The new song taps into that, where catchy, straightforward guitar riffs take center stage, using a deep, lower-register pentatonic scale to immediately engage the listener. In my mind, the verse goes: Carlos Santana meets Jeff Beck, with sinuous, curvy lines where slight variations in playing the same note make a huge impact on the theme. As the saying goes, ‘The devil is in the details,’ and here those details shape the entire vibe of the track.”

He continues: “The song kicks off in E minor, one of the most commonly used keys in rock guitar. But just when it feels familiar, it shifts into G major, its relative key, lifting the track and creating a sense of elevation. The dynamics between these two bring energy and keep the listener’s attention without overcomplicating the composition. In this way, the song avoids relying only on a traditional chorus. Instead, it uses a strong, recurring guitar riff as its focal point. And then there’s the suspense. The kind that lingers in the air like a shadow in the corner of a smoky bar, where a figure waits, watching, calculating the perfect moment to strike. That’s the moment when the Neapolitan chord slips in, a classical technique thrown into the mix to build tension. The anticipation of the solo creeps in with echoes of the main melody, but this time under the command of a different chord progression. But as with any music tale, repetition is the thread that binds it all together. The riff and chorus-like sections repeat, reinforcing that music doesn’t need to be overly complicated. Sometimes, it’s the simple — like a direct riff — that leaves the strongest impression.

“Listen closely, and you’ll hear it. Let me know what you feel when listening to the song.”

Earlier this month, Kiko released another new solo single, “Out Of Nothing”. He said of the track at the time: “My new single ‘Out Of Nothing’ emerges not from a plan but from the mystery of creation itself. When I compose, I do not think, nor do I theorize — I let my hands glide over the fretboard, as if they already know the way, discovering paths, rejecting others, always searching for the feeling that satisfies, even for a moment.

“‘Out Of Nothing’ kicks off with a bold tritone interval — ‘Diabolus In Musica,’ that notorious interval known for its tension. It’s a simple, direct statement that immediately shifts the key, setting up a dynamic riff alternating between A and D with their tritones. The intensity ramps up with 16th notes that launch the track into high gear.

“The verse is simple, almost baroque in its harmony. A Tonic and Dominant, Am to E7, arpeggiated with hybrid picking over the rhythm of Baião, a syncopation from the northeastern reaches of Brazil. The original music from this area also incorporates many arpeggiated themes from European heritage. And then, bringing contrast, the chromatic lines arrive to challenge this basic cadence, introducing the mediant progression—Am to Fm—
For the chorus, I take things up a notch, moving to the fifth degree and playing with the tension between E major and minor, As I didn’t feel the chorus should be completely happy and uplifting.

“In the middle of the song, I let the existing elements repeat, develop, and transform, as one might do in a symphony or a sonata. The arpeggios return, expanding the baroque spirit, and then, unexpectedly, nylon strings echo from a distant past. Before long, the tritone chord progression returns, but now with more complex lines and a mix of techniques.

“But I will not leave you lost. The verse and chorus return, as familiar as old friends. For in this song, though I take you far, I am careful never to lose you entirely.”

Listen to the reviously released “Out Of Nothing” below.