The Gabriel Construct is the rock solo project of Gabriel Lucas Riccio, a vocalist, composer, multi-instrumentalist, environmentalist, feminist, and animal rights activist from Salisbury, MD. His debut album, ‘Interior City’, is a dark and atmospheric concept album featuring Travis Orbin (Darkest Hour, ex-Periphery, Of Legends) on drums, Thomas Murphy (ex-Periphery) on bass, David Stivelman (ex-Debbie Does Dallas) on guitar, Soren Larson on saxophone, and frequent collaborator Sophia Uddin on violin. The album unites players from rock, metal, classical, and jazz backgrounds to create a sound which incorporates influences from a wide variety of genres, including progressive rock, 20th century classical music, extreme metal, drum-n-bass, jazz, ’90s grunge and space rock, ’80s pop and more. The album’s densely layered vocal harmonies, distorted pianos, dissonant chords, and complex rhythms envelop the listener in a hallucinatory wall of sound.

Gabriel graduated from Swarthmore College with a Bachelor of Arts in Music in 2011, where he won the Melvin B. Troy Prize in composition after studying under Gerald Levinson. Levinson was a student of George Crumb and Olivier Messiaen, both of whom became large influences on ‘Interior City’. Gabriel’s rock background combined with classical training provide him with a unique perspective which allows him to create a sound entirely his own.

Just as the music of ‘Interior City’ attempts to overcome the limitations of genre boundaries, the album’s concept is concerned with overcoming the mental programming which holds each of us back. It is a story about paranoia and escapism, based on a simple idea: in a society which respects nothing, every individual learns that they are not worthy of respect. The album follows one person’s tumultuous journey to regain their self respect and their ability to fully engage with the world around them, in the process revealing the darkest thoughts that drive society as a whole.

Gabriel wanted “to create a work which encourages people to live with respect and compassion, both for the world around them and for themselves. In an increasingly globalized world, it is more important than ever to recognize how our actions and lifestyles affect others.” With ‘Interior City’, he has musically documented his personal journey towards manifesting that compassion.

‘Interior City’ was engineered by Garrett Davis (The Devil Wears Prada, Train, Shinedown) and mixed/mastered by Taylor Larson (Periphery, Life on Repeat, Conditions).

Gabriel currently resides in Chicago, IL, where he leads a substance-free vegan lifestyle and is currently working on assembling a live lineup to perform Interior City.

“A call to action, a cry for help, a harbinger of doom… all three roads lead to this Interior City.” – Lisa Waugh, Rock World Magazine (06/26/2013)

“The album musically narrates Gabriel’s dual existence, the dark side and the light side. To escape the outside world, he retreats to an internal phantom metropolis.” – Marcel Hidalgo, Huffington Post (07/30/2013)

“It is extremely rare that I encounter an album that totally engrosses me in the sense that I can just sit and listen to it with nothing else. In fact, [Interior City] compels me to do this… I foresee this being the album of the year for me. 10/10″ – Matt Ward, Metal for Music Majors (07/27/2013)

“Gabriel Riccio may have only graduated from college two years ago, but his compositional prowess—which is in full-force on his debut LP, Interior City, is of the strength that one would expect from a musician of a much better age pedigree. 3.5/4″ – Brice Ezell, Sea of Tranquility (07/16/2013)

“…a progressive rock project that makes more famous collectives such as Trans-Siberian Orchestra sound like kids playing toy instruments. 3.5/5″ – Music Emissions (07/27/2013)

“Every piece on the album is a tumultuous ride from one style to another and back… Gabriel Lucas Riccio is a very talented musician who writes fascinating pieces of music.” – Ruud Peters, Echoes and Dust (07/2013)

“Interior City is a intriguing, unsettling album that establishes The Gabriel Construct, and Riccio himself, as an exciting musical force to be reckoned with. 4/5″ – Kevin Clarkston, The Truth About Music (07/03/2013)

“The compositions are breath-taking… Gabriel has a wonderful ability to create atmospheric, stage-like music which, when given the time, can really tap into human emotions.” – Rocking Republic (07/06/2013) Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.