Pier Gonella

Pier Gonella
Pier Gonella playing live on 2012
Background information
Birth name	Pierangelo Gonella
Born	Italy
Genres	Black metal, neoclassical metal, hard rock, heavy metal, instrumental rock
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter, producer, guitar instructor
Instruments	Guitar
Years active	2001–present
Associated acts	Mastercastle, Labyrinth, Necrodeath,
Website	piergonella.com

Pier Gonella (born Pierangelo Gonella) is an Italian guitarist and founding member of the heavy metal band Mastercastle and the black metal band Necrodeath.

Pier Gonella began playing guitar at the age of 15, following his passion for such bands as Scorpions and Deep Purple. From 1993 to 1997 he studied jazz guitar in many Italian schools and, at the same time (not finding any rock guitar teachers), he studied it by himself. In particular he studied scores of many of his guitar heroes such as Yngwie Malmsteen, Joe Satriani, Vinnie Moore, Joey Tafolla and many others. He studied music theory and, in June 1998, received the diploma of "Teoria and Solfeggio" at the Conservatory of Music "Nicolo' Paganini" of Genoa, where the same year enrolls and studies 4 years of basson.

From 2003 to 2008 he played with the power metal band Labyrinth in many Italian and European festivals (such as Gods of Metal, Metalway) and, in 2005, made a 6 "gig" tour in Japan, China and Taiwan. During the tour he recorded the DVD Live in Tokyo that was included at the album Freeman, released in 2006. In March 2007 he release with Labyrinth the album "6 Days to Nowhere", and, in the same year, toured Japan again.

He joined the band Necrodeath for the first time in 2006 as a guest guitarist. In the same year the band made a 20 gig European tour supporting the band Marduk and, in 2007, Pier recorded the guitars work on the album Draculea. He left the band because he was busy with his other bands. He definitively re-joined Necrodeath in 2008. He recorded the albums Phylogenesis in 2009, Old Skull in 2010, The age of Fear in 2011, Idiosyncrasy in 2012, The 7 deadly sins in 2014. All albums were followed by a European tour. He is still playing with this band.