Swedish native Chris Hellstrom graduated from G.I.T (Guitar Institute of Technology) and K.I.T. (Keyboard Institute of Technology) after relocating to Hollywood in 1991. He spent most of the 90's developing his sound, doing a variety of sessions, from folk to pop to metal.
He was also a member of the Queensryche tribute band "Operation: Queensryche", which played extensively in Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
While always having favored "progressive" bands, Chris thinks solos can seem out of place in popular music today and that it's more about groove and texture. These days, he describes his sound as a cross between David Gilmour and Korn!
And while the current resurgence of metal and more intense guitar playing, is very exciting, Chris finds most of his inspiration in artists like Trent Reznor, Chris Vrenna and "electronic" artists like BT, Hybrid and Future Sound of London.
With the arrival of the new millenium, Chris shifted more of his energy towards studio work. Having been involved with computers and their roll in music production since '93, this was a natural progression.
To this date, Chris has been involved in several albums, either as producer, engineer or mixer for artists like Jody Whitesides, Left of You, Jeff Scott Soto, Cellout as well as SYREN, Chris' project with singer Michelle Aragon.
He has also co-authored a tutorial for "Thomson Course Technology" entitled "Audio Plugins Master v.2". Read about it here and then buy it here!
Currently, Chris is working on material for his latest project, tentatively titled "Ambience, Groove and Distortion". He is however still available for production, re-mixes, sound-design or guitar playing duties.
