'Computer Metal', the intense, singular new album from Master Boot Record, makes a bold statement across its 10 songs, kicking off with the first single, “DOT MATRIX” and wrapping up with “CTRL+ALT+DEL.” The follow-up to 2024’s 'Hardwarez', 'Computer Metal' was written via MIDI in Cubase, with the computer as the main instrument. 'Computer Metal' refines a hybrid of real guitar layered with synths and pushes the production to higher levels.
Multi-instrumentalist mastermind Vittorio D'Amore explains the thrust of his latest opus: “'Hardwarez' was about the hardware, 'Computer Metal' is more connected to what computers represented in our lives and the memory we have of them. This album is a sort of codex of the genre,” he says, “since each song expresses a different style of metal, while still being done with the computer.”
'Computer Metal' goes from hardcore to progressive metal, thrash metal, melodic metal, death metal, symphonic classical metal, industrial metal and so on. Each song is the expression of one of the different styles of metal that influenced MBR music. “The title says it loud,” D’Amore says. ”This is the definition of the genre I have been building since day one.”
On stage, MBR deploys a full band including guitar virtuoso and Ibanez endorser Edoardo Taddei on lead guitar, and technical death metal drummer Giulio Galati. Their crushing riffs, shredding guitars and relentless drums command the stage, alongside Commodore 64, Amiga 500 and a visual journey through retro computer culture, videogame classics and legendary demoscene productions.
In 2025 Master Boot Record toured with French electronic metal band Igorrr across Europe, and in addition to festivals including Brutal Assault (Czech Republic) and Wacken Open Air (Germany), MBR did a hugely successful headlining tour in the USA and Canada with 28 shows, spreading the 'Computer Metal' legacy.
On 'Computer Metal', while the synth can do almost everything a metal guitar does, but it cannot replicate some things, like palm muting. So, while the synth remains the identity of the sound, adding guitars brings in the human variations that make it feel alive
D’Amore took a new approach to writing 'Computer Metal'. “Most of my records were written live on stream quite instinctively. This time I didn't stream, because I needed a more meditative process,” D’Amore explained. Working offline gave him time to write, experiment, hone in
The album’s concept is “sensory memory.” D’Amore explains: “Every title is a piece of hardware or a command that anyone who lived through that era of computing carries in their body: the sound of a dot matrix printer, the click of a turbo button, the glow of a CRT, the ritual of Ctrl+Alt+Del or the mythical Socket 7.”
'Computer Metal' is MBR’s most relatable album to date, appealing to a wide audience who may not be exceptionally tech savvy. “These are terms that entered everyday language, and that is the point: this culture is not a niche, it was a generation's shared experience,” says D’Amore. “Even someone who never opened a computer case knows what it means when a screen asks you to press Ctrl+Alt+Del.”
"Plug and Play" is a classic MBR melodic anthem, serving up catchy melodies, while "Voodoo2" is the first experiment pushing toward death metal slam influences. Then “Boot Sector” a very special track where the electronics act as a symphonic orchestra and the real guitar together with the synth take the lead in a ruthless race through the whole track.
Since 2016, MBR has released 16 albums, joining Metal Blade Records in 2020. Master Boot Record produced the video game "VirtuaVerse," released on all major gaming platforms, as well as its original soundtrack.
“Computer Metal” is not a genre tag D’Amore picked, it is a genre he built, and, and 'Computer Metal' is its definition. Ten tracks, 42 minutes, a single LP, old school. Everything you hear was written note by note by a human with a keyboard and a mouse controlling a machine. Everything you see in the artwork was typed character by character. No generated content, no shortcuts. If you lived that era, this album will read your memory. If you didn't, it will install it. SPREAD THE CODE.
CD version.
Tracklisting:
1. DOT MATRIX
2. COMMAND PROMPT
3. PLUG AND PLAY
4. FIRMWARE
5. SOCKET 7
6. BOOT SECTOR
7. TURBO BUTTON
8. VOODOO2
9. CRT
10. CTRL+ALT+DEL
Condition: NEW
Brand: 100% Official Master Boot Record 'Computer Metal' (Black) T-Shirt printed on 100% cotton garment
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Fit: Regular Fit
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Material: Cotton
Colour: Black Garment
Garment Care: Machine Washable
