Heavy metal band
Fool's Game were masterminded in 2007 by Virginia-based guitarist, bassist, and songwriter Matt Crooks (ex-Division), who proceeded to round up a veteran cast of players with long and diverse résumés to flesh out his technically intricate yet still highly melodic musical vision. Lead guitarist Matt Johnsen of Pharaoh was the first to join, followed by drummer John Macaluso (who held the distinction of surviving a passage through
Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force), and later vocalist Lars F. Larsen (
Manticora,
Fear Itself) and keyboardist Nick van Dyk (
Redemption). All of these musicians contributed their own ideas to Crook's songs as they recorded
Fool's Game's debut album,
Reality Divine, which emerged through Italian label Cruz del Sur in the fall of 2009. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia