Blue River may not be known as a hotbed of musical talent and innovation, but one native of the area is making his creative voice, along with his immense guitar talent, known.

Dave Reffett is the founder of Shredding the Envelope, a thrash metal band with a sound that pays tribute to the legends of the past while barreling toward its own future.

Reffett started playing music at age 13, learning how to play and sing by listening to bands like Pantera, Megadeth, Metallica and others.

“I think living in Blue River helped me a lot,” Reffett said. “I had a lot of time to practice. In the big cities, there is so much to do and so many distractions. In Blue River, it was great. I have a lot of different musical influences thanks to where I am from.”

At the age of 16, Reffett left Blue River and moved to Denver, Colorado.

“I moved to Denver and did pretty good in the local scene out there,” Reffett said. “Then I attended a program at the Berkley College of Music. They offered me a scholarship. I graduated with a degree is music business management. Knowing the business side of it is very important.”

After graduating, Reffett went on to work in the promotions and marketing department of Virgin Records.

“I loved marketing but hated promoting bands that I felt were dumbing down today’s musical landscape,” Reffett said. “I decided to make the music that I would be the first in line to buy.”

Shredding the Envelope was formed in Boston by Reffett and Nancy Taylor, an artist. The band’s first release, “The Call of the Flames,” features a number of guest musicians who are legends in the world of heavy metal. The musicians included Mike Mangini, who has drummed for Extreme, Steve Vai and Annihilator; George Lynch, a guitarist for Lynch Mob and Dokken; Michael Angelo Batio; Joe Stump; and two former Megadeth guitarists, Chris Poland and Glen Drover. Poland and Drover both provide solos on the same song, “Devils Roadmap.” The album also has an impressive list of engineers and mixers, including Mudrock, Jon Lammi and George Marino.

The album is currently available digitally at iTunes and cdbaby.com, and the actual cd is scheduled to be released on Feb. 1.

For more information on Shredding the Envelope, including how to purchase the album, visit http://www.myspace.com/shreddingtheenvelope.