Tag: cacophony

Back in the mists of time these guys were breaking ground with this type of music after Satriani and Vai paved the way for guitar widdle fests like this. They found the perfect home for their music with Mike Varney’s Shrapnel records, who loved all things guitar and heavy. Of course you can just flip through YouTube and see a million wannabes wildling away in their bedrooms claiming to be the next best thing, but nearly all of them are doing nothing original and basically doing keep fit in guitar.

It takes skill to put that into a song or an instrumental that people actually want to hear. This is quite a challenging record with vibes ranging from out and out thrash ( Where My Fortune Lies), to near classical tunes (The Ninja), or breathtaking pieces like the title track and my favourite Speed Metal Symphony. The playing is outstanding and the dexterity and strength to play like that is amazing.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

The band only released two albums, of which this is the second. Widdly diddly diddly dum, shred shred, and more shred. Actually, there is some killer playing but first and foremost, this is a band with a vocalist (Peter Marrino) and song structures.

The band also has two amazing guitar players who have had differing fortunes, to say the least. Marty Friedman has gone on to be one of the genre’s best players with his solo work, as well as being a member of Megadeth. Jason Becker’s story is quite sad as while recording Dave Lee Roth’s A Little Ain’t Enough, he contracted ALS and has been unable to perform since, he is confined to wheelchair and bedridden.

I prefer this style of guitar album to the out and out shred fest albums, as the solos are short, sharp, and to the point. There is some unbelievable playing here and it’s jaw dropping in places from both of them. In terms of songs, my favourite is ESP. A great metal tune with a killer riff and wicked groove, and the playing is insane. Of course there are moments of pure widdlefestarama, like the title track which wears you out by just listening to it.

All hail Shrapnel records for putting albums like these out, and giving guitarists a voice.

9/10 from The Grooveman.