MAB and Tremonti's friendship and professional relationship is to be taken a step further next month as Michael is due to appear as a guest on Mark Tremonti's new DVD.
This is what Michael's website (www.angelo.com) has to say:
''On Wednesday March 20th, 2008 Michael will be working and performing as a guest artist with guitarist Mark Tremonti (Creed, Alter Bridge) on a new DVD that Mark is filming in Chicago, Illinois. Details regarding the release date for the new DVD will be available soon.''
Friday, February 29, 2008
New Yngwie Album, New Band Lineup Revealed!
The new line-up for the upcoming Malmsteen release has been unveiled on the official website of Yngwie (www.yngwie.org)
Here is what the website has to say:
''Yngwie's long-awaited CD is now in its final stages of creation, with a tentative release date of July 2008. The new lineup that will take Yngwie's new album on the road will be Yngwie on guitars (of course!), Tim "Ripper" Owens on vocals, Bjorn Englen on bass, Michael Troy on keys, and Patrik Johansson on drums. ''
I'm already looking forward to hearing some stuff form this lineup.
Here is what the website has to say:
''Yngwie's long-awaited CD is now in its final stages of creation, with a tentative release date of July 2008. The new lineup that will take Yngwie's new album on the road will be Yngwie on guitars (of course!), Tim "Ripper" Owens on vocals, Bjorn Englen on bass, Michael Troy on keys, and Patrik Johansson on drums. ''
I'm already looking forward to hearing some stuff form this lineup.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Album Review – Oscar Ortega “Fruits of the Mourning”
Of Guatemalan descent, Oscar combined his talent with his love of music (which sprang from playing a variety of instruments since the age of 5), resulting in his debut full length album “Fruits of the Mourning”. With his heritage as a strong inspiration, Oscar fused heavy metal, clean guitars and Latin flavour, creating a true signature sound.
Power of One
Staying true to its name, this song is a massive, driving and motivating force. The name also takes a swipe at the blow Oscar took when his band split, a situation where Oscar felt he had no choice but to forge ahead on his own. Big, powerful and in-your-face, this is one side of Oscar you don’t want to mess with.
Taedum
A very mellow song with some very introspective lyrics and sung in a most heartfelt way by Joel Klimes. This song shows a completely different side of Oscar and provides a glimpse at his limitless diversity.
Mearah’s Ballad
With a fusion of hard rock and some strong gypsy themes, this song has very interesting flamenco-style solo sections that would keep any shredder on their toes.
El Milagro
Piano played by Oscar’s father Rolando, a very strong vocal like melody line and a mind-boggling drum solo come together to create a Latin-rock master piece.
Chopin – Prelude in C Minor
Arranged for five guitars by Oscar, this piece composed by piano virtuoso Fredrik Chopin, is reincarnated in a different form, but captures the same emotive feel of the original.
Apple Valley
Full of fun, easy to listen to, but by no means boring, this song will hold the interest of shortest of attention spans. Watch out for the bobbing and weaving twists.
April 31st
Another song dominated by Joel Klimes vocals. Very chilled, very radio friendly, bordering on a “lounge” type of vibe. Could this be the “single” of the album?
Cherubic Style
Some Vai flavours, some Satch flavours and a generous helping of Ortega. The solo is a treasure trove of euphoria and the break downs are inspired. This was my favourite track on the album.
Dance With Me
Diving deeply into the rhythm and soul of Samba, Oscar whips out the nylon strings again, with a message to forget your worries, forget about tomorrow, dance and smile.
Para Mi Abue
Written with tears dripping from his eyes onto his guitar, this song was composed on the night Oscar’s grandmother passed away. The phasing stays true to what I imagine must have been a difficult time in Oscar’s life, but one that yielded a magnificent result.
This album shows the depths of Oscar’s diversity, and his skill as a musician and as an artist. If you only listen to one genre of music, this album isn’t for you. If you’re interested in fearless self-expression, look no further.
Power of One
Staying true to its name, this song is a massive, driving and motivating force. The name also takes a swipe at the blow Oscar took when his band split, a situation where Oscar felt he had no choice but to forge ahead on his own. Big, powerful and in-your-face, this is one side of Oscar you don’t want to mess with.
Taedum
A very mellow song with some very introspective lyrics and sung in a most heartfelt way by Joel Klimes. This song shows a completely different side of Oscar and provides a glimpse at his limitless diversity.
Mearah’s Ballad
With a fusion of hard rock and some strong gypsy themes, this song has very interesting flamenco-style solo sections that would keep any shredder on their toes.
El Milagro
Piano played by Oscar’s father Rolando, a very strong vocal like melody line and a mind-boggling drum solo come together to create a Latin-rock master piece.
Chopin – Prelude in C Minor
Arranged for five guitars by Oscar, this piece composed by piano virtuoso Fredrik Chopin, is reincarnated in a different form, but captures the same emotive feel of the original.
Apple Valley
Full of fun, easy to listen to, but by no means boring, this song will hold the interest of shortest of attention spans. Watch out for the bobbing and weaving twists.
April 31st
Another song dominated by Joel Klimes vocals. Very chilled, very radio friendly, bordering on a “lounge” type of vibe. Could this be the “single” of the album?
Cherubic Style
Some Vai flavours, some Satch flavours and a generous helping of Ortega. The solo is a treasure trove of euphoria and the break downs are inspired. This was my favourite track on the album.
Dance With Me
Diving deeply into the rhythm and soul of Samba, Oscar whips out the nylon strings again, with a message to forget your worries, forget about tomorrow, dance and smile.
Para Mi Abue
Written with tears dripping from his eyes onto his guitar, this song was composed on the night Oscar’s grandmother passed away. The phasing stays true to what I imagine must have been a difficult time in Oscar’s life, but one that yielded a magnificent result.
This album shows the depths of Oscar’s diversity, and his skill as a musician and as an artist. If you only listen to one genre of music, this album isn’t for you. If you’re interested in fearless self-expression, look no further.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Ron Jarzombek interview – The shred veteran talks about his new album and upcoming DVD
What steps have you taken to forge a career in the music industry?Well, I've hung in there for almost a quarter century now. Perseverance counts for a lot. I've never been able to make a living solely off playing original music, whether it was with Slayer who were a pretty big local band in San Antonio at the time, WatchTower where I still haven't seen a dime in royalties almost 20 years after the release of 'Control And Resistance', Spastic Ink, or my solo projects. Although things on that front are improving because the Internet has opened up new avenues for distribution - digital and otherwise - around the world and helps connect you with people everywhere. These are some pretty exciting times, especially for indie artists, although there is obviously also a major downside with all the rampant illegal downloading. But, hopefully enough people value my music enough to where they want 'the real thing' rather than just an mp3 off some torrent. My latest album, BLOTTED SCIENCE - 'The Machinations of Dementia', with Alex Webster from Cannibal Corpse and Charlie Zeleny from Behold... The Arctopus, is doing quite well and it's still early in the game.
What does a normal Day in your life entail?
I teach five days a week for 5-6 hour each day (which happens in the middle of the day) so I usually have a few hours before and after I teach to work on my own things. If I’m working on a CD, I usually write during the day, then record at night. Alex (Webster) and I started writing the BLOTTED SCIENCE material in early ’05, so it’s probably been a few hundred days of staying up until 3:00 or 4:00 AM writing/recording to get it completed. I also do most of the graphics on my CDs, and just about all of the production, so I take care of that stuff whenever I have free time. Since the Blotted CD has been out I’m taking CD orders and filling them, making a few trips to the post office weekly, doing online interviews, keeping track of the bookkeeping, working with my manager/handling distributors details, website updates, etc.. I gig locally once or twice a week (Fridays and Saturdays mostly) with a Rush tribute band here in town. I’m also working on the guitar instructional DVDs right now, so I’m pulling up tracks from both Ink CDs, the solo and the Blotted CDs, getting remixes, muting out guitar tracks that I’m going to be playing over, doing theoretical animations, transcribing LOTS of my songs and solos, practicing them so I can video tape them soon. And now BLOTTED SCIENCE is thinking about taking it to the stage, so I’m running over that material, too.
What makes Blotted Science unique in terms of style, band dynamics, etc?
For me it was something new because I wanted different influences on this recording. Of course, I had to pull up some death metal CDs since I was working with the chief of death metal in Alex Webster. I had to learn where the music was coming from, and try to get the right vibe across. I also listened to lots of Lamb of God recordings (Chris Adler was the original drummer) and also tried to capture that vibe, and put it all together and create something new and different. Alex brought in the extreme heavy shit and it all just came together. The difficult part was when Chris Adler couldn’t get the recordings done mostly due to time constraints and trying to work long distance, and so we were stuck with the task of finding a drummer to take what was written with Chris in mind, but put his own stamp on the material. I heard maybe one Behold… The Arctopus song to realize that Charlie could cut the gig. And watching him play live only confirmed it.
What are you trying to achieve compositionally?
Alex and I had a few dozen or so parts of songs written but it took a few months before we came up with the brain disorder concept and to fit the musical ideas with song titles. The way we wrote ‘Machinations’ was by sending sheet music and mp3s in attachments via the Internet. Alex uses PowerTab and I use Encore for writing/sequencing, so we both had the program on our computers, and just transferred tunes back and forth. I had a list of song titles and ideas that I wanted to convey with the music, noting what songs I wanted near death metal, which were to be rather quiet and spooky, which were more tech-y and complicated, heavy and straightforward, etc.. Lots of music on ‘Machinations’ follows specific themes in song titles and some follow them as if they are film scores. I’ve always been into concepts, which of course came from Rush. We first came up with the sleep concept, and that evolved into the brain disorders. The whole thing really came into place quite easily. Song titles fit the various music segments with very little effort, and I think it shows on the CD.If there is another BLOTTED SCIENCE album, we’ll most likely stick with the idea of staying very tech, and on the EXTREME metal side of things. As far as the playing on the CD, I’ve always believed that you play what the song calls for, and it’s in the writing that you set that up. I hate when players overplay, and I don’t get much into the whole wankfest vibe. Sure that’s fine for some players, but I’m more into instruments working together to get something across. Having a full band pay a simple vamp while some soloist is blowing his wad never really did much for me. Now if you’ve got all band members playing some wacky shit, all focused on the composition rather than forcing in their favorite triplet 32nd lick that they discovered last week, that’s a great thing. You’ll notice that on just about every CD that I’m on, whether it would be solo CDs, WatchTower, Spastic Ink, or BLOTTED SCIENCE, sure there is ‘shredding’ all over the place, but songs come first, what the players do within those organized structures comes after. Listen to the material on ‘Machinations’ - it’s made up of compositions, not a bunch of wanking going nowhere. Again, I think there is WAY too much emphasis on ‘shred’ these days. I’ve seen too many videos on YouTube where some guitar guys is ‘shredding’ his ass off, then comes in a simple eight note riff with a bit of syncopation and the dude is struggling because he never worked on his timing. And I may sound a bit contradictory here because there will be lots of ‘shredding’ on my upcoming DVDs. However! It will all be within the context of something else. There are already too many guitar videos focusing solely on 5 string arpeggios, string skipping, alternate picking, etc.
Talk about the process of recording your album. Are there any tips and trick that you could pass on?
For me, recording just about always starts with playing along to a click track. Since we all recorded our parts at various times in various places, it wouldn’t have been possible without a click track. I remember WatchTower recorded ‘Control And Resistance’ without a click. Looking back at that I just think “Wow, that was nuts!”. But that’s how we did it. Guitars and bass were scratch tracked while we were playing as a band, and we only kept the drums. Then Doug and I went in an after and rerecorded guitars and bass. For the Blotted recordings, Alex was nearly done recording his bass tracks before we even knew who was going to be playing drums. I was about halfway done with my rhythm tracks when Charlie came on board. Alex records on his laptop, I record at my ‘home studio’ and Charlie also has a studio at his place. I didn’t write or record any guitar solos or melodies until drums were recorded because the feel always changes when going from programming to real drums. I compiled all of the tracks over here, mixed it and did all of the production work.
What’s kinda cool for me is when I listen to the CD - it sounds like we are in total sync, yet the 3 of us have never been in the same room together. We are planning on getting together for a few live rehearsals soon, then possibly doing some shows, depending on our schedules. We are getting lots of invites, and it would be all too cool if we could take them up.
When is your instructional DVD coming out?
I’m shooting for a mid ’08 release but it’ll probably be pushed back a bit. I have so much material that I want to cover. It will be at least 2 DVDs, could be 3. I won’t really know until I start the video taping, dialogue, theoretical animations, all the playing examples, additional technique notes, etc.
What material will you cover in your instructional DVD?
The focus will be the progressive/technical aspect of writing and playing, with examples and insight for material from both Spastic Ink CDs, my solo CDs, and the 'Blotted Science - The Machinations Of Dementia' CD. To be covered (with excerpts/examples from), on the first DVD, will be 1. Common simple scales use and abuse, 2. Changing Keys, 3. Simultaneous Major/Minor Keys/Progressions, 4. Floating Parallels, 5. Timing (Syncopation), 6. Trade-Offs, 7. Starts / Stops, and 8. The A/B Switch. The second DVD will focus on the 12-tone aspect of writing. I started using all 12 tones when writing on ‘Nighty Nite’ on my first solo CD ‘PHHHP!’. This evolved into using multiple 12 tone sets, modulating 12 tone sets, then on the BLOTTED SCIENCE CD, I started using what I call ‘The Circle of 12 Tones.’ The DVDs will not have any chapters titled ‘5 String Arpeggios’, ‘Sweeping’, ‘Alternate Picking’, etc. All of the technique stuff will be played but it will be fitted into the context of other theoretical things.
Many thanks to you for asking me questions that made me think a bit and look into things a bit more. Hopefully your readers will get a few things out of it and those that aren’t familiar with my stuff will be curious to check it out. I definitely want to thank everybody that’s picked up a copy of the BLOTTED SCIENCE disc so far rather than just downloading it for free. We appreciate your support.
http://www.ronjarzombek.com/
www.myspace.com/ronjarzombek
www.myspace.com/blottedscience
Monday, January 14, 2008
Roo interview - The Frenchman talks about the 66 Licks programme
How did you come up with the concept for your 66 Licks lesson
programme?
Well, the whole concept isn’t from me but from Ben (Perchard). He asked me if I was interested in recording 66 guitar licks for him and being paid for that, of course.
I thought it would be a kind of sample licks CD. It sounded very easy to do at the beginning. I sent a rough 4 lick demo and he liked it.
It was about recording very short licks, about 2 seconds long, one lick per bar. That was the first challenge, because it’s not that easy to play something interesting that only lasts 2 seconds. The weeks passed and the idea of including them into a program came.
It was about 3 different levels, from very easy to pretty challenging. I sent back a few samples but my licks were too difficult. Then came the idea of licks combos. I was asked to record 12 different examples to demonstrate them in a "live" situation. So I realised that I would have to do everything in the same key, making part of the previous work useless.
The concept was now to have 66 licks of 3 levels, that would fit in any order, to build little solos. The 12 examples had to be recorded "live" (no copy/paste) and the licks had to flow together. That was actually the biggest challenge we had between Ben, the programmer and me.
The program had a glitch, leaving a small gap at the beginning of each lick, so they didn’t flow properly. It took time to solve this problem and the fact that I added a metronome click into the licks helped to check the time accuracy.
I also had to re-record some of the licks that were cutting abruptly. Some lick chains sounded great in a certain order but sucked running in a different order. So I had to work on having the licks fading at the right time and removing the "bad licks".
When I finally played the finished program, with the tablature appearing in perfect time with the lick combos, playing in any order, that was a great feeling. I felt "It's alive! Alive". The concept of 66 Licks lesson programme was born. Ben really did a great job.
How is 66 Licks different to the average guitar magazine or
guitar video lesson?
I'd say 66 licks is a “Tool” which includes musical material, so it's a new concept.
It's an enhanced vocabulary of licks, phrases and ideas to incorporate into your own playing, song writing and improvisation. You increase your ability to construct your own solos from the licks provided and perfect or learn new techniques. The program comes with backing tracks so that you can jam with what you've learned. It's also very easy and fun to use. It is definitely interactive. I can not compare this to a stock standard magazine or video lessons.
Will there be an upgrade or maybe a version 2 for the 66 Licks?
Yes, I have a volume 2 in progress and as you know there are other Shred Academy artists working on their own version. The program will receive plenty of regular and cool updates to make its use even more enjoyable. So it's constantly evolving. Joe Stump's 66 licks will be out soon, I heard a preview, it's absolutely killer material! I ran through a few licks, it was so awesome that I instinctively picked up my guitar to try them out.
What does a normal/average day in your life entail?
The winter, I go to the lake, make a hole in the ice and fish till dusk, hehe. Well, life is always in motion so I can't tell what a normal day for me is. I wish I could do more physical activities and get rid of all the boring daily duties...
Is Finland turning you into a blackmetal fan?
Hehe, yes indeed! Finland is a kind of promised land for metal lovers and there are countless bands here who have international success, especially those from Spinefarm records...
Sure I see the other styles aren't as popular, but as far as the material and the musicians go, they are good. I don't really think "is it BlackMetal or something". When you gig, it just feels great to perform before a lot of metal fans who express their enthusiasm.
What is it like living in Finland as a Frenchman?
Oh God! Haha, they forbid me to eat frogs and garlic snails! I was forced to eat reindeer and moose instead! Hehe, they’re gonna trash me now... Seriously, I'd say Finland is worth the trip!
It's a very modern country, but with strong traditions. People might talk less but things are done more efficiently somehow. Women are more respected here. There are actually a lot of female bands, more than what I figured before.
I like the Finnish way of life very much. Sure, sometimes I am surprised by some culture difference, but I learn how to behave from my experiences... I have a bunch of funny anecdotes. For instance, as we talk about music now: In a musical instrument shop, you can try instruments without asking the salesman. You are being too polite if you ask or else it means you're somehow interested in buying... In France, you can't come in, say nothing, and plug a limited Les Paul in a Mesa, hehe, otherwise it's a lack of respect for the salesman ( "S'il vous plait monsieur")...I even test drove a car alone, the salesman left me the keys.
That's it. Thanks for the interview.
http://wwww.rooguitar.com
http://wwww.myspace.com/rooguitar
http://wwww.youtube.com/rooguitar
programme?
Well, the whole concept isn’t from me but from Ben (Perchard). He asked me if I was interested in recording 66 guitar licks for him and being paid for that, of course.
I thought it would be a kind of sample licks CD. It sounded very easy to do at the beginning. I sent a rough 4 lick demo and he liked it.
It was about recording very short licks, about 2 seconds long, one lick per bar. That was the first challenge, because it’s not that easy to play something interesting that only lasts 2 seconds. The weeks passed and the idea of including them into a program came.
It was about 3 different levels, from very easy to pretty challenging. I sent back a few samples but my licks were too difficult. Then came the idea of licks combos. I was asked to record 12 different examples to demonstrate them in a "live" situation. So I realised that I would have to do everything in the same key, making part of the previous work useless.
The concept was now to have 66 licks of 3 levels, that would fit in any order, to build little solos. The 12 examples had to be recorded "live" (no copy/paste) and the licks had to flow together. That was actually the biggest challenge we had between Ben, the programmer and me.
The program had a glitch, leaving a small gap at the beginning of each lick, so they didn’t flow properly. It took time to solve this problem and the fact that I added a metronome click into the licks helped to check the time accuracy.
I also had to re-record some of the licks that were cutting abruptly. Some lick chains sounded great in a certain order but sucked running in a different order. So I had to work on having the licks fading at the right time and removing the "bad licks".
When I finally played the finished program, with the tablature appearing in perfect time with the lick combos, playing in any order, that was a great feeling. I felt "It's alive! Alive". The concept of 66 Licks lesson programme was born. Ben really did a great job.
How is 66 Licks different to the average guitar magazine or
guitar video lesson?
I'd say 66 licks is a “Tool” which includes musical material, so it's a new concept.
It's an enhanced vocabulary of licks, phrases and ideas to incorporate into your own playing, song writing and improvisation. You increase your ability to construct your own solos from the licks provided and perfect or learn new techniques. The program comes with backing tracks so that you can jam with what you've learned. It's also very easy and fun to use. It is definitely interactive. I can not compare this to a stock standard magazine or video lessons.
Will there be an upgrade or maybe a version 2 for the 66 Licks?
Yes, I have a volume 2 in progress and as you know there are other Shred Academy artists working on their own version. The program will receive plenty of regular and cool updates to make its use even more enjoyable. So it's constantly evolving. Joe Stump's 66 licks will be out soon, I heard a preview, it's absolutely killer material! I ran through a few licks, it was so awesome that I instinctively picked up my guitar to try them out.
What does a normal/average day in your life entail?
The winter, I go to the lake, make a hole in the ice and fish till dusk, hehe. Well, life is always in motion so I can't tell what a normal day for me is. I wish I could do more physical activities and get rid of all the boring daily duties...
Is Finland turning you into a blackmetal fan?
Hehe, yes indeed! Finland is a kind of promised land for metal lovers and there are countless bands here who have international success, especially those from Spinefarm records...
Sure I see the other styles aren't as popular, but as far as the material and the musicians go, they are good. I don't really think "is it BlackMetal or something". When you gig, it just feels great to perform before a lot of metal fans who express their enthusiasm.
What is it like living in Finland as a Frenchman?
Oh God! Haha, they forbid me to eat frogs and garlic snails! I was forced to eat reindeer and moose instead! Hehe, they’re gonna trash me now... Seriously, I'd say Finland is worth the trip!
It's a very modern country, but with strong traditions. People might talk less but things are done more efficiently somehow. Women are more respected here. There are actually a lot of female bands, more than what I figured before.
I like the Finnish way of life very much. Sure, sometimes I am surprised by some culture difference, but I learn how to behave from my experiences... I have a bunch of funny anecdotes. For instance, as we talk about music now: In a musical instrument shop, you can try instruments without asking the salesman. You are being too polite if you ask or else it means you're somehow interested in buying... In France, you can't come in, say nothing, and plug a limited Les Paul in a Mesa, hehe, otherwise it's a lack of respect for the salesman ( "S'il vous plait monsieur")...I even test drove a car alone, the salesman left me the keys.
That's it. Thanks for the interview.
http://wwww.rooguitar.com
http://wwww.myspace.com/rooguitar
http://wwww.youtube.com/rooguitar
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Merry Christmas and Upcoming News
First off, merry christmas to all from the whole Shred Academy team, we hope you have a great one and a succesful new year. Remeber to have more shred as part of your new years resolutions!!
And now for some news which i am quite excited about.
I have been given permission to do my first interview (not sure how good i will be at it) with upcoming talent Dallton Santos. Dallton is a player i am very excited about as he shows great chops and musicallity and shows a lot of promise. Here is a video of a short composition by him. http://youtube.com/watch?v=7fJbYpVIFk8
Dallton is also working on an exclusive lesson for the Shred Academy website and im sure it will be great.
If you guys know of any up and coming players you think deserve a mention in the blog then please feel free to give one of the team an email and well see if we can get in touch.
Once again, Happy Christmas!
And now for some news which i am quite excited about.
I have been given permission to do my first interview (not sure how good i will be at it) with upcoming talent Dallton Santos. Dallton is a player i am very excited about as he shows great chops and musicallity and shows a lot of promise. Here is a video of a short composition by him. http://youtube.com/watch?v=7fJbYpVIFk8
Dallton is also working on an exclusive lesson for the Shred Academy website and im sure it will be great.
If you guys know of any up and coming players you think deserve a mention in the blog then please feel free to give one of the team an email and well see if we can get in touch.
Once again, Happy Christmas!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Album review - Theodore Ziras "Hyperpyrexia"
The 3rd instrumental album from Theodore Ziras, Hyperpyrexia, is here and "The new Ziras Era" is upon us. Featuring the legendary Derek Sherinian (ex Dream Theater), the guitar/keyboard solo duels are enough to leave any shredhead for dead.
Ziras blazes through all 10 tracks at speeds that must have almost set his Palm Bay guitars on fire. But as speedy as he is, Theo’s got some interesting things to say as well (instrumentally speaking). Having your chops together is one thing, but if your phrasing is anywhere nearly as good as Theo’s, then you’re on the right track.
The first track, “Child of Scotland”, reflects "The new Ziras Era" in a big way. The Celtic melodies are light hearted and easy on the ear, while Derek’s solo remains faithful to the theme.
You can immediately hear one of Ziras’s biggest influences on the second track, “Such and Such”. The dance between the Dorian and Aeolian modes in the solo are undeniably “Satch”.
“Rapid Eye Movement” is the burner of the album. Theo cranks the Greek God speed up to 280bpm in some runs, sweeping and shredding his head off. Look out for the keyboard and drum solos at the end.
Track 4, “Solitude”, is very dark and broody. You can tell that Theo was in an intense place in his life when he wrote this track. Purists might not call the solo shredding, while others might say that it’s the best solo Theo has ever played.
A first for Ziras, the odd time signature in “Seven Courses” is a great match for the powerful Phrygian Dominant melodies. Yngwie Malmsteen, another massive influence on Theo is hugely present here.
“Salvation” is probably the easiest track on the album to listen to. The melody is singable and apparently even Theo’s mom likes this track.
In the seventh track, “Number One”, Derek cunningly uses traditional Greek grooves in his solo. (Some licks to steal, for sure)
“Night of the Dead” has gone down very well when Theo has played it live. Some might hear a bit of Metallica in the mix, others might not. All I know it that the riffs are huge.
Number nine is the title track and it’s a mind-blower. A nod to John Petrucci, with diminished intro, a mystical verse, a catchy chorus and odd meters floating all over the place. This is my favourite track.
The last track, “Go East”, showcases the insane drumming chops owned by L.A. resident Brian Tichy. But don’t be fooled, Theo comes to the fore with some tasty “East orientated” melodies.
A unique blend of progressive, fusion and shred comes together in this masterpiece. Definitely Theodore Ziras’s best yet.
Ziras blazes through all 10 tracks at speeds that must have almost set his Palm Bay guitars on fire. But as speedy as he is, Theo’s got some interesting things to say as well (instrumentally speaking). Having your chops together is one thing, but if your phrasing is anywhere nearly as good as Theo’s, then you’re on the right track.
The first track, “Child of Scotland”, reflects "The new Ziras Era" in a big way. The Celtic melodies are light hearted and easy on the ear, while Derek’s solo remains faithful to the theme.
You can immediately hear one of Ziras’s biggest influences on the second track, “Such and Such”. The dance between the Dorian and Aeolian modes in the solo are undeniably “Satch”.
“Rapid Eye Movement” is the burner of the album. Theo cranks the Greek God speed up to 280bpm in some runs, sweeping and shredding his head off. Look out for the keyboard and drum solos at the end.
Track 4, “Solitude”, is very dark and broody. You can tell that Theo was in an intense place in his life when he wrote this track. Purists might not call the solo shredding, while others might say that it’s the best solo Theo has ever played.
A first for Ziras, the odd time signature in “Seven Courses” is a great match for the powerful Phrygian Dominant melodies. Yngwie Malmsteen, another massive influence on Theo is hugely present here.
“Salvation” is probably the easiest track on the album to listen to. The melody is singable and apparently even Theo’s mom likes this track.
In the seventh track, “Number One”, Derek cunningly uses traditional Greek grooves in his solo. (Some licks to steal, for sure)
“Night of the Dead” has gone down very well when Theo has played it live. Some might hear a bit of Metallica in the mix, others might not. All I know it that the riffs are huge.
Number nine is the title track and it’s a mind-blower. A nod to John Petrucci, with diminished intro, a mystical verse, a catchy chorus and odd meters floating all over the place. This is my favourite track.
The last track, “Go East”, showcases the insane drumming chops owned by L.A. resident Brian Tichy. But don’t be fooled, Theo comes to the fore with some tasty “East orientated” melodies.
A unique blend of progressive, fusion and shred comes together in this masterpiece. Definitely Theodore Ziras’s best yet.
Track listing:
1) Child of Scotland
2) Such and Such
3) Rapid Eye Movement
4) Solitude
5) Seven Courses
6) Salvation
7) Number One
8) Night of the Dead
9) Hyperpyrexia
10) Go East
2) Such and Such
3) Rapid Eye Movement
4) Solitude
5) Seven Courses
6) Salvation
7) Number One
8) Night of the Dead
9) Hyperpyrexia
10) Go East
Line-up:
Thoedore Ziras - Guitars
Derek Sherinian - Keyboards,
Brian Tichy – Drums
Manos Markopoulos - Bass
Derek Sherinian - Keyboards,
Brian Tichy – Drums
Manos Markopoulos - Bass
Visit http://www.theodoreziras.com/ for more info
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