Music is freedom. It has no limits bar the human imagination and a given musician’s physical ability – and over the course of history, many have challenged those limits to find still more territory to explore. If you’re looking for a contemporary example, look no further than Marco Minnemann.
True artists have their own voice, their own signature style. You can tell it’s them within a few bars at the most. In Marco Minnemann’s case, those bars are unlikely to fit some standardized 4/4 cookie cutter mould. Neither will his chords of choice be…shall we say…orthodox. The same, of course, goes for his melodies.
Schattenspiel – German for ‘shadow play’ – is an appropriately dark album that sees Read more…
As the music industry slows down, its alternative end hibernating while the pop-enamoured mainstream hungrily ogles Christmas shoppers, the time has come to look back on a seriously strong year for organised soundwaves. For me, it’s been heavy, intense, and a hell of a lot of fun thanks to the releases listed below.
With so many exceptional contenders in the running for the top spot, the thought of ranking them in order of quality is plainly ridiculous. So instead, I’ve picked out three releases that had memorable impacts on me when I first heard them, and assembled the others in alphabetical order.
The Pretty Reckless’s Who You Selling For – along with previous effort Going To Hell – is conclusive proof (if it were honestly needed in 2016) that women belong in rock music, and are fully capable of kicking ass. The sexists of the music world are like Wile E. Coyote; they’ve run off the edge of the cliff, nothing surrounds them but empty air, they’ve looked down, and they’re panicking. Sonic Boom Six’s The F-Bomb picks up where that image leaves off – it’s cheeky, chirpy, happy and hard-hitting (sometimes simultaneously), addressing a wealth of gender-related issues and providing a great ska-fuelled party soundtrack as only Sonic Boom Six can.
Musically, Dissociation is The F-Bomb’s polar opposite. The Dillinger Escape Plan’s swan song is crammed with brutal and ultra-experimental mathcore – but it’s also Dillinger’s most delicate and diverse album. The Dillinger Escape Plan are living proof that you can achieve great things without compromise, by sticking to your guns and just going for it.
Beyond that point, you’re free to dive into an epic range of albums including solidly grooving rock sets, monolithic slabs of military-grade metal, and progressive masterpieces. Since I’ve not reviewed many EPs this year, I’ve also included a pair of extended-playing mind-blowers in the form of Dorje’s Centred And One and Toska’s Ode To The Author. Dorje specialise in utterly idiosyncratic rock tunes with added progressive spice, while to me, Toska (made up of Dorje’s backline, namely guitarist Rabea Massaad, drummer Ben Minal, and bassist Dave Hollingworth) represent the future of instrumental metal.
Both Dorje and Toska are bands on the rise – and they fully deserve to hit the same peaks enjoyed by the biggest names on this list.
There’s little more to say; for me, this list represents the top albums of 2016. Enjoy the full reviews linked below, follow TMMP on Twitter, subscribe to my brand new YouTube channel, and stay tuned for more world-class music next year!
Tomoyasu Hotei is well on his way to becoming a household name across the world. He’s long been a superstar in his native Japan, and whether they realise it or not, Western music fans have already heard Hotei’s music – most notably the modern classic ‘Battle Without Honor Or Humanity’, which featured in the Tarantino double-bill Kill Bill. Slowly but surely, Hotei is gaining still more ground – and he deserves every inch of it.
With Hotei’s new single ‘Walking Through The Night’ making waves generated through his collaboration with Iggy Pop, we got talking about Hotei’s latest endeavours while touching on life advice, flying guitars, and David Bowie… Read more…
Animals As Leaders represent that rarest breed of bands, so far ahead of their time that even their most visionary peers struggle to keep up. For fans of instrumental progressive metal, Tosin Abasi, Javier Reyes, and Matt Garstka need absolutely zero introduction, their names synonymous with music so intricate that the fact there are only three of them is still scarcely comprehensible. To those for whom djent is everything, Animals As Leaders are the leaders of the pack.
The Madness Of Many is not going to do anything to change that. The thought of Read more…
Instrumental guitar fans: Lend me your eyes. You know Animals As Leaders? They’re pretty sick, right? Tosin Abasi and Javier Reyes know their shit. It’s pretty undeniable.
Glad we agree on that. Now, you know Steve Vai? Pretty insulting question, I know. Sorry. The guy’s a universe-class legend. Again, that’s just a straight plain fact.
Now, imagine Animals As Leaders teaming up with Vai for an entire album, calling in occasional cameos from Allan Holdsworth and his and Vai’s extensive back catalogue of virtuosic collaborators. Excited, moist, tumescent – the simple thought of that dream becoming a reality is guaranteed to make you at least one of those things. Good news ahead… Read more…
If you think instrumental guitar is passé and boring and every lick, riff, and melody that can be written has already been written, meet Nick Johnston. Having previously collaborated with the likes of the Aristocrats and Paul Gilbert, Nick Johnston has proven himself worthy of top-class company, and is now set up to drop new album Remarkably Human at the end of September.
Having afforded Remarkably Human a full 100% score in a review readable by clicking here, there was one burning question I had to ask in order to kick off this interview… Read more…
It’s a question as old as time itself. Modern guitar music tends to reflect the more-is-more mentality. Today’s axe-slingers generally aim for more technique, for more notes in less space, to add more gymnastic tricks to their arsenals.
Sometimes, more really is more; see the likes of Steve Vai and Levin Minnemann Rudess for proof. Most of the time, though, it isn’t. Do a few guitar solo searches on YouTube, and it won’t be long before you get sick to death of the sound of a million wankers wanking, saying literally fuck all Read more…
Sometimes words get in the way when you’re trying to say something. Emotion is preverbal, whether we’re dealing with joy, anger, grief, bliss, or depression. We feel something – then we express it somehow.
Russian Circles’ back catalogue is perfect proof of the fact that you don’t need to be lyrically verbose in order to make a statement or pose a question. These guys are masters of moving listeners without actually telling them to move. Listening to Guidance, it’s hard not to be struck by the fact that music alone can speak volumes Read more…
Ask any instrumental guitarist who their key influences are, and you can safely bet that Steve Vai’s name will appear somewhere on that list. A former Joe Satriani student, Frank Zappa stunt guitarist, and alumnus of David Lee Roth’s post-Van Halen solo band as well as Alcatrazz and Whitesnake, Steve Vai’s style merges the virtuosic gymnastics, freaky weirdness, and rock star flamboyance required to survive and thrive during his enviable first-hand musical education. Since the 1980s, Vai has climbed every peak the rock world set before him – a fact that’s earned him the respect of peers and fans alike.
Modern Primitive is a career retrospective, Vai-style. Steve Vai is not known for thinking inside the box or doing anything half-assed, preferring instead to constantly immerse himself in a hands-on approach to every detail of every song, album, and show. The results are consistently one of a kind, and Modern Primitive is no different in that regard Read more…
If music were a video game, From The Law Offices Of Levin Minnemann Rudess would be the final boss level. The stage at which you look back at all that came before, shake your head, and laugh at how easy it seems in hindsight.
For prog fans, Tony Levin, Marco Minnemann, and Jordan Rudess likely require little in the way of introductions Read more…
