Suicidal Tendencies – ‘World Gone Mad’ [Review]

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When your band’s been going for well over three decades, keeping things consistently fresh is a tough ask. Mike Muir and Suicidal Tendencies have nonetheless managed it, mostly through a long line of lineup changes and the assimilation of a wide range of genres, from punk to funk to prog, into one singular STyle.

That said, the latest Suicidal Tendencies lineup is literally something else, a thrash fan’s wet dream come true. Suicidal Tendencies Version Fuck Knows By Now comes complete not only with brand new bassist Ra Diaz and guitar mangler Jeff Pogan, but also Dave Lombardo – the skin-beating ex-Slayer legend who barely needs any further introduction.

Time for some serious thrash Read more…

Posted on 26 September 2016

Nick Johnston – ‘Remarkably Human’ [Review]

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Is less 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…

Posted on 04 August 2016

Steve Vai – ‘Modern Primitive / Passion And Warfare’ [Review]

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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…

Posted on 24 June 2016

Levin Minnemann Rudess – ‘From The Law Offices Of Levin Minnemann Rudess’ [Review]

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…

Posted on 21 June 2016

Yossi Sassi – ‘Roots And Roads’ [Review]

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Innovative instrumental guitarists are a rare breed. Most still stick to recycling Satriani licks over stock-issue backing tracks. The standard has been set and met many times, but rarely exceeded.

Yossi Sassi is a notable exception. This guy has mastered many stringed instruments, the electric guitar being just one – and he’s even masterminded the creation of an entirely new instrument, the bouzoukitara – half guitar, half bouzouki. In short, Yossi Sassi is pretty much a one-man orchestra.

Fans of Jimmy Page’s ‘Guitar Army’ approach to composition and arrangement will instantly Read more…

Posted on 23 May 2016

Dan Sugarman – ‘Centersun’ [Review]

2016 seems set to be an eventful year for lovers of instrumental guitarists. Dan Sugarman (six-string slinger for uncompromising metal band As Blood Runs Black) is the latest to step up and speak his mind without words – and on Centersun, he has a lot to say.

The story behind Centersun is best told in Dan’s own words:

“This album is a bit of a departure from my typical writing process, in the sense that all 6 songs were improvised on the fly in a 7 day period. The reason? I had just come home from a 1.5 month long headlining tour with As Blood Runs Black with the plan of coming home to start writing and recording my album, when I received the news the day I got home that my mother’s brain tumor had returned. I was absolutely devastated…so I took a day to myself to kind of figure out my next move, and then I locked myself in the studio for a week straight. Read more…

Posted on 14 January 2016