Perpetual Etude - Now Is The Time (CD/LP)

 

Swedish band Perpetual Etude boasts former members of bands like Dionysus, Treasure Land, Air Raid, Nation, Stormwind etc. Musically Perpetual Etude is actually not that far from any of them (except maybe Air Raid). Opening track “I’ve Got The Power” immediately kicks off with a Strat that really sounds like Yngwie Malmsteen, but keeping in mind what Mr Malmsteen has released in the last couple of years, this sounds way more interesting. They are touching on neo-classic metal, but with a big dose of classic melodic metal/hard rock and I’d place them somewhere alongside Alkatrazz. Singer, Kristian Fyhr, is a gem with really powerful vocal cords, high pitch but with a nice raspy edge. Me like!  ”Show Me” reminds me of Graham Bonnet era Rainbow a bit, but with a bit more power under the hood. A strong touch of AOR, but without sounding sleazy. “Straight Through The Heart” starts off with some really nice guitar harmonies from the excellent shredder Magnus Mild and if Yngwie didn’t have a big dose of hybris, he would kill for a song like this. Magnus is also found in mega project Gathering Of Kings, but if I’m honest, I do prefer Perpetual Etude. Not putting GoK down, but they sometimes feel a bit scattered and unfocused while this album has a common thread and high quality all the way, both musically and performance wise. “Once We Were One” again throws in some Yngwie-souding Strat licks and it also flirts with the man musically. It does remind me quite a bit of Europe’s old “Scream Of Anger” (which was written by Marcel Jacob, hence the obvious Yngwie touch). There are similarities, yes, but it does stand on its own legs. This band’s Jens Johansson is Kaspar Dahlqvist who has previously played with prog metal band Treasure Land. On this album he sure shows his skills and there are several really nice keyboard-guitar interplays, such as in the neo-classical “Hell Fire Burn”. As if this wasn’t enough, we also find a guest appearance by former Yngwie (and many more) singer, Göran Edman in the song “Sail Away”. All in all, if you’re into classic hard rock, melodic metal with strong melodies, shredding guitar/keyboard work, solid production and some neo-classical vibes, don’t hesitate!

/Janne Stark

Year: 2021

Label: Black Lodge

Chris Bickley – Digital Reflection (CD)

This is US guitarist Chris Bickley’s second effort (it should be noted he also plays with the resurrected 70s American rockers Thunderhead). His first album, Tapestry Of Souls, was a good start, but on Digital Reflection he has definitely perfected his crafts. The album has a better flow, stronger song material and definitely a way better mix. Yes, this is a (mainly) instrumental guitar album, but Chris does write really good songs where the guitar handles the “vocals”, so not only a lot of shredding, but actual melodies. Chris is backed by bassist Dino Fiorenza and drummer Gaetano Nicolosi, both great musicians who provide a solid foundation for Chris guitar playing. Dino also does some pretty impressive slapping here and there. Furthermore, Jimmy Pitts fills out the cracks and crevices with some nice keyboards. The album also features some other guest guitarists, such as Adrian English and Mike Abdow. The songs range from mid/up-tempo rockers to soft and nice ballads such as Arigato and one of the two vocal tracks, Tragedy (sung by Steve Johnstad). The other vocal track is a surprising cover of Iron Maiden’s Wasted Years, sung by Teri Lane. She does a good job, even though I would have wished for a bit more edge and a little less vibrato. It’s a good track, but I honestly don’t think it fits that well into the rest of the material. If Chris would’ve made an instrumental version it would maybe have been a bit more fitting. Well, the rest of the material kicks ass, and it’s a great album indeed! Shredding is alive and well!

Janne Stark

Country: USA

Year: 2017

Label: Shredguy Records

TOM KOPYTO – Resurrection (CD)

Shredguy Records gives us yet another modern day shredder. Fortunately Tom is using real musicians, no programmed drums and no half-assed mix, which has sometime been an issue I’ve had with several of today’s instrumental guitar albums. Besides delivering a sonically very pleasing album, Tom is an outstanding guitarist. He’s quite technical, yet he has some really cool ideas and twists, which shows in songs like the dissonant Into Another and Naked In Death. Resurrection will definitely file under metal, yet it’s quite diverse. There’s some stuff that gave me an Ohm (Chris Poland) vibe, while some stuff had some touches of classic metal. The excellent Let Them Fall has a bit of both worlds with Tom laying down some fierce melodic playing on top. He’s a got an awesome, clear tone that can cut through glass, yet it’s full of feel and sounds very pleasing. There’s a bit of Blues Saraceno mixed with Satriani, at the same time as I can hear a touch of the aforementioned Chris Poland. It all melts together very nicely giving Tom a sound of his own. In my opinion, one of the best Shredguy releases to date! Highly recommended! 

Janne Stark

Year: 2013

Label: Shredguy Records

Country: USA

FREDRIK PIHL – Silhouettes (CD)

Swedish guitarist Fredrik Pihl now releases his first solo effort. The six track CD starts off with the track Above The Surface. It immediately strikes me that the main riff used is an Indian scale often played by Freak Kitchen’s Mattias Ia Eklundh as an exercise. The aforementioned guitar hero is making a guest appearance on the track so I presume it’s fully legit. Fredrik has a good tone and his playing is fine, but the production is actually quite poor. Quite bad sounding programmed drums, at times overplaying quite a bit, and a mix that sounds like it was done in a laptop with no monitors. I’m sorry, but in this day and age when the possibilities are endless and you can find someone to mix your recording at a fair price. A bad production is not a good excuse. The Demonic Masquerade has a nice melodic verse. I’m a bit surprised the keyboards are so dominant for a guitar album. The track features nice soloing from Fredrik, showing a melodic side as well as a more technical flare. Most of the songs have a fusion-oriented touch with odd rhythms which is nice. The title track, which at times has an almost folky feel, features a guest solo from Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (now in guns ‘N Roses). It’s however a bit too long to keep the interest intact without having any major changes. By The Blue Horizon is a nice melodic keyboard based piece with a guest appearance by keyboardist Lalle Larsson. Unfortunately the programmed drums are again overplaying quite a bit. Nice acoustic guitar melodies, though, while the electric guitar solo feels a bit too jazzy and scale-based to really fit the song. All in all, some nice guitar playing going on, but the songs are in my opinion a bit too dissonant to really catch my attention. I do like fusion, but I still want some nice hooks and melodies, and sure there are, but they come and go quite quickly. Also the production is an issue that really should be put in focus next time around.
Label: self-released
Year: 2011
Country: Sweden
Link: www.fredrikpihl.com <http://www.fredrikpihl.com/>
 

JARLE H OLSEN – Quadrasonic (CD)

Norway hasn’t really provided that many international shredders, besides Ronnie Le Tekro and a handfull others. Now, young stringsman Jarle H Olsen is here to change that. His first solo album Quadrasonic is a really impressive affair. It’s actually been some time since I found an instrumental progressive album this interesting. With Jarle it’s not just the shredding that is in focus, it’s just as much about the songs. What I really like is that this actually feels more like a band effort, than a regular guitarist-shredding-his-ass-off album. Sure, there is tons of great soloing, but the songs are structured more like songs with vocals. You have your verses, choruses and bridges, although quite a lot of bridges here. The songs, like Dark Matter for instance, have great build ups, with nice dynamics happening. Here Jarle also shows a softer and more balanced side, without any overpowering distortion. There’s also a great explosive technical part in the end, where things happen all over the place. I also love the fact that he’s using real live, and outstanding, musicians to back him up. They do need to be mentioned, so here it goes: the outstanding technical drummer Bjarte K. Helland, Norway’s answer to Mike Portnoy, bass player Rodrigo Garcia who lays down a great foundation, plus proves he’s quite the technical player as well, and finally keyboard player Alex Argento whose playing may not be highly noticeable in some songs (you would definitely notice if it wasn’t there, though), while he really shines in songs like Event Horizon. Quadrasonic is a great album, at times in the same vein as George Bellas, before he started experimenting too much. Great songs, great playing, great production, a sure buy!
Janne Stark
Label: private press
Year: 2011
Country: Norway
Link: http://www.jarleholsen.com/