I must begin by pointing out that given my absolute disdain for guitar instrumental guitar music, for me to say anything more favourable than “it’s a load of rubbish” is putting things politely. I love a good guitar solo as much as the next metal fan, but not the point where I would listen attentively to some guy widdly-widdly-widdling for five or ten minutes straight, and even more to the point I can’t help but find it cringe-worthily cheesy when a guitarist takes on what is clearly more suited to a vocal line. Being naturally sceptical of the genre as a whole, this was never likely to grip me but when all is said and done, I must admit that I didn’t find this album as unpleasant and tedious as some of its kind.
‘O.K’ is actually more than an okay track, in fact to me this is the one that stands out the most. There’s a strong metallic crunch to this number and a real grungy bassline that’s kind of moody and not especially typical of this clinical style of music. This has a melody that’s easy to sink your teeth into and if vocals were applied this is a hit in the making. ‘Loud and Proud’ actually lives up to its name, exuding an overall heaviness and while the primary focus is on the guitar, there’s some fine instrumentation from the rest of the band as well.
Theodore really gets the shred out on ‘Sheen’ where his work is backed by some vehement drumming that really pounds away at the eardrums. This breaks down into a funky jazz style bass/drum combo which adds another colour to the palette, along with the ethnic samba vibes of ‘Irredenta.’
As far as instrumental albums go I found this to be quite an enjoyable listen. While the focus is heavily upon the guitar wizardry of Theodore himself, this is quite a three-dimensional listen with plenty of other elements to warrant your attention. What’s more, this album has balls and encompasses a true metal spirit; the virtuosity is there but without that cold, clinical perfection I often find so dull in these releases. As always, this will have limited appeal and if you don’t normally go for instrumentals then I doubt you’ll be all over this either, but for fans of progressive music I’m sure you’ll derive some enjoyment from it.
http://www.theodoreziras.com
http://www.myspace.com/theodorezirasguitar
http://www.sleszyrider.com
