REVIEW: MIKE CAMPESE - TOTAL FREEDOM

 MIKE CAMPESE - TOTAL FREEDOM (Independent, 2000):

Technical data:

Recorded at Virtual Sound Recording Studio

Remastered by Ted Malia - May 2001

Produced by Mike Campese

Cover Photo by Dan Castle

Track List: 1- Amberay, 2- Sea, 3- Thunder and Rain, 4- Sun, 5- heaven, 6- Jungle, 7- Last Train Out, 8- Blizzard, 9- Indian War, 10- Space, 11- Freedom, 12- Jewels

A great acoustic piece "Amberay" opens this CD of guitar maestro Mike Campese. Great taste, technique, great compositional skills is what Mike is all about. He can play from the most delicated acoustic texture to the heavier than hell riff or solo. Total Freedom is an album full of great guitar melodies and it explores the solo side of Mike Campese, because this is an album of solo guitar (only accompanied by some keyboards here and there). There are some overdubbings, so you can listen to Campese doing the melodies and the chord progressions at the same time with really good taste. Some of the tracks reminded me of Marty Friedman´s solo album "Scenes" or tu some of David Chastaín´s acoustic pieces. There are also some bluegrass and fusion influences too. A must for guitar fans. Favorite tracks: "Thunder and Rain", "Jungle" and "Blizzard". Contact: www.mikecampese.com

REVIEW: MIKE CAMPESE - FULL CIRCLE

 

MIKE CAMPESE - FULL CIRCLE (Independent, 2001):

Track List: 1- Touch the Sky, 2- Torches, 3- Dark Aqua, 4- Happy Snow, 5- Burgundy Mist, 6- Scatterbrain, 7- Africa, 8- Angel, 9- Velvet, 10- Crash and Burn, 11- In the Mirror, 12- Bourbon Street, 13- Whole Steppin, 14- Walkaway, 15- Tinted Windows, 16- Rescue Me, 17- Loralie

Here is the newest album from guitar virtuoso Mike Campese. This CD shows us a less introspective side of his playing than the one in "Total Freedom" his previous CD. Exploring melodies and moods through all the recording using different textures and guitar arrangements seem to be Campese´s main goal. And he has achieved it. It is really great to see how much technique this guy has and how well he uses to fit his songs (the good thing is that he puts all his knowledge to create the best songs that is possible instead of showing how much he can do on the fretboard). Check for example the semi-acoustic "Torches" with its darker sounding melodies (in fact here we can listen to some flamenco-like playing). Or check the beautiful Vai/Satriani/Macalpine/Chastain like melodies on "Dark Aqua". Plus the sound of the recording is incredible. Mike Campese is one name to be known when you talk about guitar. Favorite track: "Torches", "Happy Snow" and "Velvet". Contact: www.mikecampese.com

REVIEW: MIGUEL SIGALES - EL LUGAR DE LOS MILAGROS

 

MIGUEL SIGALES - EL LUGAR DE LOS MILAGROS (Independent., 2000):

Technical data:

Recorded /Mixed at Swami Records-November 1998.

Engineer: Miguel di Genova

Layout and Graphics by Gustavo Alonso

Track List: 1-Navegante hacia el fin de los mares, 2- El lugar de los milagros (Brutal Confusión), 3- Cerca de la fuga, 4- Más que mil palabras, 5- Hazme Libre, 6- 1911, 7- Sueños "Scaramouche", 8- Paisajes de ayer, 9- Presto.

Miguel Sigales is a great guitarist and composer from Buenos Aires, Argentina. And this is his instrumental debut. His style is somewhere between Joe Satriani, Yngwie Malmsteen, Greg Howe and Tony Macalpine. It is really great to see how much technical skills and feeling this guy has. In fact what is interesting from Sigales playing is the fusion of styles in his playing from neoclassical runs to really rocking licks all done witth freat taste. The tracks are really well developed and I liked a lot certain aspects like the power and the sound of the band that supports him (including the drums samples that are mixed very good and they don´t sound thin). I would like to listen more from him, and he is playing live this month....I am not going to miss it. Favorite tracks: "Más que mil palabras", "1911" (with a lot of clean guitar) and "Sueños "Scaramouche" . Contact: sigalesguitar@hotmail.com

REVIEW: MICHAEL PRIME - ELEMENTS 1

 

MICHAEL PRIME - ELEMENTS 1 (Mycophile Recs., 2001):

Technical data:

Track 1 recorded at the 13th note, Glasgow 30/10/98, the Rising Sun Institute 31/10/99, the Spitz, London 27/2/00 and Orpington, november 2000.

Track 2 recorded in Orpington february to november 2000.

Artwork by Emma O´Bong and Michael Prime

Track List:  1- Surface Tension, 2- Salamander 

This is another experiment from the mind of Michael Prime. This time he uses as a sound source elements from the nature to experiment with its sounds. In the first track the main element is water wre he uses his water machine that he has specially assembled in the studio. In the second track the element tahat is the source of sound is fire: he has recorded fire sounds and then he has manipulated the sound in the computer. The result is very weird and demonstrates what I always say: with an open mind there is no limit for music and experimentation. Contact: mikep@myco.demon.co.uk

REVIEW: MENTAL ECLIPSE - GRAVESIDE FLOWERS REMEMBRANCE

 

MENTAL ECLIPSE - GRAVESIDE FLOWERS REMEMBRANCE (The Flaming Arts, 1999):

Technical data:

Recorded at Atom Bomb Studios, 24 and 25 April 1999

Engineered and Mixed by Eugen Shmuletsov

Produced by S.D.R.

Artwork by Denis Pugatch

Track List: 1- An Excuse for blood, 2- Out of Flesh, 3- Dark Seeds, 4- the Pandemonium, 5- Born by the Unlight, 6- The Spell of Death

Extremely raw and fast black/death metal directly from Bielorrussia. The music here is aggressive and fast but played with a good technique that allows this band to do some interesting tempo changes and breaks. There is a lot of inflence from eighties thrash metal bands, specially in certain rhythms and in the guitar solos. 6 song are on this tape and they follow this path without slowing too much. This is for black and death metal fans. Favorite tracks: "Out of Flesh", "The Spell of Death". Contact: valkalac@mail.ru

REVIEW: MAUDLIN OF THE WELL - LEAVING YOUR BODY MAP

 

MAUDLIN OF THE WELL - LEAVING YOUR BODY MAP (Dark Symphonies, 2001):

Technical data:

Recorded at Zing Recording Studios.

Engineered by Jim Fogarty

Mastered at Peerless Mastering by Jeff Lipton

Track List: 1- Stones of October´s Sobbing, 2- Gleam in Ranks, 3- Bizarre Flowers/A Violent Mist, 4- The Curve that to an angle Turn´d, 5- Sleep is a curse, 6- Riseth He, the Numberless, 7- Monstruously Low Tide

This is the other part of the Maudlin of The Well release. As "Bath" this opens with a climatic track full of sax and arpeggiated guitars in the beginning called "Stones of October´s Sobbing" before getting into a doom/death like part in 1:30...but the sax and keyboards part continue !!!!!. I love the experimentation of this guys and I love their heavy use of uncommon things that will do close-minded purists to smash their heads against the wall (there are some passages on this tracks that won´t be out of place in a free jazz context...those killer sax lines !!). It is no secret that I love the complex and the original and here we have both ...amazing !! Hail to Dark Symphonies for having such a great band with them !! Favorite tracks: Again the whole album from beginning to end. Contact: www.darksymphonies.com 

REVIEW: MAUDLIN OF THE WELL - BATH

 

MAUDLIN OF THE WELL - BATH (Dark Symphonies, 2001):

Technical data:

Recorded at Zing Recording Studios.

Engineered by Jim Fogarty

Mastered at Peerless Mastering by Jeff Lipton

Track List: 1- The Blue Ghost/ Shedding Qliphot, 2- They aren´t all Beautiful, 3- Heaven and Weak, 4- the Ferryman, 5- Marid´s Gift of Art, 6- Girl with a Watering Can, 7- Birth pains of Astral Projection, 8- Geography

This is one half of what Maudlin of The Well offers this time (The other half is called "Leaving your Body Map" and I will comment on that one later). The result is great, being this two CD set one of my favorite albums of the year... going from extremely calm and exotic tracks like the opening "The Blue Ghost/Shedding Qliphot" to the death/blast "They aren´t all beautiful without a pause. But the main feature in Maudlin of the Well´s music is experimentation through different rhythms, includding some odd-time signature tempos, melodies, instrumentation (use of saxophones, clean guitars, and all they can put his hands on), atmospheres (all of this you can find even within only one song here), different vocalizations, etc, etc.. Each song here is a world on its own, with subtle details that make each of them unique and lots of changes within them (there must be dozens of changes within each track...really difficult and technical). Bow down to receive Maudlin´s latest offering. Buy or die !!!. Favorite tracks: the whole album from beginning to end. Contact: www.darksymphonies.com

REVIEW: MATT WESTON - VACUUMS

 

MATT WESTON - VACUUMS (Sachimay Recs., 2000):

Technical data:

Recorded July and November, 1998, Chicago, Il.

Artwork by Matt Weston. Design by Steve Norton

Track List:1-  Vacuums I, 2- Vacuums II, 3- Vacuums III, 4- Vacuums IV

Percussion and electronics master Matt Weston has released this experimental CD with compositions entitled "Vacuum". This is music very differnt from all the other projects in which he participates. In fact here he is the only musician doing all the electronics and percussion. The experimental music contained here goes from extremely subtle percussion passages, like in the beginning of "Vacuums II" for example to louder passages were he puts an emphasis on the intensity of his improvisation. Fans of experimental drumming will be delighted with this release. Favorite tracks: "Vacuums III" and "Vacuum IV". Contact: www.mattweston.com

REVIEW: MANIPULATED SLAVES - THE LEGENDARY BLACK JADE

 

MANIPULATED SLAVES - THE LEGENDARY BLACK JADE (Worldchaos Production, 2001):

Technical data:

Produced by Bat and Tery

Guest musicians: Johan Liiva (ex-Arch Enemy), Yuko (Fatima Hill)- vocals, Saeko (ex-Fairy Mirror)-vocals, Maya (Threat) - violins

Track List: 1- Thrust Sword into the Earth, 2- The Way of the Emperor, 3- Woman in the Iron Mask, 4- The Broken Chain, 5- Eyes Filled With Tears, 6- Man From the Horizon, 7- Capital Punishment, 8- Assault on the Enemy, 9- Bearing the Final Pain.

What a great surprise !! From Japan comes Manipulated Slaves and this is their second album. His style can be defined as melodic death/thrash metal and they do it really well!!. Specially I liked the "melodic" aspect which is centered in melancholic and epic melodies (as you can listen in the first track) done by guitars, while there are some excelent female vocals that do a great contrapósition with the more aggressive vocals. Good combination of aggressive music (check the mentioned vocals and the drumming which has an excelent sound) and melody ( great guitar solos, female vocals, violins, twin guitars). It is an excellent fusion between death metal and classical heavy metal (if you don´t believe this check the guitars on "Woman in the iron Mask" (4:10)...I think they wouldn´t be out of place in Iron Maiden). Favorite tracks: "The Way of the Emperor", "The Broken Chain" and "Assault on the Enemy". Contact: worldkdm@syd.odn.ne.jp

REVIEW: MADRIGAL - I DIE, YOU SOAR

 

MADRIGAL - I DIE, YOU SOAR (Nuclear Blast, 2001):

Technical data:

Recorded at Studio Fredman, Gothenburg by Anders Friden

Track List: 1- Same Face, 2- Languish, 3- Taint of Shame, 4- Mind in Disguise, 5- In Debris, 6- Ashen Eyes, 7- Enticed, 8- Moulded Pain

This is a deppressive metal act that is endorsed by In Flames singer Anders Friden, who offered this guys to record in his studios. The music is very dark with lots of passages of keyboards and vocals that accentuate the pain that theya re transmitting (they sometimes are similar to those of Amorphis Pasi Koskinen). There are really subtle moments like the beginning of "Languish" follow by bursts of anguish and sadness reflected by this musicians. The music is halfway between doom, death and gothic...but allways emphasizing the darkest part also in the more commercial tracks. Following the path of bands like Anathema and the more commercial My Dying Bride. Favorite tracks: "Same Face", "Taint of Shame" and  "Moulded Pain". Contact: www.nuclearblast.de .