A couple years ago, in a review of Greek multi-instrumentalist Bob Katsionis' debut instrumental CD Turn of My Century, I called the then-25-year-old phenom "a cool geek with exceptional musical talent" and was "frightened by how much better this guy could get in 10 years."
Well, a mere two years later, the talent hidden within Katsionis' fingers, which play both keyboards and seven-string guitars, scares the bejeezus out of me. This dude is a monster, and Imaginary Force is the kind of instrumental album that will hit you like an unseen force, its musical prowess leaving you exhilarated and exhausted. Think Planet X meets Joe Satriani, with Yngwie Malmsteen and Vitalij Kuprij fighting for a piece of the action. But what else would you expect from a guy who prints the phrase, "Speed Kills; Warp Speed Rules," on the inside tray liner of his CD? With the backing of a drummer and a bassist, Katsionis welds his trio with the finesse of a veteran player — which he is, having been making music since age 10.
While the first nine songs on Imaginary Force stand on their own and convey a range of musical emotions, all stacked with melody (despite reaching warp speed a few times), it is the album's final 15 minutes, dubbed "The Trilogy of Lust," that make this album such a blissful listening experience for any sophisticated headbanger. The three-part scorcher begins with Katsionis' idea of how a porn soundtrack should sound — complete with moans and squeals ("St. Pervert"), segues into a majestic movement that tastefully incorporates elements of famous Greek composers Vangelis and Yanni ("Tsifteteli-Overture 1821)" and concludes with a no-holds-barred, neoclassical-saturated keyboard piece Katsionis wrote while under the influence of a popular alcoholic beverage in Greece that became the title of the song ("Ouzo!").
Yowza!
Track Listing:
1) The Imaginary Force (4:10)
2) March of the Spirits (3:57)
3) Sing For the Day (4:32)
4) Galaxy (3:08)
5) Sudden Death (3:12)
6) Bird's Eye View (3:27)
7) Is It Me Or the Weather? (4:16)
8) All My Naked Hopes (4:05)
9) Separated (4:42)
The Trilogy of Lust
10) St. Pervert (5:05)
11) Tsifteteli-Overture 1821 (5:41)
12) Ouzo! (3:51)
Total Time: 49:41
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