Hard to believe guitar shredder Joe Stump now has 10 solo releases to his credit, but his latest for Lion Music, Revenge of the Shredlord is indeed just that. No fooling folks as to what to expect by that title huh? Yep, here you have a dozen blazing neo-classical metal instrumentals that lets Stump shred away like mad, making for a must have CD for all those Malmsteen, MacAlpine, Moore, Mattsson, and Byrd fanatics out there. It's a pretty ripping affair from start to finish, with "Man Your Battle Stations" and "Pistoleros" especially mindblowing with their effective displays of acrobatic classical metal solos and tasty riffs. "Shredlord's Sonata" is pretty damn impressive too, as Stump's speedy & precise runs will have your jaw scraping the floor with amazement. The problem is there's rarely any letup in sight, as Stump is full speed ahead for the majority of the CD, and after a while there's only so much of this guitar noodling that you can take. A nice break can be heard on the melodic and atmospheric closer "The End Approaches", which proves that Stump can show a little restraint and still be effective, but the rest of the album is mostly 'this is my guitar, hear me roar' for lack of a better phrase. This guy can certainly play his ass off, and he's got some serious chops and technique on display here, but about halfway though Revenge of the Shredlord you'll be quite amazed but at the same time ready to throw in the towel. A better idea would have been half instrumentals and half vocal pieces, but hey, that's just me...
Track Listing
1. The Ritual Begins
2. Man Your Battle Stations
3. Pistoleros
4. Shredlord's Sonata
5. Master's Prelude
6. In the Master's House
7. The Black Knight's Castle
8. Enter the Coven
9. Evil Beasts Below
10. Strat Outa Hell
11. White Knuckle Mayhem
12. The End Approaches
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