McGill, Scott/Ritchie DeCarlo/Dave Kloss: McGill, Scott/Ritchie DeCarlo/Dave Kloss

World class guitar maestro Scott McGill (The Hand Farm, Finneus Gauge, Freak Zoid, McGill Manring Stevens) latest collaboration with Freak Zoid bandmates Ritchie DeCarlo (drum kit, wave drum, synthesizers) and Dave Kloss (Chapman stick, fretless bass) has just been released and an excellent album it is.

With its roots planted in progressive fusion you are in for one wild ride through the cosmos and beyond. This is heady stuff and is definitely instrumental music ideally suited for fans of progressive sounds.

McGill has come a long way since his first band The Hand Farm as his playing is simply outstanding. His unique brand of fusion guitar makes its mark all over this disc. His band mates are also up for the challenge delivering performances equally as impressive. What we have are three musicians (four if you include bassist Michael Manring who guests on one track) at the top of their game.

The individual songs are hard to describe as this trio has a fairly unique sound. The album begins with "Retired Reptiles" starting with a spacey/ambient intro filled with otherworldly sounds before breaking into an electronic style beat. In the hard rocking "Beat The System" the guitar is more angular with a repeating motif that becomes addictive after a couple of listens. One of my favourite tracks is the haunting "Tibetan Chrono Mantra" , a song steeped in wild atmospherics, ethereal guitar and synth motifs. For those wanting to venture into more unchartered territory try the heavy fusion of "Locomotive Pojama" where the guitar is seemingly out of control ensuring the listener that chaos does reign supreme.

It may take a few listens to fully absorb but trust me, it will be time well spent. The world of progressive fusion just got a whole lot richer. Excellent stuff indeed.

Track Listing:
1. Retired Reptiles
2. Beat The System
3. Tibetan Chrono Mantra
4. Variant – Invariance
5. Locomotive Pojama
6. Metro To Thundercats
7. Thundercat Island
8. Tiny Classified Ads

Added: August 21st 2013
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
Hits: 2041
Language: english

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