Labrie, James: Elements of Persuasion

Elements of Persuasion is James Labrie's third solo effort. It builds upon his first two solo albums released under the Mullmuzzler moniker, taking some of the heaviness from Labrie's recent contributions to other bands including Tim Donahue's Madmen & Sinners and Ayreon's The Human Equation. However, this release is certainly his most experimental in terms of songwriting; it has a very heavy approach and varied musicality.

Labrie's former band members, Matt Guillory on keyboards and Bryan Beller on bass, are supported by a newcomer: Italian guitarist Marco Sfogli. This guy is an amazing talent, whose style is a cross between Andy Timmons' melodic and versatile side with John Petrucci's virtuosic moments. Originally, Labrie and Guillory wanted Andy Timmons to play on Elements of Persuasion, but things didn't work out. Enter Sfogli. I loved both Mike Keneally and Mike Borkosky's work on the first two Mullmuzzler CDs, but I must say Sfogli really brings something new to Labrie's solo material. He plays fluid guitar lines that are occasionally replaced by intricate heavy rhythms, as on "Crucify" -- the riff in the intro is 100% thrash metal and is excellent. His playing lends itself to various styles ranging from rock to thrash to funk to blues. The guitar work on "Lost" recalls fusion, whilst Sfogli shreds his heart out on songs like "Undecided" or "Slightly Out of Reach". There is a great musicality to his playing, which works perfectly within the context of the songs.

Matt Guillory co-wrote almost the whole album with James Labrie, but this time his influence is much more prevalent than before. Besides pulling impossible sounds from his broad musical palette, he also experiments with new ideas. The electronic keyboard sequencing on "Freak" and the piano in the breakdown of "In Too Deep" are breathtaking. The only song I don't care for too much is "Alone". Despite the great vocals, interesting song arrangement and solid bass pattern, there's an odd scratchy sound effect.  I'm all for musical progression, but does someone as creative as Guillory need to borrow those "modern" sound patches? Bryan Beller on bass and the amazing drummer Mike Mangini, as on the previous releases, are nothing short of brilliant. Mangini's drum fills on "Crucify" are some of the most mindblowing I've heard in a long time. I've always been a huge fan of Mangini's drumming, but this one really must be heard - it seems like there are five different rhythms being played at the same time. He works his drums with blistering speed, powerful accuracy and tops it all with a perfect drum sound.

James Labrie's vocals are crystal clear as always, but he does belt out some scary aggressive screams. He is also unafraid to search for different vocal expressions. The muffled spoken vocals on "Lost" strangely remind me of the final track on Evergrey's The Inner Circle. He sings his heaviest solo songs on this CD as well. Besides the already mentioned "Crucify", other standout tracks are "Pretender", and especially "Drained" which is very experimental - moving from a heavy thrash piece to a moody ambient track and back again. Of course there are also slower tracks: "Invisible" and "Smashed". The latter has this gorgeous piano accompanied by fragile acoustic guitars as Labrie lays down his emotional vocals. As usual, his lyrics are thought-provoking, questioning the role of religion in the individual's life, failed relationships, and one song even tells the story of a secret agent who gets killed by his own government. This being Labrie's solo project, it's his voice that forms the link between all the separate elements. Fortunately, Labrie always does it so well that there is always plenty of playing space for his bandmates, and that makes Elements a wonderful album.

Track Listing:
1. Crucify (6:03)
2. Alone (5:36)
3. Freak (5:38)
4. Invisible (5:42)
5. Lost (3:41)
6. Undecided (5:30)
7. Smashed (5:31)
8. Pretender (5:36)
9. Slightly Out of Reach (5:51)
10. Oblivious (5:20)
11. In Too Deep (6:56)
12. Drained (5:14)

Added: October 17th 2005
Reviewer: Murat Batmaz
Score:
Related Link: James Labrie's Web Site
Hits: 13180
Language: english

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