Ape Shifter: Ape Shifter II

The second album from the instrumental, Germany based power trio Ape Shifter arrives cunningly titled as Ape Shifter II. Hardly the most auspicious of introductions but thankfully you’ll find much more to get excited about as you dive headlong into a guitar led instrumental album that attacks in a way that few in this field often do. Led by the American six-stringer, Jeff Aug, and rounded out keenly by bassist Florian Walter and drummer Kurty Munch, this outfit mix all sorts of styles into their approach, with a touch of 70s rock here, a dash of Joe Satriani and Eddie Van Halen stylings there, while a couple of tracks “Die Rausschmeiber� and “Fu Manchu� wouldn’t be a million miles out of place if Vince Neil howled, wailed and hollered over the top of them!

That keenly observed, but still cohesive, eclecticism ably holds things together while keeping you thoroughly locked in and while the shortness of a lot of the tracks can leave them feeling just ever so slightly unrealised, it also ensures that nothing sits long enough to get sterile. The order of the day is very much dig out a big riff, sit astride it and see where it can take you, but, unsurprisingly, there’s also a huge amount of virtuosity on show along the way.

Ape Shifter are hardly reinventing the wheel here. In fact there’s little innovation whatsoever, and yet pinning down exactly who else sounds like this, or brings this hugely energetic outlook to the instrumental guitar world, proves rather elusive. That said, by its very nature, any instrumental album is going to have a limited appeal and I don’t hear much here that’s about to change that. If this is a field in which you’re willing to frolic, then there’s no doubt that Ape Shifter II will offer you something the same, yet different and that in itself makes a refreshing change.

Track Listing
1. GRAVITY
2. HASKETT
3. MASK OF THE ANCIENT WARRIOR
4. SHOEGAZER
5. AMERICAN EAGLE
6. 7 YEARS FAT, 7 YEARS LEAN
7. DIE RAUSSCHMEIßER
8. FU MANCHU
9. 8 SHOT
10. NO CHORDS ALLOWED, JONATHAN
11. STEVEN AVERY IS INNOCENT
12. JIGGY JIGGY BOOM BOOM
13. MATILDA

Added: June 29th 2019
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Ape Shifter II on bandcamp
Hits: 782
Language: english

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