The first volume of Warmth in the Wilderness — a monstrous two-disc tribute to American neoclassical electric guitarist Jason Becker, diagnosed with the incurable nerve disorder amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease) — arguably remains the best release ever issued by Finland’s Lion Music. And the second volume of that set isn’t far behind.
With a stunning array of musicians (many of them not even on Lion’s roster) that includes Lars Eric Mattsson, Steve Vai, Marty Friedman, J.K. Northrup, Slav Simanic and Tommy Denander, this is another solid collection of progressive-tinged melodic hard rock with lots of shredding.
While the 31-track Volume I featured more interpretations of Becker's work with former Van Halen front man David Lee Roth, the neoclassical metal band Cacophony and as a solo artist, Volume II’s 27 tracks are mostly compositions inspired by Becker. In some cases – Ronni Le Tekro’s "Windcrystal," for example – that approach makes for a heavier album than the original. On the other hand, "The Brightest Star of All" by Friedman and Melle Vasquez is probably the prettiest piece on either volume.
The packaging this time around lacks compared to the first volume, but the music is just as good — if not better.
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