Jeez Louise can these guys play or what??
Unless you've been hiding under a rock the last few years, chances are you've heard of the instrumental metal-fusion trio Ohm, put together by former Megadeth shredder Chris Poland, and also featuring stellar bassist Robertino Pagliari, along with a few drummers in recent times including Kofi Baker (son of Ginger), Joel Taylor, and Frank Briggs, all of whom play on the band's latest Circus of Sound. This is ripping stuff, 14 tracks of shredderific Poland at his very best, as he unleashes torrents of blinding guitar solos, catchy melodies, and crunchy riffs. It's not quite metal, not quite jazz, but somewhere in between. Pagliari's bass playing is exceptional, reminding of a cross between Michael Manring and Percy Jones, his fretless lines having an elastic, bubbly feel, more often than not adding plenty of lead lines in these tunes right alongside Poland. Check him out on the engaging title track, or rampaging "neck and neck" with Chris on the aggressive romps "Fun House" and "System of a Clown". On the jazzy, almost Holdsworth styled "Point Omega", furious drum work complements lean legato guitar lines and muscular bass grooves, making for quite a memorable & catchy tune.
"Abracadabra" has an almost Joe Satriani feel to it, while Pagliari's lead bass lines on "The Shortest Straw" add a Jaco Pastorius/Weather Report flavor to this bubbly piece. It's this classic fusion style that also works wonders on "The Black Hand", a complex ripper with Poland tearing it up and the entire group locked in tight, but the guitarist really puts on a clinic on tracks like "Steps From Home", "Photograph", the funk-jazz of "Mr. Brown", the crankin' riff-rock piece "DD214", and the metallic closer "Leap Of Faith". Quite simply, this guy's a monster player, and if you haven't checked him out since his Megadeth days back in the mid-80's, you haven't heard anything yet and have really missed out.
As far as instrumental fusion albums go, this one's a scorcher from top to bottom folks. Don't take my word for it-check it out for yourselves and be prepared to be floored.
Track Listing
01. Fun House
02. System Of A Clown
03. Photograph
04. Circus Of Sound
05. Point Omega
06. Abracadabra
07. The Shortest Straw
08. The Black Hand
09. You Don't Know
10. Steps From Home
11. Mr. Brown
12. DD214
13. Leap Of Faith
14. Pan's Plan
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