"Guitarisma"
Roxon Records
By Brynn McKenna I haven't heard much in terms of the hard rock/progressive vein in recent years and after almost a decade of hearing one Pearl Jam or NIN clone after another, the work of '80s-inspired Danish guitarist Torben Enevoldsen is sounding fresh and new. His style has been compared to that of Yngwie, but this 12-song CD contains music that is more melodic and less speed-metal or classically-inspired. There are those lightning-fast passages, but there seems to be more of an "I truly want to play music that people will enjoy" feel to Enevoldsen's work rather than "I'm just showing off by firing off as many notes as I can in the shortest amount of time." This album is primarily instrumental, but there are two songs with decent prog-rock vocals by Kenny Lubcke. "Time Ran Out" has a hard rock sound that would have been a surefire hit in the 1980s and "Reach For Perfection" has a heavy, dark prog sound but a positive message. A nice change from all the whining and angst of the '90s. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm tired of all the negativity and I'm ready for the music pendulum to swing back toward upbeat melodic songs that sound like their creators actually care about what they're doing. On this CD there are songs that go from introspective hard rock ballad to hard, heavy and thrashy. "Calm Waters" contains riffing reminiscent of Edward Van Halen. "Deep Space Nine" is a rather spacy number with fiery fretwork. "For A Friend" has a pleasing easy-listening-rock sound that reminds me a little of '80s Fleetwood Mac. There is a variety to be heard here and I would particularly recommend this album to beginning guitar players. This is a fine example of the excellence that hard work and diligent practice will bring. |
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