Fourth solo album from John 5, the guitarist best associated with Marilyn Manson. As with John 5's other solo album this is pretty much full on guitar all the way through. All the tracks on "Requiem" are named after torture devices and I am sure there are some sick people out there that might actually use this album itself for such uses. To these ears the lack of an industrial vibe makes the album much more enjoyable than previous ventures and is a marked improvement over his other album “Vertigo” reviewed here. In-fact I found the overall album rather enjoyable, there is no doubting that John 5 is a very skilled player, but I can't help but feel his reputation would be higher than it is in the guitar fan base if it wasn't for the make-up (on the cover John's looks akin to the Joker from The Dark Knight). Not as good overall as recent instrumental albums from the likes of Paul Gilbert ,Greg Howe or Marco Sfolgi but an enjoyable enough listening experience in the instrumental genre and I would recommend this as a starting point for guitar heads that have yet to sample the John 5 instrumental experience.

Rating – 75%

CANVAS SOLARIS - THE ATOMIZED DREAM
Sensory - Out Now

Following on from last years “Cortical Tectonics”, Georgia based instrumental prog metallers Canvas Solaris have recently unleased their fourth album “The Atomized Dream”. With a new expanded lineup, the Canvas Solaris “sound” continues to evolve. Band founders Nathan Sapp (guitars) and Hunter Ginn (drums) replaced departing guitarist/bassist Ben Simpkins with 3 new members in, Chris Rushing (guitars), Donnie Smith (analog synth), and Gael Pirlot (bass). While the core sound has remained these new members have made their mark with keyboards now playing a more prominent role, while the twin guitar interplay is still intact. The band continues to contrast hyper-technical metal passages with spacey and quiet acoustic based interludes and whilst this isn't for everyone, Canvas Solaris certainly have their own sound going on yet I don't feel this is an all round stronger release than the aforementioned “Cortical Tectonics” despite having a better production. My main problems with the band is still the lack of vocalist. Whilst guitar instrumental albums get away without having vocals due to their more melodic nature; canvas Solaris still jump through more progressions and time signatures in a 4 minute track than most bands do in a career and ultimately this is not a easy listen in one sitting. Taken in small bites its more accessible but still comes across as a novelty more than a revelation. Try before you buy.

Rating – 65%

 

SABATON - THE ART OF WAR
Out Now - Black Lodge Records

Swedish metallers Sabaton are back with another dose of fist in the air metal for their fourth album “The Art Of War”. Not a million miles away in terms of medieval war warmongering of fellow countrymen Hammerfall the band are not quite such a cliched proposition thanks to more mid-tempo tracks and the darker more growling vocal style of Joakim Brodén. The subject matter of “The Art of War” is a Concept based upon a famous book written by Chinese general Sun Tzu in 600 bc, read today at military academies worldwide so that gives you some idea of the lyric slant of the album, and musically the band produce more clichéd metal histrionics than have been heard of late from the likes of Judas Priest and Saxon yet falling short of Manowar. If all this sounds like good stuff for you in 2008 then you will most likely enjoy it. Personally I found this to be clichéd and really quite laughable in places. Sonically speaking the production sees drums, keys and vocals high up in the mix at the expense of guitar impact yet Black Lodge Records are marketing the album as “13 tracks of the best metal Sweden has to offer this release” and “is anticipated to be the “Album of the year” in the eyes and ears of hardrock fans worldwide” so maybe I am alone in my less than worthy metal assessment. Judge for yourself with soundclips at www.sabaton.net

Rating – 50%