Here is our current review section from various guitar-oriented artists. We hope that this will give you some insight into discovering 'unknowns' as well as, if your favorite artists new cd is worthy of purchase.
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Guitar Chef Ratings Analysis :
Eccellente! A must have.
 Real good! Not spectactular...but definately worthy of purchase.
 La media! Average. A nobile effort...hopefully will be better next time around.
 This is hovering in the Starting to suck Catagory...but not quite.
 Succhiare! As Beavis & Butthead would say, "...uh...NO..." However, you might enjoy this if you are between the ages of
5 and 10.
Artist list:
Richie Kotzen Break it all down
After Richie's last blues-oriented album for Shrapnel Records and his new Mr. Big release, Kotzen's latest attempt, Break it all down, takes Richie away from his past shred style. He exudes this warm 'Hendrixian' atmosphere, like in the song, 'My addiction'(co-wrote with Richie Zito) and the covertune, 'I'll be around' is so greatly arranged that he shows us that he can sing as well play his guitar!
Emiliano Mammini
Jeff Kollman Shedding skin
Jeff Kollman has come back with a solo album after forming a new band called, 'Cosmosquad'. Heavy riffs and much more improvisation flourish in comparison to his past cd. Great musicians, like Barry Sparks and Shane Gaalaas (ex-Malmsteen...and now Artension) support Jeff in his work and on tracks, 'Shedding skin' and 'Fat, mean and nasty' Jeff shows us what his intentions really are! With the jazzy influencies of 'The color of love'(the acoustic guitar adds a wonderful touch), and bluesy songs such as 'Redeye romp', 'Blues for pop' and the fusion oriented 'Where is one?', make Jeff Kollmann a 3600 guitarist. By the way...track thirteen is really cool.
Emiliano Mammini
Popskull Guitars & Moondreams
Behind a quite frightening mask there is a very strange guitarist...Popskull. The feel of this album is something in the 'shred' to 'techno' genre. Unfortunately, the songs are confusing and the recording production is sub-standard. That's a pity..because the Egyptian style/techno tune, 'Voodoo beat', the lunatic-driven 'Hypnotica', 'Hey,hey' and the rock oriented, 'Sunflowers' are not bad at all...
Emiliano Mammini
Rob Balducci Mantra
This Italian-American guitarist seems to have some problems in the distribution aspect of releasing his cd. 'Mantra' is somewhat more strange than his other albums. The initial track, 'The dance' opens up with a heavy muted riff (very tasteful) and is the re-occuring theme for the entire song. The over-all production quality is very good and this can be heard in 'Amadeo', but we unfortunately find too many 'a-typical Satriani-like wah phrases'! In the track 'Fear' and 'The Crimson king', tribal drums and sitar enter the picture creating an interesting change-of-pace.
Maybe 'Mantra' will be released by Steve Vai's Favored Nations label in the near future. We'll see... But until then, you can purchase it from Rob's web-site.
Emiliano Mammini
Ilan Ashkenazi Ariel
The first release from the Israelian guitarist, Ilan Ashkenazi, is not very original but will surely go-over as an instant classic for the 'heavy-melodic guitar' fans out there...Ahem (that would be a 'clearing of the throat' sound)... His style reminds me of re-hashed riffs that have been heard time and time again. However, I really appreciated the intersting ballads, 'Ilanit' and 'Carousal of time'. Surely, we could hear something better in his next attempt.
Emiliano Mammini
Neil Zaza Staring at the Sun
Neil is one of my favorite guitarists around these days. 'Spy' is the first 'hit-song' that I hear, which exhibit tasteful solos and intricate guitarwork. Also, the ballads 'Lost in your dream' and 'Rain' play memorable pop melodies in your head, while the jazzy-pop sounds of 'Wonder of you' leave you with nice contrast.
Steve Smith and Stuart Hamm do a great job holding down the rhythm nation and we can also find Michael Lee Firkins making a guest appearance in the tune, 'Fargo'. Staring at the sun can be surpassed as quality guitar music with nice melodies miles of technique!
Emiliano Mammini
Garsed / Helmerich Under the lash of gravity
No more fusion or shred songs here, but Garsed & Helmerich brought in a new singer in the same vein as Marylin Manson! Many psychedelic sounds and painful atmospheres are incorporated in their new work. Everything is well produced and arranged, thanks in-part to the great drumming by Virgil Donati.
This cd is a real surprise, considering what they've done in the past and maybe that's why they have not found a solid fan-base for it yet. Eventhough this was probally an enjoyable project for them to lay-down, I believe everyone has moved on to different projects and interests.
Emiliano Mammini
Mike Campese Full Circle
This is the first release for guitarist Mike Campese. These seventeen tracks seem to be influenced by the 'early Kotzen days'. This cd also contains some nice acoustic and experimental pieces in it. 'Touch the sky' is strikingly similar to Satriani's 'Friends' but with more shred...of course. 'Burgundy mist' is a blues number with Mike in the vocal spotlight and tracks such as 'Africa', 'In the mirror' and 'Rescue me' seem to be pretty experimental.
Full circle is a good start-point for Campese, but lets hope for more in the future.
Emiliano Mammini
Shaun Baxter Jazz Metal
This was one of the 'Most Wanted' albums when the spread of 'guitar-fusion' caught on like a wild-fire. Now, this cd is on sale once again, but unfortunately only through the internet at the official site of this English guitarist.
Jazz metal was a real must-have in 1993, and still is. Back then, there weren't many distrubution means, so perhaps it was a little difficult to get ahold of. With the current technolgy of E-commerce, this once hidden jem can now be found by all.
This cd is full of style, sound and tecnique. So, try to get your hands on this....it will not be a waste of time or money!
Emiliano Mammini
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