So enter Armed & Ready. 8 tracks totalling 54 minutes of music that showcase Stumps talents across a wide spectrum of rock styles. I am going to go out on a limb here and state that this is Joe's best solo album since 1996's 'Supersonic Shred Machine' (one of the neo-classical/shred genres best instrumental albums EVER!). The album sees Joe fired up and playing better than on any other solo release and the production is also spot on.

This album was done a little differently, Joe was given 8 backing tracks and told to play what he liked over them. As stated earlier Joe has given us a variety of styles from the all out neo-classical workout Mind Games which is 6 minutes of some of the most high octane playing you will ever hear! Think Malmsteen and Uli Roth and you will not be far out - very technically demanding playing with heavy classical overtones. This is the style best associated with Joe and it will do his reputation no harm at all - excellent!

Prisoner Of Time sees the tempo slow for a classy European Metal vibe in the vein of classic Michael Schenker and Ritchie Blackmore. For those that say Joe is only about speed and chops then have an ear full of this! Chock full of tasty melodic lines and packed with emotion. The Schenker vibe is further enhanced with a half-cocked wah pedal to really accent the mids and plenty of minor scale runs.

Day Of Doom is a dark gothic piece with a very haunting melody that goes through a series of progressions. Joe's phrasing and vibrato are superb here with some very tastefully thought out solos. Joe's tone is very good here with, you can really hear him switching between smooth neck pickup legato licks to glassy bridge pickup tones to make sustained notes ring out with punch.

Hurricane X is pure Blackmore done in the Stump style. Mixing the bluesy element of Lazy with the aggression of Under The Gun intertwined with the more classical pomp of Kill The King. Make no mistake you know this Stump, but he has nailed the Blackmore vibe - check out the licks from 1:36 through to the very Blackmore vibrato at 1:46 - blinding stuff! Joe does step outside the Blackmore sound to go into more articulated neo-classical runs though the middle section and its this blend of styles that generally gives a masterclass of the progressions made in the neo-classical genre from the primitive style started by Blackmore to the modern intrepretation of Stumps own original elements. This is one fun track that its quite obvious Joe had a blast playing, this element will transend to you the listener.

Chasing Rainbows is pure uptempo metal. Joe builds up the layers and intensity on this track. Some of the speed of the playing on this track is just plain scary yet its fits the uptempo vibe of the backing track to a tee. Its probably my least favourite track on the album but its a lot of fun.

Armed & Ready is Stump paying tribute to another of his influences Gary Moore (were talking his 1980's metal period not his current straight blues approach). Joe playing is more straightforward here, utilising pinch harmonics and whammy bar tricks however the odd arpeggio section does creep in. A good track that is another quality 6 minutes.

Hot Nights sees the neo-classical vibe return with a dark harmonic minor sound with plenty of classical overtones. My only real gripe with this track is the backing section is a little one-dimensional but Joe manages to still make the track go through several areas with different inflections that breathe life into the track. Joe's speed picking here is exemplerary - super clean!

Destination is pure Hendrix from the rotovibe drenched pentatonic blues licks. Stump succesfully shows that he is no slouch when it comes to playing more basic rock guitar, there are some superb licks scattered liberally throughout this track. Towards the end we get some tremolo bar madness before wah drenched lead lines take control. However, Stump still finds time to peel off the occassionaly descending linear lick that brings the Hendrix sound right upto date (in a technical sense).

Overall Armed & Ready is a technically, very proficient album that takes us across several styles whilst maintaining the metal vibe. Its a good indicator of the mastery of the instrument Stump has, yet it retains a very listenable vibe that even non-musicians can grasp and get a kick out of. Long time Stump fans should pick up this album a.s.a.p., whilst new listeners would find this a very good starting point to get a taster of what Joe is all about.

Hot Spots: Mind Games, Prisoner Of Time, Hurricane X.

Rating: 91%