Drawing heavily on influences that range from Patrick Rondat to Ron Thal, Contrasts blends a cohesive smattering of over the top shred with jazzier elements and electronic soundscapes. Incidentally Patrick and Ron both grace the groves of this fine release offering up their signature licks within the context of Laurent Fleury compositions.

The songs put forth on Contrastes are not just instrumental non-sence. Each piece is a well crafted song that could quite easily accommodate a vocal performance. All the songs featured on Contrastes are so diverse that the CD should appeal to just about anyone who can appreciate top quality guitar playing combined with solid composition.

Highlights include:

"Yia, Yia, Yia" - a juiced up heavy rocker with a sledgehammer rhythm and some way cool electronica mixed in. Some of Laurent's best playing is showcased on this fine tune. He pulls out all stops ripping through a nice call and response groove that leads into some traditional shred soling.

"Finale" - Guest appearance by Patrick Rondat. Good mix of exotic and traditional scale sequences that give the track an epic feel. Fleury and Rondat both shine throughout this track, trading licks that blister with energy and emotion.

"Rein Qui Vaille" - Featuring Ron Thal, this totally over the top shred fest pumps along with a massive distortion driven main melody. This tune is executed flawlessly with some great expressively infused blues/shred soloing. Fleury goes Lick to Lick with Ron Thal keeping pace through every shred-riffic solo.

Fleury seems most at home when delivering catchy, melodic rockers that mix strange, outside the box sounds with hammer-of-the-god melodies. All the compositions are delivered with integrity and an unbelievable sense of timing and melody. Contrastes showcases Fleury's diverse range of ability and introduces a unique new guitar talent with a flare for the unusual.