By: Christian Carey
asteful, economical playing on an instrumental rock guitar album? I never thought I'd live to see the day! It's clear from Bob Margolis's solos on the Jeff Beck tune "Freeway Jam" that he has chops galore and can burn with the best of them, but Margolis's approach eschews the shred-fest into which guitar albums often devolve. Instead, his playing veritably shouts "Melody, Melody, Melody". We'll remember Impetus for its tunes, from the title track's solid hook to the lyrical acoustic ballad "Seeds". "Convergence" combines highly syncopated rhythms, contributed by the stalwart rhythm section of bassist Bill Monroe and drummer Steve Barke, with soaring single-line strat-playing from Margolis. The guitarist even channels Andy Summers with some tasty chord voicings on tunes such as "Kinship".
If Yngwie is your thing, then Margolis won't be your bag. But if you're looking for a rock instrumental album with some subtlety, Impetus is worth hunting down.
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