By: Scott Andrews
arp 3, a trio from Tucson, Arizona, plays the lightly fusion
and funk influenced instrumental rock that seems to be the 90s
refuge of "shred" guitarists schooled in Satriani and Vai style
chops. The pretentious title of their first full length CD
Music Has Evolved almost begs for laughter, as the style
and playing strongly evoke 80s instrumental guitar, but there's
a little more depth to Warp 3 than most shred.
Original and engaging instrumental rock is very difficult.
Warp 3's writing avoids some common pitfalls, like overly
repetitious riffs and bloatedly extended solos. The songs move
lightly from riff to riff, almost always without changes in
tempo or meter, so they occasionally grow monotonous but never
boring. The writing is competent if slightly bland, as few of
the riffs or melodies are really memorable. The major key,
poppy snap of "Driven" sounds just like pumped up,
action/romance scene music for the triumphant ending where John
Cusak gets the girl in some 80s high school movie. The playing
is slick and smooth by all musicians, and some clean piano adds
welcome texture beyond the guitar trio format.
Warp 3 is solid modern shred-fusion, recommended to fans of
Tone Center CDs like Chambers/MacAlpine/Brunnel.
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