Not so fast. The opening track, "Door Of Fire" begins with the heavy tones of what might just be another mindless guitar composition. Instead, these diabolical tones lead to a passage of smoother, more melodic phrasing. Now it's a battle between good guitarist and bad guitarist.

"Cloud 10" displays the layering of guitars and a catchy melody that leads way to what sounds like a surf melody. One thing that is very obvious is that this music would be difficult to perform live because of the complicated guitar layering.

"Mysterious Leaving" is a slower paced composition featuring electric guitar while "The Dream Of A Closed Heart" dabbles with the acoustic guitar reminiscent of Craig Chaquico. Electric guitar fades back in with an upbeat melody. It is evident that a great deal of time went into the writing of the compositions as well as the recording time to allow all the different guitar voices in the studio.

"Now And Far Away" leans towards the style of Carlos Santana, yet is tastefully drawn back towards Christopherson's performing style. "Midnight Flyer" begins with what sounds like acoustic slide guitar. The bluesy tune than shares electric over electric guitar in harmony. A wah-wah petal adds yet another dimension. Daniel Christopherson is a Washington State guitarist that has opened for people like Robin Trower and Guns And Roses. Various reviews have compared him to Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and Eric Johnson. Perhaps we should be looking for Christopherson to complete the next leg of the G3 tour. Christopherson also has a philosophy towards the guitar that lends for some interesting reading. Although short in length, some valid points can be drawn from his approach to the music and the guitar.

ONE ZILLION GUITARS is divided into two different discs. Seriously divided. "6-String Rainbow" is a short and high-spirited composition that could double as the background music for a surfing adventure. As the song ends, a silence falls over the disc. The aforementioned great divide.

To separate the electric elements of the disc from the acoustic elements, the gap of silence lulls one into a false sense. One might either get up to change the disc, or simply forget about the running disc. After a short lapse, the acoustic portion of the disc begins. For someone drifting deep in thought, the melodic interruption is startling.

"Cedardance" and "The Forest Comes To Me" are two examples of steel-strung acoustic guitar expertly played to help round out a pleasant listening experience. The final track, "Otherworld" uses on an acoustic vamp, harmonics and gongs to present the standout acoustic piece on the disc.

ONE ZILLION GUITARS is imaginative and extremely well written. One might call this a sleeper in the fact that one might expect so much less and Christopherson offers so much more as a performer and composer.

Bottom Line: A diverse guitar driven disc that covers a great deal of ground in just under an hour. Very well done.