"Plectrum Head" is one hell of a CD and I see it already making my final poll at the end of the year; it's that damn good! I've had some great CD's these last few updates like the new Moore and MacAlpine and the Masi reissues as well as indie artists Wentworth, Schuster, Merry and many, many more; too many to mention! 12 tracks on this CD and one of those that are more heavy than eclectic or harmonious with "ballads". It's definatey not one-sided but at least the majority of it will slap you upside the head with a heavy riff or some jaw-dropping solo of some sort. One of my fave songs on here is "Stratosphere" as it's so catchy like Wentworth's "Flyin' Down 94" or Tommy Merry's "Andromeda II"..still sticks in my head! The overall CD you'll hear alot of the influences mentioned but "Satch" and Vai are the most influential but the guitar "punch and crunch" are reminiscent of Wentworth, old Friedman and Vinnie Moore. The only song I question for the "redundant riff" is "Five Knuckle Shuffle"; the riff is close to 2 songs I already know; "Up All Night" by Slaughter and Saraya's "When You See Me Again"..oh well, 1 bad thing won't spoil this CD trust me! (well maybe 2 since "Bone Cutter" has a STP "Vaseline"-type riff to it). Regardless, I like this CD and we need more of these heavier releases to wake people up..I have had too many snoozers this year (some did not even make the review section..they are being used as coasters). Any fan of guitar music or a guitar player in general will definately dig this "Box" of treats.