reg Meckes first album, Square One, is a different venue altogether from his later effort, Mission. But, the thread that binds both efforts is Meckes' driving, aggressive tenacity and attention to melodic development. Square One is an strictly instrumental album in the vein of the progressive rock stylisms of Satriani, Vai, and the earlier, hard-rocking yet melodic Greg Howe. Though there may be a myriad of guitarists that emulate this style of rock-based instrumentalism, one of the qualities that sets Greg Meckes apart is his ability to arrange and execute coherent compositions that have well-defined themes and direction. This seems to be an area that many other technicians often come up short, though Meckes avoids this pitfall with his obvious negotiation of this common caveat of rock instrumentalism.
Meckes proficiently deploys a number of aggressive, progressive rock guitar techniques from that genre of instrumental music. His seamless weaving of technique, harmonization, melodic themes, and catchy rhythms is his trademark that is established on this album. (and that is further expanded to jazz fusion on his later effort, Mission.) Even though this genre is somewhat dated to the late 80's and 90's because of the coverage it received from many of the great rock-oriented instrumentalists like Satriani, Johnson, Vai, and (Greg) Howe, Meckes effort on this album still managed to get my attention because of his attention to cohesion and musical direction that he showcases his polished guitar chops.
The one standout on this album that really marks the album is the sixth track, Barrkus. This composition has an inspiring theme and drive that is captivating with a sense of epic greatness. It seems like Meckes gets it all to come together for him on this track that displays a great sense of direction, musicality, and superb application of guitar technique to achieve a musical vision that is unmistakeably conveyed to the listener.
Though his later effort, Mission, is a more impressive effort with its expansion into the complex realm of jazz fusion, this effort from Meckes is worth checking out too. The contrast, progression, and growth that Meckes undergoes from rock instrumentalism to jazz fusion between these two albums is likely to give one pause and consider the same progression that many other greats have followed, such as Greg Howe and Tony MacAlpine. Fans of Satriani and Vai that are starving for new material should definitely check this one out to expand their rotation of rock-based instrumental albums.
reg Meckes first album, Square One, is a different venue altogether from his later effort, Mission. But, the thread that binds both efforts is Meckes' driving, aggressive tenacity and attention to melodic development. Square One is an strictly instrumental album in the vein of the progressive rock stylisms of Satriani, Vai, and the earlier, hard-rocking yet melodic Greg Howe. Though there may be a myriad of guitarists that emulate this style of rock-based instrumentalism, one of the qualities that sets Greg Meckes apart is his ability to arrange and execute coherent compositions that have well-defined themes and direction. This seems to be an area that many other technicians often come up short, though Meckes avoids this pitfall with his obvious negotiation of this common caveat of rock instrumentalism.