By: Rene Yedema
ith "The Alchemists" the brand new English label Liquid Note Records brings a versalite sample of the music they will release, by which the subtitle "27 tracks of total guitar wizardry" is a nice indication of what the listener can hear on this double-CD. The gathered string-players are offering the most divers genres. There are for instance the well known progressive rockers like Dave Kominster from John Wetton-fame (with a beautiful symphonic ballad), Cyril Achard (with an acoustic version of a song of his solo-CD "Confusion") and Magnitude 9-guitarist Rob Johnson (with heavy, but melodic progressive-metal). Though the symphonic highlight of the rock is the almost 10 minutes lasting "Rising Of The Mourning Son" from Lyle Workman, originating from his beautiful orchestral guitar-record "Tabula Rasa". For the jazz-rock connoisseurs Brett Garsed (somewhat Scott Henderson-like jazz-rock with alienating loops), Dave Martone (well produced, with quick licks) and Derryl Gabel (with a song from "Visions And Dreams" - which was reviewed in iO Pages 39) are no strangers anymore. They get pleasant company from Richard Hallebeek (who's Holdsworthian "Seasons" makes you look out for his coming solo-CD), Magnus Olsson (who's playing in the same style) and Phi Yaan-Zek (cinematic as well as complex music). The strong, often neo-classical heavy genre is well represented by artists like Terry Syrek, Todd Duane and Rusty Cooley, at which a few notes per second more isn't an object. But there are also all kinds of odd men out, like the semi-acoustic work of Stephen Ross, Scott Hughes' folky fusion, electronic metal from Joy Basu and the Zappa-influenced Bumblefoot. With this all it's remarkable that next to the many group-compositions a couple of musicians have delivered a solo-product, on which they play everything by them self, often accompanied by programmed drums and sometimes with a guest who plays a sole keyboard-solo. This great overdose of "guitar wizardry" is clearly meant as a visiting card for all the participants, which is made clear by the internet-addresses that are added to the commentaries to all the songs written by all the performers themselves. "The Alchemists" offers a lot to discover.
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