What truly sets Mantel apart in the rock guitar arena is his willingness to venture beyond typical shred guitar cliches. He is more than capable of indulging in as much guitar flailing as the next guy, but instead chooses to concentrate on the big picture of his songs, which makes this music much more accessible than most artists in his genre. He also freely moves from one playing style to another. Bags covered here include straight-up rock ("Tribute"), jazz/rock ("Tai-Chi"), vocal pop ("Merry Go Round"), classical ("Affectionately Yours"), fusion ("There Are No Words"), and country ("Finger Pickin' Country"). All this variety keeps the album moving along nicely and makes for a great listen for musicians and non-musicians alike. Mantel is poised to move into the light of public acclaim with "The Unstruck Melody". The record shows enough musicality, creativity, and expression to deliver Mantel to his rightful place in the guitar firmament, a place he should have been long ago.