ulgarian guitarist Dimitar Nalbantov may work as an art teacher by day but his true passion for the guitar unleashes a storm on his debut instrumental CD Universe. Nipping at the heels of Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, the progressive playing of Nalbantov is remarkably stellar considering he is self-taught. Studying as an art student, the musician was forced to abandon painting after his entire body of work was stolen from his studio. Devastated, he turned to guitar as an outlet and rapidly developed some staggering professional chops. Somewhat trigger-happy, he gets the momentum going in "Purely and Simply." His warm tone and ear for melodic composition keep the song hooky and pleasant. Hard rock tendencies fill "HyperSonic" and "Not a Game" with chugging rhythms and exceptional fretwork - all aided by drummer John Wooten. The acoustic layering of "End of Summer" and "Elegance by Soul' is reminiscent of classic Steve Vai complete with fluid time signatures. It seems all guitarists have the need to throw in a Middle Eastern/Indian opus and Nalbantov follows suite with "Orpheus" a mid-tempo soundtrack to Deli. Standout tune "The Wide," though a bit cosmic, puts power behind scaled frills with a thick bottom end and a tasteful bridge that links to a textured romp.
|
