Rhythm Museum

Rick Mals is a blistering and exciting guitarist whose compositional style has been described as, "Frank Zappa meets Steve Vai after hanging out with Alan Holdsworth." Not far off the mark, as one can readily experience on his all-instrumental CD Rhythm Museum. With chops to spare, and a seemingly boundless creative approach to recording, lovers of high tech, fusiony, razor-edged guitar playing will enter 7th heaven for an approximately 30 minute ride through all eight tracks. Mals possesses a keen sense of melody, balanced (or challenged) by off-kilter structural changes and a sense of humor. From track one to track eight, Rhythm Museum is permeated by Mals' strength and fervor - recently he has undergone a bit of a revival in his attitude towards music, and guess what? This is a good thing.