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Rating: After a daring solo album like "Get out of my yard," another solid confirmation was expected from Mr. Paul Gilbert.
The guitarist, who has played in RacerX and MrBig, returns in better shape than ever with another superior album, where he literally explains how to play and how to renew oneself while always and only maintaining his unmistakable style, both musically (we're talking about excellent solo rock) and technically.
"Silence followed by a deafening roar" in addition to the unique and unmissable shred also presents us with Paul’s excellent melodic taste.
"Get out of my yard" was already an incredible treatise on how to do good shred these days: it was filled with neoclassical elements, acoustic parts, blues traits, and deadly bursts of lightning-fast notes, always perfectly placed, and it was an absolute novelty for Paul, as he has always expressed himself with solo albums, but made of songs and never of true and proper guitar-only tracks.
Now he’s gotten a taste for it, and this new effort, besides being again a single solid guitar album with no vocals, is a small step forward, as far as possible.
The opener "Silence followed by a deafening roar" is an excellent start. A great dose of shred and melody while "Eudaimonia overture" offers a great insight to fully understand this genius six-string interpreter: melodic openings that lead to incredible solos, reminding a bit of the classical music influences that have impacted Gilbert.
This is just a taste: the best is yet to come. "Rhino" is the classic example of how a guitarist's track can be fun, danceable, and damn Rock'n'roll. We remain on the shores of rock with classic hues with "Norwegian cowbell". The rhythms are mind-blowing, but Paul’s soloing is the protagonist more than ever.
After so much musical fun, the ballad of the moment is expected: "I cannot tell a lie" is just the first example of incredible taste and incredible musical touch from this great artist. An exciting track. "Bronx 1971" once again evokes that playful rock feel, a bit funky. "Suite modale" gifts us with a Gilbert playing with his pedals to provide sounds that resemble violins and string instruments: accompanied by the piano, he creates a track of sure impact, a small novelty demonstrating how much versatility Gilbert has. Very varied, with countless musical shades, is "The Gargoyle", an excellent small suite with unexpected metal elements. "I still have that other girl" renews the melody in a sweet and romantic ballad. It closes with the surprising "Bultaco saturno" and the astonishing duel "Paul vs Godzilla".
A confirmation for one of the most talented guitarists, with twenty years of experience, yet still possessing so much class and so much to say that he could continue, and continue, and continue to produce albums of this high standard. Long live Paul!
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