Excruciating Pleasures

from rathole com

     

I swear I don't know what to make of this guy. He is so talented I get a headache just thinking about it. He's got a fantastic voice. Great power, range and clarity and he does some great stuff with it too. Good harmonies and vocal melodies… His guitar playing is amazing. No matter what style he is playing, he just nails it, like that's what he was born to play. The drum lines are interesting and well thought out, and oddly enough he is most famous as a bass player. Go figure…           He also wrote and produced everything. I honestly think he might be schizophrenic. The absolute abandon he displays while churning through genre and style… boundaries be damned! I mean after years of playing covers and backing up other people I believe he has developed a real appreciation for all different types of rock and he just doesn't differentiate between them. It's just all stuff he likes. Coincidentally, when he does it, it's all stuff I like too. His voice and guitar tone stay consistent throughout the cd as a constant, but the style changes quite a bit. The first couple songs have sort of a modern fun feel, while the third one sounds just like old Firehouse. The sixth one jumps forward into a very Fates Warning like song, the seventh h as a big funky bass like the Suicidal Tendencies and the eighth one skips around between like Winger, Blue Murder and Queensryche. The tenth one reminds me a little bit of Saigon Kick and the last one shows touches of Queen and Dream Theater… The guy is amazingly versatile and sounds comfortable doing all of it. I feel confident that with the variety of styles on this album, there might truly be, something for everyone.