Mark Sztyber. Robin Ady. Peter Simack. Purchasable with gift card. Battle Bots feat. Rhymefest The Kid I Have No Idea Moonchild for Kaleigh Den Sunday The Journey Next One Django Flame Runner for Nick Menza Maiden Voyage Song For Brad for Brad Zandstra Personally I would have prefered more heaviness but that's my only complaint.
Review by snobb Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator. As often in such cases, the band is power trio without keyboards, and it's really for good. Music played is melodic heavy fusion, brewed from Chris' heavy rock guitar and very competent jazzy rhythm section.
Whenever the guitar is absolutely main instrument there, possibly the correct name of album's music should be "heavy instrumental rock with jazz elements". Happily, rhythm section is quite important on many compositions, and it saves album from being just usual instrumental rock recordings.
Chris Poland is good rock guitarist ,but really not the jazz fusion one, and even if you can hear some McLaughlin influences here and there, guitar's sound is mostly pure rock. But - music is accessible, melodic, technical enough for heavy rock, and have jazzy flavour. Good album for heavy rock fans, entering the jazz fusion doors.
Nothing too much to listen for jazz-rock or fusion lovers though Due to the focus on melody, my enjoyment of each track depends highly of the appeal that the provided leads and grooves have on me. And as can be expected, one piece works better then the other. But there are highlights throughout, The Black Hand is an excellent track that depends a bit less on the guitar soloing and brings the remarkable bass and drum work to the fore.
Overall the approach stays the same for all tracks and it brings down the average level. It is a good album in the contemporary fusion scene but I rounded down to 3 stars because of its dominating focus on shredding great as it is though and its repetitive approach. Depending of your affinities with the genre, this is of course something that might displease you less then it does for me. Ohm: is one of, if not THE, best modern jazz fusion outfit in America right now. They were considered a group of prodigies at the time and in the early 80's Gar and then Poland were tapped for the first incarnation of Megadeth.
Years later, following rehab and around the time of best friend Gar's death, Poland decided to return to his roots with Rob Pagliari resulting in the amazing Ohm:. Several drummers have rotated through the group, most notably Ginger Baker's son Kofi, who plays on the second half of the disc here, Circus of Sound.
Where the songs on their debut disc had been incubating and maturing live for a very long time, tracks for subsequent albums have been written and recorded with more spontaneity. Amino Acid Flashback sees the band in a softer jazz vein than the debut, and 's Circus of Sound moves the other direction, cranking the distortion a little, and rocking a bit harder.
At the same time, as the album moves through three different drummers, it also settles back toward jazzier beats and the sound that Ohm: fans have become accustomed to. After almost wearing the debut disc out, I was a little unsure about this one at first.
The compositions aren't quite as developed on a few songs more jamming , and some of the drumming is a little more straight rock than complex jazz. The spotlight is even more firmly on Poland than ever, not that he doesn't earn it.
In fact, he plays like a demon. Poland's trademarks are smooth-as-silk speed legato runs, unparalleled articulation including microtonal bending, and very individual note choice and phrasing. His playing continues to improve and his work on this record may well be his best. Despite 53 minutes and 14 songs, the album never gets stale. The music actually spans fairly widely from aggression to tenderness to funky fun.
The compositions continue to be very good, and there is no doubt this is a band, not just a solo artist. Pagliari's fretless acrobatics are excellent as always, and he incorporates more effects this time around, including wah. The three drummers are all excellent, with Kofi Baker not surprisingly sounding the most at home with the trio. At the same time, both Joel Taylor and Frank Briggs are seasoned veterans and contribute their own color Taylor's is more in the pocket rock, while Briggs more acrobatic and funky.
After giving this disc the repeated listens it deserves, I like it very much, and I'm very appreciative that the band was able to produce three albums that simultaneously have a unified sound between then and still each have their own distinct flavoring. I actually gave this album 5 stars at first but over time I've found myself reaching for the debut album much more often.
Its compositions are just a little more robust, and the record a bit more band oriented. I believe this was his first project back after coming off his ordeal with tinnitus, and he certainly didn't lose any chops.
He's occasionally pushed a bit more outside than normal, and his tone isn't as thick as on earlier records. Sometimes, his speed runs really don't fit, and I'm not certain this is his natural element.
He does have some monster licks, and as a fan of his playing, I can't complain too much. Unfortunately, there are two new discs that are going to completely overshadow this one in my listening rotation in the long run. The other is the second offering from Poland's other side project, Ohmphrey, whose samples are even better than the debut. Both are more daring, have better energy, and despite their all-star lineups feel like coherent bands.
Polcat feels like a very good jam session between awesome players who really aren't that familiar with each other. Which is exactly what it was.
I must admit the this disc has grown on me over listens but a year from now, it will be buried behind these two great albums. The best tracks are "Mighty Burner," the previously mentioned "Forget About It," and the strange but powerful "Americana.
For everyone else, I've told you where to look. It is no secret that I think Chris Poland is one of the best modern guitar players. His combination of expressive technique and tone are basically unmatched. At the same time, he can shred with the best of them. Starting as a Mahavishnu devotee, he gained prominence as Megadeth's first lead guitarist, did some work in his own metal projects, and finally reverted back to jazz fusion. Chasing the Sun is a transition album, the last solo effort before the formation of the monster trio Ohm.
It is a collection of demos, reportedly, but all but three tracks sound like fully realized studio versions. Two of those, clearly jams to a drum machine track, feature some simply mindblowing guitar playing earning their spot on the album and a live track by an early incarnation of Ohm. To be fair, this album is pure jazz fusion with a metallic guitar tone. Mark Poland, Chris' brother, provides strong drum work just as he did on the previous Return to Metalopolis and Damn the Machine albums.
Bass and drums provide great support for Chris' compositions, but virtually never take center stage. And in fact, unlike many guitar solo albums, the compositions themselves grab as much attention as the playing itself.
I would put this album at almost equal footing with the first Ohm: album as my favorite Poland work. Among my favorite songs on the album are "Wendell's Place," which features a great melody and spooky bridge, the haunting ballad "Mercy," and the dark "Alphabet City" which refers back to past demons. Threads Parker's Eyes Scarred Sapphire The Suffocating Silence Bleed Me Dry Memory The Origins Of Ruin Man Of Glass Blind My Eyes Used To Be Fall On You Duration: Peel Walls Leviathan Rising Black And White World
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