I picked up this CD at Guitar Nine Records a couple of months ago and it has rarely left my CD player. But, the review...
Great guitarists in my listening experience often have a tendency to over do it, to show that they possess amazing guitar skills - all the time. I liken it to premature ejaculation, where our 6 (or 7) string friends insist on blowing their loads in the first minute, then expecting us to stay interested for another 30 or 40 minutes.
There are exceptions of course, and Chris Brooks is one. While there is a fantastic display of guitar skill on "The Master Plan", it's very much a collection of songs that travel along, complete with heartfelt melodies, cool grooves, some swift turns and time changes and the smooth, legato driven guitar phrases that speak rather than dribble.
Track one "Kryptica" is an ideal opener, bringing to mind a subtle essence of Dream Theater trading riffs with Symphony X, with Steve Vai showing up for a jam. The solo of this songs is perhaps some of the best phrased shredding I've heard his side of DT's "Images and Words".
While there are heavy moments to the album (by which I mean, no heavier than say Dream Theater's more crunching moments), modern progressive rock fusion is probably a long but appropriate way to describe the style. It's not all about metal, but the variety is what makes each part more welcome to the whole, rather than contrived changes for the sake of it.
The album "progresses" through the remaining 10 songs with highlights such as ballad "Blue Sky Odyssey", funk jam "Funksion" and the title track - a three part suite. Did I mention that Brooks plays all the instruments on the album? WOW! "Axiom" and "The Master Plan" show that Brooks has a great skill for arranging and considering the parts to be played on each instrument, rather than just setting up a backing track for him to shred over.
Things really pickup for the guitarists in the albums closer "Tales from a Distant Sky", the closest thing to a solo based song on the album, still avoiding the "wankfest" trapdoor that lesser guitarists would have dived into. Make no mistake, Brooks' chops are world class. It's just that he knows where to put them. If you're a Stach, Vai, Malmsteen or Petrucci fan, this song alone would probably inspire you to pick up your axe and practice more often!
Overall I have to say that this impressive independent effort is easily my favorite guitar based release of 2002, and mostly likely my favorite of the last few years. Give him a shot if you like what you've read!
Mic
More info on Chris Brooks "The Master Plan":
http://chrisbrooks.net
http://guitar9.com/themasterplan
Other reviews:
http://silverdb.com/MUSIC_DBCDInfo.asp?txtCDID=4072
Great guitarists in my listening experience often have a tendency to over do it, to show that they possess amazing guitar skills - all the time. I liken it to premature ejaculation, where our 6 (or 7) string friends insist on blowing their loads in the first minute, then expecting us to stay interested for another 30 or 40 minutes.
There are exceptions of course, and Chris Brooks is one. While there is a fantastic display of guitar skill on "The Master Plan", it's very much a collection of songs that travel along, complete with heartfelt melodies, cool grooves, some swift turns and time changes and the smooth, legato driven guitar phrases that speak rather than dribble.
Track one "Kryptica" is an ideal opener, bringing to mind a subtle essence of Dream Theater trading riffs with Symphony X, with Steve Vai showing up for a jam. The solo of this songs is perhaps some of the best phrased shredding I've heard his side of DT's "Images and Words".
While there are heavy moments to the album (by which I mean, no heavier than say Dream Theater's more crunching moments), modern progressive rock fusion is probably a long but appropriate way to describe the style. It's not all about metal, but the variety is what makes each part more welcome to the whole, rather than contrived changes for the sake of it.
The album "progresses" through the remaining 10 songs with highlights such as ballad "Blue Sky Odyssey", funk jam "Funksion" and the title track - a three part suite. Did I mention that Brooks plays all the instruments on the album? WOW! "Axiom" and "The Master Plan" show that Brooks has a great skill for arranging and considering the parts to be played on each instrument, rather than just setting up a backing track for him to shred over.
Things really pickup for the guitarists in the albums closer "Tales from a Distant Sky", the closest thing to a solo based song on the album, still avoiding the "wankfest" trapdoor that lesser guitarists would have dived into. Make no mistake, Brooks' chops are world class. It's just that he knows where to put them. If you're a Stach, Vai, Malmsteen or Petrucci fan, this song alone would probably inspire you to pick up your axe and practice more often!
Overall I have to say that this impressive independent effort is easily my favorite guitar based release of 2002, and mostly likely my favorite of the last few years. Give him a shot if you like what you've read!
Mic
More info on Chris Brooks "The Master Plan":
http://chrisbrooks.net
http://guitar9.com/themasterplan
Other reviews:
http://silverdb.com/MUSIC_DBCDInfo.asp?txtCDID=4072
