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ADAGIO - A BAND IN UPPERWORLD - LIVE

Marquee (Japan)
Out Now

A Band In Upperworld Live can be seen as the end of chapter 1 for Adagio.  This was to be the bands swansong with former vocalist David Readman and shows the band on one of their limited number of live gigs to date in front of a rampant Paris crowd.  The track listing sees a healthy selection from the bands then current album, (the highly recommended) Underworld and their debut Sanctus Ignis. 

Those that have heard the studio albums may wonder how the band would produce those richly orchestrated compositions in the live arena - well the band have streamlined them somewhat but this probably suits the live environment better.  The sound quality of the album is flawless, a great mix showcasing the extreme power the band has.  Guitarist Stephan Forte is on fire throughout, easily replicating the stunning lead lines from both albums whilst injecting even more power into his excellent rhythm parts and interacting with keyboardist Kevin Codfert in fine style.  David Readman is note perfect whipping the Paris crowd into euphoria whilst the rhythm section of Franck Hermanny (bass) and Eric Lebailly (drums) keep the band pounding along.

Simply if you were a fan of the bands first 2 solo albums then you will thoroughly enjoy this live offering.  We now look forward to the bands third album and debut with new vocalist Gustavo Monsanto entitled Dominate which is out this month in Japan and early 2006 in Europe.  Look out for a review soon..

Rating - 90%

DOGPOUND - A NIGHT IN THE GUTTER

Lion Music
Out Now

A Night In The Gutter is the second studio album from Swedish rockers Dogpound.  The bands debut 'The Hellbum' saw some excellent songwriting and this album returns with more of the same yet better.  The production on the album is top notch allowing the super infectious vocal hooks to really sink into your brain whilst the guitar work of Mikael ‘Micke’ Dahlqvist powers each track along with taste and power. 

Opener 'Captain Hook & Jesus' is a perfect example of what the band is all about and its beyond me why these guys were not asked to be on the recent UK Fireworks festival.  The lyrics from Henrik ‘Hea’ Andersson are quite unique and quirky yet help further the bands own brand of melodic hard rock.  Other delights of the album include '5 Seconds Away', 'Not By Choice', 'Loaded My Guns' and 'P.P.F' which all deliver the bands trademark songwriting and have enough musical delivery and melodic hooks to keep you more than satisfied.

Dogpound have produced another strong effort that tops The Hellbum, I suggest any reader of Virtuosity One that has yet to sample the bands brand of rock do so ASAP by picking up this album.  Put in your car stereo and get ready for the experience.

Rating - 84%

ROB VAN DER LOO'S FREAK NEIL INC - CHARACTERS

Lion Music
Out Now

For the uninitiated Rob Van Der Loo is the bassist with one of Europe's hottest prog metal band Sun Caged.  Whilst the band was on a break before commencing work on their second album Rob put together Freak Neil Inc and has come out with the album Characters. 

Characters sees a fusion of modern metal that mixes with prog, jazz and shades of funk!  Hardly a surprise3 when you consider that  the album (produced by Joost van den Broek) tells the story of several different characters who have to deal with their own frustrations in life. Since each character is unique the album contains several different musical styles to reflect their personalities. 

Musically the bass work and drum work is A1, this sort of overpowers the guitar and vocals to some extent (as in this is what I found my
Rating - 83%

LARS ERIC MATTSSON - EARTHBOUND

Lion Music
Out Now

 

The first instrumental album in almost 14 years from the super productive Lars Eric Mattsson.  Following swiftly on the heels of the Mattsson 'War' epic released earlier this year we saw Earthbound bring Mattsson back to more organic waters with this impressive all instrumental release. 

Throughout the 10 tracks Lars manages to cover a range of styles from the opening guitar showcase of From The Skies, to the melancholy title track before heading over to Asia for the highly impressive Delhi which is home to some nice electric sitar backing.  Fans of Lars' neo-classical style will lap up Shredhead which has some excellent guitar and bass unison runs along with a thunderous bottom end. 

Earthbound may not be as accessible as say last month's Parallel Worlds from Simone Fiorletta, but it does show a musician that has grown considerably in both style and content throughout the course of his career.  If you enjoyed the epic 'Mattsson - War' then you will get a nice kick out of this.

I just hope Lars doesn't leave it another 14 years untill the next instrumental release.

Rating - 84%