Comments: Lion Music brings forth yet another all star neoclassical/progressive shred project Journey into the Fourth Dimension, an incredibly intense shred release featuring guitarist Jose del Rio and keyboard virtuoso Vitalij Kuprij (Artension). Jose Del Rio is a rocket fast shredder from the South American country of Chile. He started with the love of Malmsteen, Cacophany and Vinnie Moore, and went on to spend countless hours studying some of their classical inspirations Paganini, Beethoven and Bach. He also had a stage of non stop immersion into the jazz improvisation of Sean Lane, Allan Holdsworth and Al Dimeola. This album includes feelings of those influences but also many other diverse musical styles.
There are opera vocals from Pilar Aguilera and Bernardo Rosselot on a few tracks on the album, including “Nel Mezzo Del Cammir.” It also includes unique instrumentation like the old world Sitar which has a sound that is pure and lovely. There are plenty of spots for one of the world's finest keyboardist Vitali Kuprij to showcase his skills including lightning fast organ sounding work in “Epic Dramatic.” The best tracks on the album may be the acoustic styled picking “Psycophony” or the pseudo flamenco cut “Dreams of Wisdom & Prophecy”, though there are several other selections that could be argued.
But folks, the shred is well done too, after all this is a shred record, is it not? To emphasize that point, Del Rio finishes with a 300 bpm shred version of “Flight of the Bumblebee,” which is as over the top as possible. All in all this is a showcase of Del Rio and Kuprij and in that light it should be judged a success. Truth be told, though most of the songs are really thinly veiled attempts for Del Rio to tap and bend the six strings of his Stratocaster at mach 8 speed and Vitali to tickle the Ivories right along side the Chilean.
Shred heads pick this up, but the appeal probably stops there.
Band members:
José L.del Río: Electric Guitar, Bronze string Acoustic/Electric Guitar, Classical Guitar, Electric coral Sitar, Electric Bass (Fretted & Fretless) Oud; Midi Sequencing
Marco Cerda- Drums and V-Drum
Vitalij Kuprij- All keyboards and Acoustic Piano, Synth Bass and Drums
Felipe Porflitt- Keyboard solos on "Journey into the Fourth Dimension"
Pilar Aguilera & Bernardo Rosselot:-Vocals on "Nel mezzo del Cammin"
Juan Francisco Rojas- Recorder on "Battlefields of Glory" and "Beyond the Pillars of Hercules"
Track listing:
01. Introduction
02.Phantom Shadows
03. Battlefields Of Glory
04. Oriental Fantasy
05. Through The Darkness
06. Dreams of Wisdom & Prophecy
07. Epic Dramatic
08. Psychophony
09. Journey Into The Fourth Dimension
10. Nel Mezzo Del Cammir
11. Beyond The Pillars Of Hercules
12. Flight Of The Bumblebee (bonus trk))
HRH Rating: 7.4/10
