|
RECORDING INFORMATION |
Lion Music (LMC191)
Composed, Mixed & Produced by Michael Harris.
Mastered by Gary Long.
|
|
|
| COMMENTS & REVIEWS |
|
MJBrady
|
Published on: 18 Nov 2006
Of all the modern day electric guitar virtuoso players, few are going beyond the seemingly limited scope of innovation, and the saturation of players that are far too similar has blurred the genre into a virtual stagnant scene altogether. Do Not include Michael Harris in that company, he along with a handful of other musicians that happen to play the guitar, have managed to keep a fresh and exciting perspective on using the guitar in very inventive settings. His latest offering simply called "Orchestrate" shows a new take on classical music meeting progressive metal. Sure we have heard this all before, with the deluge of neo-classical Yngwie clones for the last couple decades. But here Michael, who posesses both compositional savvy as well as skillful playing, takes a different approach for creating his musical backdrop. He painstakingly orchestrates a symphonic sound by using a Yamaha Motif ES keyboard, scoring an orchestra, recording one "voice" at a time.
As you may guess, this cd has a huge symphonic sound, so this is not your typical neo-classic recording, but one that will appeal to a far greater audience that can appreciate the nuances and moods of classical music as well as the intensity that Michael has injected into his previous releases. So this is a cd that takes on the challenge of being different, one that attempts to marry the organic beauty of the classical traditional sound with the sheer power and technical abilities of todays modern virtuoso musicians, this being Michael Harris, who proves that he is not merely a great guitar talent. For what I hear on this recording, the guitar takes a second seat to the orchestrations, in other words, the full compliment of orchestrated arrangements are the main thematic setting, and the guitars and drums, which are actually being performed, accentuate the movements whether through solos, or creative interactive play.
Again, I am impressed by another Michael Harris release, he will always remain one guitarist that will captivate my attention for the fact that he reinvents his music almost everytime I hear a new release from him. His playing is always at the top of the heap, yet it is his musical imagination that sets him apart from the rest. Not since Victor Smolski's - Majesty & Passion J.S. Bach (2004) have I heard a neo-classical guitar cd as good.
|
| TRACKS |
CREDITS
(click to view performer credits) |
PROGGNOSIS SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY
(click to view Release Page) |
- Opus Conceptus
- String Theory
- The Mad Composer’s Rage
- Notes from the Kursk
- Battle at Storm’s Edge
- Guiprice
- Mysterioso
- Octavian II
- The Anti Shred
- Schizo Forte
|
|
|
|
ProGGnosis - Progressive Rock & Fusion
PO Box 27226
Golden Valley, MN 55427-0226
Copyright © 2000 - 2010 where appropriate - All rights reserved.
Comments & Feedback - email:
ProGGnosis Webmaster
|
|
