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TONY HERNANDO - THIII LIVE! (DVD) (B+) Lion Music, 2006
CD: 13 tracks, RT: 69:35
DVD: RT: 58:48
[ http://www.tonyhernando.com/ ]
[ http://www.lionmusic.com/artists/hernando.htm ]
[ http://www.lionmusic.com/th3live.htm ]
[ http://www.lionmusic.com/ ]
Fans of melodic shred guitar can look forward to hearing (and seeing)
yet another quality player as Tony Hernando makes his presence on the
scene known with this very well done DVD/CD package. Tony is a Spanish
guitarist who has taken inspiration from some of the best in the
business, his music recalling the glory days of masters such as Joe
Satriani, Tony MacAlpine, Andy Timmons and Joey Tafolla. The
seven-track DVD is a lot of fun to watch, as Tony utilizes the talents
of no less than drummer extraordinaire Mike Terrana who keeps the
energy level high throughout. Tony's sound does owe quite a bit to his
heroes, but he manages to set himself apart by employing rhythm
guitarist Chema Herrero to bolster the sound as bassist Tony Ferrer and
keyboardist Boris Dimitrov provide excellent support. DVD highlights
include "Into The Black," "Duelling Waters," "Now" and "The Awakening,"
Tony displaying a knack for melody, technique and feel in the live
setting. Also included on the DVD is a video for "Men & Machines," Mike
Terrana's drum solo, a visual documentary of the show and a photo
gallery. The CD includes some of the same songs featured on the DVD but
adds in some different versions, remixes of earlier material and two
new songs, one of which features Tony on vocals. The sound is great,
the performance solid and the material familiar but characteristically
strong on both discs. Recommended for those who enjoy spirited metal
instrumentals with lots of guitar!
- Neal Woodall (MysticX9@gmail.com)
 

TONY HERNANDO (DVD) - THIII Live! Lion Music Release Date: 2006-08-24 by: SCOTT JESLIS www.metalexpressradio.com     Live albums are like “belly buttons,” most have them, they serve no true major purpose, and if gone unloved they collect dust and lint. For whatever reason, musicians and bands are compelled (or nudged by their fans) into eventually releasing a live album. So enters instrumental guitar virtuoso Tony Hernando, Spain’s answer to Joe Satriani, with his own personal live offering, which turns out to be a potpourri of a release. Tony has chosen to do one better than most live CDs, by following the growing trend of releasing a CD and DVD combo package. Both discs offer live material, and the CD includes two remixed studio versions of previously released material, and two new studio tracks! For those not familiar with Tony’s work, he has three solo guitar instrumental releases under his belt. The last studio release being the impressive and entertaining III -- take a detour here for a review of the effort and some background on Tony himself. CD The CD offers alternative songs from different live performances from the DVD as well as new mixes and new songs. The strength of the live material is Tony’s precision, fluidity and Mike Terrana’s monstrous, “Woolly Mammoth In Heat” drumming. Tony’s live performance sounds flawless, with plenty of precision, while his guitar sound is crisp and sharp. This collection of splendid live performances just further begs the mystery of why he isn’t acknowledged more in some parts of the world, especially in North America, where he’s virtually unknown. All tracks are backed by strong production, especially Terrana’s drum kit that sounds thunderous. “The Awakening” is an exceptional highlight with all cylinders firing, the track provides quite a frantic ride, albeit short as it is, as the track clocks in at a little over four minutes. The only potential complaint by rabid fans is the inclusion of the slower, moodier “Broken Hero,” which slows the pace down quite a bit for over eight minutes. The other pitfalls are the quiet breaks between tracks, and the low, spotty audience interaction and feedback. Both of these shortcomings serve to detract from the true feeling of being in a live environment. The remixed tracks sound solid and include support from Mike Terrana on drums, the ever-impressive Vitalij Kuprij on keys on “Outsiders,” while Victor Diez handles keys on “Behind The Catwalk.” Pepe Bao plays bass on both tracks. “State Of Mind” and “Time To Believe” are the new offerings with Tony doing most of the work (guitars and bass) and Gerald Kloos handling the drumming detail. Both are strong Hernando cuts, with each having memorable guitar work by Tony, and should please all Hernando fans. “State Of Mind” rides on a heavy underlying bass line of Brontosaurus proportions! “Time To Believe” feels slightly experimental, with Tony providing some vocal lines, causing the track to come across as having an almost King’s X feel to it. Track Listing CD: The Stalker – Intro (Guitarfest 2005) * Now (Guitarfest 2005) * The Edge (Guitarfest 2005) * Truer Than Ever (Guitarfest 2005) * Duelling Waters * Into The Black * Broken Hero * Men And Machines * The Awakening * Behind the Catwalk (remix) * Outsiders (retracked and remixed) * State Of Mind (new song) * Time To Believe (new song) DVD Listening to a live CD is one thing, but watching Tony visually put it altogether is quite a different experience. The approximately 80-minute DVD, with its modest and no-frills production (4:3, stereo sound), is more successful in squeezing the greatest amount of “energy” from his live performance. Perhaps it’s the visuals of Hernando and Terrana in full tilt action that makes viewing it enjoyable. Tony manages to strut his side of a rather small, indoor stage, using various guitars throughout the performance. His focus and determination give the whole performance intensity. Anyone who hasn’t seen Hernando play live should walk away from this one with a greater respect for the man as an accomplished guitarist and musician. Highlights include the driving tracks; “Now,” “The Awakening,” and “The Edge,” where Tony displays some fantastic melody along with his fretboard antics. The seemingly ever-shirtless Mike Terrana, on the other hand, replete with Mohawk haircut, looks as ominous as ever behind his drum kit. He plays with the ferocity of someone who seems “pissed” (English connotation) at the world and looks like someone you don’t want to “tick off.” Terrana actually almost steals the show from the main man Tony. But when combined, they make nothing short of a formidable live duo. Unfortunately, the DVD has, what some might call, "annoyances" as well, ranging from special filming effects (e.g., slow motion, transitions from color to black & white, etc.) to “blackouts” between tracks. The Main Menu also uses an initially confusing selection technique, whereby your “cursor” needs to be on the next choice in the list to select the previous menu item. The previous menu item’s text then appears in a different color, superimposed on the current menu item’s text. For its handful of perceivable annoyances, the camera does spend a considerable amount of time on Tony, with fretboard close-ups aplenty, which is what everyone pays to see anyway. Thankfully, a lot of footage is shot from Tony’s left, which coincidentally includes Terrana in the background of the shots. The “bonus features” are adequate, including live footage of “Men And Machines” that occasionally, randomly displays still pop-ups momentarily. Also included is Terrana’s drum solo, which is very entertaining. Without giving too much away, Mike performs some amazing stick twiddling, which should bring a smile to any fan’s face. The “Behind The Scenes Documentary” is slightly disappointing in that no one speaks. While enjoyable, it consists of video footage before and after the show, with live tracks used as a “soundtrack.” It would have been thoroughly enjoyable to hear Tony and Mike occasionally speak to the camera. Track Listing DVD: Into The Black * Duelling Waters * Now * The Silence Of Loss * The Awakening * The Edge * At The Crossroads DVD Bonus Features: Men And Machines (Video Clip & Photo Gallery) * Mike Terrana’s Drum Solo * Behind The Scenes Documentary Bottom line, for the price (typical retail cost of a double CD release), this package offers a lot of solid live music despite some of its presentational annoyances. The DVD, though somewhat low-tech, should be enjoyable by all guitar fanatics, and should build a bigger fan base for Tony. This is certainly a great one to own for Hernando, Terrana, and fanatical guitar fans everywhere! Line-Up (on Live Material): Tony Hernando – Guitars Mike Terrana – Drums Toni Ferrer – Bass Chema Herrero – Rhythm Guitar Boris Dimitrov – Keyboards To find out more about Tony Hernando, visit his label’s Web site at www.LionMusic.com, or check Tony’s official Web site at www.TonyHernando.com. Email: scott@metalexpressradio.com

Live albums are like “belly buttons,” most have them, they serve no true major purpose, and if gone unloved they collect dust and lint. For whatever reason, musicians and bands are compelled (or nudged by their fans) into eventually releasing a live album. So enters instrumental guitar virtuoso Tony Hernando, Spain’s answer to Joe Satriani, with his own personal live offering, which turns out to be a potpourri of a release. Tony has chosen to do one better than most live CDs, by following the growing trend of releasing a CD and DVD combo package. Both discs offer live material, and the CD includes two remixed studio versions of previously released material, and two new studio tracks! For those not familiar with Tony’s work, he has three solo guitar instrumental releases under his belt. The last studio release being the impressive and entertaining III -- take a detour here for a review of the effort and some background on Tony himself. CD The CD offers alternative songs from different live performances from the DVD as well as new mixes and new songs. The strength of the live material is Tony’s precision, fluidity and Mike Terrana’s monstrous, “Woolly Mammoth In Heat” drumming. Tony’s live performance sounds flawless, with plenty of precision, while his guitar sound is crisp and sharp. This collection of splendid live performances just further begs the mystery of why he isn’t acknowledged more in some parts of the world, especially in North America, where he’s virtually unknown. All tracks are backed by strong production, especially Terrana’s drum kit that sounds thunderous. “The Awakening” is an exceptional highlight with all cylinders firing, the track provides quite a frantic ride, albeit short as it is, as the track clocks in at a little over four minutes. The only potential complaint by rabid fans is the inclusion of the slower, moodier “Broken Hero,” which slows the pace down quite a bit for over eight minutes. The other pitfalls are the quiet breaks between tracks, and the low, spotty audience interaction and feedback. Both of these shortcomings serve to detract from the true feeling of being in a live environment. The remixed tracks sound solid and include support from Mike Terrana on drums, the ever-impressive Vitalij Kuprij on keys on “Outsiders,” while Victor Diez handles keys on “Behind The Catwalk.” Pepe Bao plays bass on both tracks. “State Of Mind” and “Time To Believe” are the new offerings with Tony doing most of the work (guitars and bass) and Gerald Kloos handling the drumming detail. Both are strong Hernando cuts, with each having memorable guitar work by Tony, and should please all Hernando fans. “State Of Mind” rides on a heavy underlying bass line of Brontosaurus proportions! “Time To Believe” feels slightly experimental, with Tony providing some vocal lines, causing the track to come across as having an almost King’s X feel to it. Track Listing CD: The Stalker – Intro (Guitarfest 2005) * Now (Guitarfest 2005) * The Edge (Guitarfest 2005) * Truer Than Ever (Guitarfest 2005) * Duelling Waters * Into The Black * Broken Hero * Men And Machines * The Awakening * Behind the Catwalk (remix) * Outsiders (retracked and remixed) * State Of Mind (new song) * Time To Believe (new song) DVD Listening to a live CD is one thing, but watching Tony visually put it altogether is quite a different experience. The approximately 80-minute DVD, with its modest and no-frills production (4:3, stereo sound), is more successful in squeezing the greatest amount of “energy” from his live performance. Perhaps it’s the visuals of Hernando and Terrana in full tilt action that makes viewing it enjoyable. Tony manages to strut his side of a rather small, indoor stage, using various guitars throughout the performance. His focus and determination give the whole performance intensity. Anyone who hasn’t seen Hernando play live should walk away from this one with a greater respect for the man as an accomplished guitarist and musician. Highlights include the driving tracks; “Now,” “The Awakening,” and “The Edge,” where Tony displays some fantastic melody along with his fretboard antics. The seemingly ever-shirtless Mike Terrana, on the other hand, replete with Mohawk haircut, looks as ominous as ever behind his drum kit. He plays with the ferocity of someone who seems “pissed” (English connotation) at the world and looks like someone you don’t want to “tick off.” Terrana actually almost steals the show from the main man Tony. But when combined, they make nothing short of a formidable live duo. Unfortunately, the DVD has, what some might call, "annoyances" as well, ranging from special filming effects (e.g., slow motion, transitions from color to black & white, etc.) to “blackouts” between tracks. The Main Menu also uses an initially confusing selection technique, whereby your “cursor” needs to be on the next choice in the list to select the previous menu item. The previous menu item’s text then appears in a different color, superimposed on the current menu item’s text. For its handful of perceivable annoyances, the camera does spend a considerable amount of time on Tony, with fretboard close-ups aplenty, which is what everyone pays to see anyway. Thankfully, a lot of footage is shot from Tony’s left, which coincidentally includes Terrana in the background of the shots. The “bonus features” are adequate, including live footage of “Men And Machines” that occasionally, randomly displays still pop-ups momentarily. Also included is Terrana’s drum solo, which is very entertaining. Without giving too much away, Mike performs some amazing stick twiddling, which should bring a smile to any fan’s face. The “Behind The Scenes Documentary” is slightly disappointing in that no one speaks. While enjoyable, it consists of video footage before and after the show, with live tracks used as a “soundtrack.” It would have been thoroughly enjoyable to hear Tony and Mike occasionally speak to the camera. Track Listing DVD: Into The Black * Duelling Waters * Now * The Silence Of Loss * The Awakening * The Edge * At The Crossroads DVD Bonus Features: Men And Machines (Video Clip & Photo Gallery) * Mike Terrana’s Drum Solo * Behind The Scenes Documentary Bottom line, for the price (typical retail cost of a double CD release), this package offers a lot of solid live music despite some of its presentational annoyances. The DVD, though somewhat low-tech, should be enjoyable by all guitar fanatics, and should build a bigger fan base for Tony. This is certainly a great one to own for Hernando, Terrana, and fanatical guitar fans everywhere! Line-Up (on Live Material): Tony Hernando – Guitars Mike Terrana – Drums Toni Ferrer – Bass Chema Herrero – Rhythm Guitar Boris Dimitrov – Keyboards To find out more about Tony Hernando, visit his label’s Web site at www.LionMusic.com, or check Tony’s official Web site at www.TonyHernando.com.

 

 

TONY HERNANDO - THIII LIVE! (DVD) (B+) Lion Music, 2006
CD: 13 tracks, RT: 69:35
DVD: RT: 58:48
[ http://www.tonyhernando.com/ ]
[ http://www.lionmusic.com/artists/hernando.htm ]
[ http://www.lionmusic.com/th3live.htm ]
[ http://www.lionmusic.com/ ] Fans of melodic shred guitar can look forward to hearing (and seeing) yet another quality player as Tony Hernando makes his presence on the scene known with this very well done DVD/CD package. Tony is a Spanish guitarist who has taken inspiration from some of the best in the business, his music recalling the glory days of masters such as Joe Satriani, Tony MacAlpine, Andy Timmons and Joey Tafolla. The seven-track DVD is a lot of fun to watch, as Tony utilizes the talents of no less than drummer extraordinaire Mike Terrana who keeps the energy level high throughout. Tony's sound does owe quite a bit to his heroes, but he manages to set himself apart by employing rhythm guitarist Chema Herrero to bolster the sound as bassist Tony Ferrer and keyboardist Boris Dimitrov provide excellent support. DVD highlights include "Into The Black," "Duelling Waters," "Now" and "The Awakening," Tony displaying a knack for melody, technique and feel in the live setting. Also included on the DVD is a video for "Men & Machines," Mike Terrana's drum solo, a visual documentary of the show and a photo gallery. The CD includes some of the same songs featured on the DVD but adds in some different versions, remixes of earlier material and two new songs, one of which features Tony on vocals. The sound is great, the performance solid and the material familiar but characteristically strong on both discs. Recommended for those who enjoy spirited metal instrumentals with lots of guitar!
- Neal Woodall (MysticX9@gmail.com)

Detritus Rock/Metal e-zine
"Rock Hard With A Purpose"
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Detritus/

 

Tony Hernando - TH III Live! (Lion Music) By: Joe Florez   www.live4metal.com

TH is another guitarist making a name for himself. Not only does he have 3 instrumental records to date, but he has appeared on comps as well. When I received this disc, what came to mind was “why are the 80s coming back again?” It’s cool once more to do instrumentals? I have been deluged with discs for the past month and there doesn’t seem to be any stopping soon either. I read the bio and saw that this Spaniard released a CD/DVD combo. The unique thing here is that the CD doesn’t necessarily reflect the DVD. The DVD portion only covers five of the nine tracks on the CD. There are two extra songs on the video for your extra enjoyment. More on the details later. Let’s begin with the audio only section. I have to admit that I had no idea what to expect except for another ho-hum disc filled with lame emotions, if there were any. Then I read that drum crusher Mike Terrana was on here. Yes! This could be good. The first four tracks are from Guitar Fest 2005. “Now” just popped with color and vibrancy. Tony’s licks were alive and filled with energy as he plays his heart out with tints of shredding. Mike is right there slamming away and even using some quick double bass drumming. The bass was just thumping along with plenty of groove that just never ended. This was fun to the max. All four tracks from this event were nothing short of exciting and pleasurable. The next five compositions were taken from somewhere else. “Duelling Waters” was an interesting song for the fact it wasn’t a fast number in which he would challenge his partner in trading riffs in the sickest of ways. What I got was something that was calm, sincere and filled with emotion…at first anyway. Mr. Hernando plays with his heart on his sleeve here for the beginning and then picks up the tempo several notches after about two minutes. If you were thinking about sleeping, forget it. Your ass was woken up by more action packed performances. After another live set which was nothing short of breathtaking, we are served up two older songs that are remixed and then two more songs that are new. How about that folks!? Now, the DVD companion piece serves up a mini concert in which we can see everyone in action. I LOVE the way that this show was shot. It’s not edited at an epileptic seizure pace. You get plenty of room to breathe and see nice individual shots as well as the group performing as a whole. It looks like a very tiny stage that they are on with a small audience. The best thing is that you can see Tony get down with his axe and never miss a minute of “The Animal”: Mohawk and all abusing his kit to death. Right in beginning of the show, you can see the one stick snap in half and fly. In the end, I was satisfied with this product and completely shocked at how awesome it was. Not a dull moment was to be found. I wish more so-called guitar heroes could be this entertaining. Perhaps all of them should pick this up and get a clue. In addition to the almost forty minute concert, you get a behind the scenes look at the band in the studio and at the show prepping with a performance inserted as well. No dialogue is anywhere near to be found on here. The photo gallery is interesting for once. You see and hear the band play a song and then select photos will be tossed in a different times. Pretty neat. Watch Mike Terrana play a drum solo using his hands Bonzo style and then banging the skins with his sticks. He never ceases to amaze me at what he can do. He is a must watch performer. A must own product for ALL music fans. www.lionmusic.com | www.tonyhernando.com

 

Tony Hernando - THIII Live

Lion Music (LMDVD 183)

Rating - 8/10

Review Paul WIlliams www.hardrockhouse.com

---

THIII Live is the fourth solo album by Tony Hernando, the third to have been released by Lion Music. Hernando is a Spanish guitar maestro and this is again an instrumental album, except for the last track when Hernando also handles vocal duties. It is presented as a rather nifty CD/DVD package with the DVD portion having 7 live tracks recorded in Bilbao in 2005 and the CD element having 13 tracks, mostly live but with a few studio tracks thrown in for good measure.  I recently reviewed the guitar instrumental album by Daniel Palmqvist and as I said then, I cannot say I’m a great fan of instrumental albums and I much prefer the guitar being used to add to a great song, rather than being the only thing about the song, so I thought it worth adding that again before I go any further.  Having said that, you’d probably expect me to hate this album, but I have to say it’s the best of its type I’ve heard. I think it’s pretty safe to say that if you are a good enough guitarist to even consider releasing a solo instrumental album, then you’ve got to be a bit special and Tony Hernando definitely sits comfortably in that category. He is definitely most at home with the heavier rock / metal style of guitar playing and that’s what you get the vast majority of here. Laid back, thoughtful strumming is not what our boy Tony is all about at all !!!  The whole album also very much benefits from the drum playing of Mike Terrana of Malmsteen, Axel Rudi Pell and Artension fame. His powerhouse style certainly helps hammer the tracks along, whilst Hernando shows off his ability, variety and great ear for a melody throughout. I particularly liked “Men & Machines” which is also present on the DVD as a video clip.  The first 4 tracks were all recorded at Guitarfest 2005 and I can imagine a few open mouths, contorted grimaces and air guitar poses amongst the audience as Hernando delivers one killer solo after the other.  I personally would love to see someone as good as Tony Hernando being lead guitarist for a straight ahead rock /metal act – teaming up with the likes of Jorn, for example, would be a marriage made in heaven for me.   Having heard his vocals on last track “Time To Believe”, I wouldn’t suggest he goes much further down that route. Sticking to the day job is a phrase that comes to mind !!  Ultimately whether you like this album or not is probably going to be dictated by your attitude towards solo instrumental albums. If you like them, then you’re really going to like this, as it’s as good as anything similar I’ve heard from anyone. If you don’t, then you might struggle to sustain your interest through a whole CD and DVD, but even then I don’t think anyone could doubt that Tony Hernando is a truly awesome guitarist.

Track List CD The Stalker- Intro Now The Edge Truer Than Ever Duelling Waters Into The Black Broken Hero Men And Machines The Awakening Behind The Catwalk Outsiders State Of Mind Time To Believe DVD Into The Black Duelling Waters Now The Silence Of Loss The Awakening The Edge

TONY HERNANDO
III
Lion Music
Rating: 9.5

Sometimes being a critic is a sweet job!!!
Before I start reviewing this album let me show you a glimpse of how my mind work regarding music.
I usually say that I don’t hear music, but instead I see music, and when a CD doesn’t make me see something then I label it as simple rubbish.

Thankfully this is not the case. Quite the contrary, “III” by Tony Hernando is an album full of visions, from dark and profound to full of light and serenity.

And this is no small accomplishment since it’s an entirely instrumental album.

I bet Tony has a lot of influences from other guitar heroes and trust me when I say that this album is completely original and that “III” is Tony Hernando by Tony Hernando, it’s Tony Hernando Style, period.
I just can’t get enough of this Spanish guitar virtuoso.

I would like to call your attention to songs like “Into The Black”, “Truer Than Ever”, “Duelling Waves”, “Sacred Ground”, “Now”, “Souls Of The World” parts 1 and 2, “Sci-Fi To Reality”, “Men And Machines”, “Out Of The Sun” and Embrujn… Oh wait a minute did I just nominated all the tracks on the CD?
Why?
Because they are all good, that’s way.

This is not just another instrumental album played by a guitar hero, no sir; this is The Instrumental Album Played By a Guitar Hero.


Tracklist:

1. Into The Black
2. Truer Than Ever
3. Duelling Waters
4. Sacred Ground
5. Now
6. Souls Of The World Pt. 1
7. Souls Of The World Pt. 2
8. Sci-Fi To Reality
9. Men And Machines
10. Out Of The Sun
www.metal-march.com Shadow

Tony Hernando – “III”

Spanish guitar god Tony Hernando strikes forward with his third all instrumental release. Bristling with musical virtuosity and tasty melodic statements, “III” takes it up a notch showcasing Tony at his all time best.  A well educated musician with scholastic credits that include stops at the IMT School in Madrid and GIT in Hollywood. His technical abilities are well honed and come way of Henderson, Garsed and Tafolla.

Three is a fantastic release, quite possibly the best instrumental release of 2004. Hernando is absolutely on fire throughout all tracks and displays a highly tuned guitar voice ready to via for world dominance.

Virtuoso drum basher Mike Terrana and bass ace Pepe Bao are featured as the rhythm section. Guest appearances from Vitalij Kuprij and Andy Timmons round out the cast of players on this exceptional release.

The CD is packed with some of the finest and widely diverse progressive instrumental rock compositions to be heard anywhere. Hernando is possibly one of Europe’s finest exports into the instrumental guitar genre. His jaw dropping technical abilities are exceptional.  A true visionary with a keen sense of the historical sounds and structure of the shred masters, Hernando carves out his own stylistic voice while paying homage to his peers. He covers it all with the ease and fluidity of a man totally in control of his instrument and music. There is a real maturity to Tony’s playing that is showcased within the 11 groundbreaking tracks included on III.

Not one to waste sonic space, Hernando comes smoldering right out of the gate. He gets right down to business on opening track “Into the Black” setting the stage for the shred mayhem that is to follow. Utilizing a varied and wide range of guitar techniques this brilliant shred monster creates a pleasing smorg of tasty licks that just keep coming.

This entire CD is worthy of ones attention. Every single song featured on the release is of top quality. There is no way to pick just one or two songs as highlights – they are all highlights. A superb offering that should eclipse all other instrumental guitar releases for 2004 - A brilliant new guitar voice comes of age.

You really owe it to your self to purchase this CD – an absolute must have for serious music lovers.

Guitar albums are often heavy to digest, especially if you don't play the instrument yourself. After having written today already a review for the re-release of Chris Poland's debut solo LP, I thought why not listen to another guitar album and picked Tony Hernando's second offering The Shades Of Truth.

Tony comes from Spain, but studied guitar at the GIT in California. Nowadays he's a guitar teacher in Spain, and somehow I get the impression that this album is something like a showcase to his students. Which is a good thing, because it means that Tony is not just into one kind of guitar playing, but showing off different faces of his instrument. The opener At The Crossroads, in my opinion the best song, is a very straight-forward rocker, backed up by Mike Terrana's power drumming. From there on, you will get a little bit of everything: variations on classical themes (Outsiders), blues (Slow Blues, but not that slow after all) and a lot of mind blowing speed that sounds nearly incredible. I can't even move my fingers that fast. Sometimes he's just overdoing it, and it becomes really hard for me to pay attention, but especially the second half of the album comes with three longer songs that leave him enough room to work out on his songs.

I will give The Shades Of Truth 7 points, grant that this is a good guitar album with the necessary variety, but also beware the possible buyer that this will only be tasteful for those who are into guitar solo albums.

This is an all–instrumental, guitar rock album by a Spanish native who I have no doubt could imitate the blistering scales and unique tones of Yngwie Malmsteen without breaking a sweat. But Tony Hernando is not so narrow in vision, though he would site Malmsteen as one of his earliest influences.

This is a true musician in every sense of the word. Self–taught on Jason Becker, Iron Maiden, MacAlpine, and Satriani tunes, he dreamed of jumping the Atlantic pond to study at the famed G.I.T. in Hollywood and Los Angeles. That dream was surpassed. Hernando has studied with Andy Timmons (Danger Danger), John Petrucci (Dream Theater, Liquid Tension Experiment, etc.), and more officially with Joey Tafolla.

Of Tafolla, Hernando says, "My experience with Joey Tafolla [was] the most important step for my development as a professional guitarist. I used to go to his apartment every weekend. The lessons were great and pretty hard, and we became friends." Not bad company, not at all!

As a guitarist that doesn’t just perform, but also teaches and still learns from his peers, Hernando’s scope is not stuck on repetitive shreds up and down the fret–board and his songs are not focused on the guitar every second of the track, like on the improv of "Uncommon Vision" where bassist Pepe Bao and drumming legend Mike Terrana are able to flex their muscle and imagination for a couple passes. On the rest of the tracks, the song itself is usually more important than the guitar virtuoso.

"The Shades Of Truth" offers blues ("Slow Blues"), guitar dueling with Andy Timmons ("The Edge," "Eleven 30"), symphonic prog–metal with Vitalij Kuprij (keyboards) on "Outsiders," and plenty of melody throughout. The highlights of the album, though, come with the incredibly memorable harmony of "Broken Hero" and the mainly acoustic "Sill Believe," where Hernando’s fingers seem to perform magic.

Hernando is yet another excellent, soloing guitarist joining a bloated league of others. But what Hernando does, he does very well and with a lot of soul in his playing, melody in his songwriting. Considering the Timmons and Kuprij guest spots on "The Shades Of Truth," this is one of the better additions to your guitar album collection.

Another instrumental album on LION MUSIC. Guitarist Tony Hernando comes out of Salamanca, Spain and I believe 'The shades of truth' is his 2nd CD. The album contains 11 tracks and is basically another good quality instrumental rockalbum. Musically it sounds like a mixture of Classical Hardrock and Progressive Metal. You can hear clear influences from YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, JOEY TAFOLLA, TONY MACALPINE, STEVE VAI etc. The list of guest musicians is incredible, because on drums we can hear Mike Terrana (DREAM THEATER), on keys Vitalij Kuprij (ARTENSION), on bass Pepe Bao and finally, Andy Timmons (DANGER DANGER) on additional guitar. Tony is clearly an excellent guitarist, as you can hear on his new CD. Highlights for me are uptempo Classic Hardrock pieces like "The edge" and "House of glass". MALMSTEEN, MASI and MACALPINE fans (the 3 M guitarists!) can easily buy this CD of TONY HERNANDO.