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
