Palmqvist,
Daniel: A Landscape Made From Dreams
 Citing
the usual inspirations (Yngwie
Malmsteen, Pat Metheny, Allan
Holdsworth) — as well as a few
surprises (Steve Lukather! Dan
Huff! Kee Marcello!) — Swedish
guitarist Daniel Palmqvist has
released a thoroughly enjoyable
all-instrumental debut album.
A Landscape Made From Dreams
was recorded over an
astonishingly brief
two-and-a-half-month period with
drummer and keyboardist Daniel
Flores (who also produced this
record) and bassist Johann
Niemann, both of the prog-rock
band Mind’s Eye. Additional
keyboard contributions come from
a series of session players.
Kudos to Palmqvist for not
allowing any one instrument to
dominate, making this solo disc
sound more like a band effort.
Palmqvist — who says he wanted
to make an album “that would
appeal to both guitar players
and non-musicians alike” —
evokes multiple moods with his
playful style and provocative
melodies. He shows off soaring
leads over Flores’ crashing
piano plunges on “Riddle Me
This” and brutally assaults his
instrument on “Carte Blanche,” a
song tempered in the middle with
more sparkling keys. He boogies
on “Truffle Shuffle,” while the
massive “Words of Wisdom” and
the title track build to epic
proportions and close the album
on a literal slew of positive
notes. You can almost hear the
words.
Track Listing:
1) Welcome
2) Devil’s Dance
3) Moment of Clarity
4) If Things Were Different
5) Riddle Me This
6) Carte Blanche
7) After the Rain
8) Truffle Shuffle
9) Behind the Mirror
10) Song for Pongo
11) Words of Wisdom
12) A Landscape Made From Dreams
(Farewell)
Added: July 18th 2006
Reviewer:
Michael Popke
www.seaoftranquility.org
Score:
DANIEL PALMQVIST - A LANDSCAPE MADE FROM DREAMS (B+) Lion Music, 2006
12 tracks, RT: 44:49
[ http://www.danielpalmqvist.com/
]
[
http://www.lionmusic.com/palmqvist_dreams.htm ]
[ http://www.lionmusic.com/ ]
Where do they all come from? Well, Daniel Palmqvist hails from Sweden
and is the latest in a long line of Lion shredders ready to unleash
quality instrumental fretburning on the world. A LANDSCAPE MADE FROM
DREAMS is Daniel's debut release and showcases his ear for melodic
compositions and smooth virtuosic capability. "Devil's Dance" is a good
representation of what Daniel is all about, with a hypnotic groove
providing a sonic landscape over which he improvises and embellishes
impressively; on songs like "Moment Of Clarity" and "Riddle Me This,"
Daniel opts for a relaxed, emotional approach but is still able to work
amazing shred techniques into the flowing arrangements. Daniel doesn't
keep it all serene though, enlivening the proceedings with rockers like
"Carte Blanche, "Truffle Shuffle" and "Song For Pongo." I guess
stylistically A LANDSCAPE MADE FROM DREAMS is most similar to TIME
ODYSSEY-era Vinnie Moore combined with instrumental Eric Johnson;
produced by Daniel Flores (Mind's Eye), the album has a great sound and
the pieces are sequenced well. If you are a fan of instrumental guitar
albums, I can confidently recommend A LANDSCAPE MADE FROM DREAMS, and
with a debut this strong I'm interested to hear what this talented musician does next... - Neal Woodall (MysticX9@gmail.com)
Detritus Rock/Metal e-zine
"Rock Hard With A Purpose"
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Detritus/
Daniel Palmqvist -
A Landscape Made From Dreams
2006 Lion Music
With all the guitar based records I listen
to and all the new players I am introduced
to, there is something about Daniel
Palmqvist’s playing and the overall
production value of A Landscape Made From
Dreams, that really drew me in. It’s not
your typical shredder/metal release, its
more along the lines of a songwriters’
record, without words, and with all the
playing here, there is almost no need for
them.
Of course the axe provides the ‘voice,’ but
there are ‘voices,’ hence the guitar riffs
layered upon each other, playing with and
against each other to present a dense but of
course a melodic stance towards the musical
approach that he pronounces on this record.
Stylistically, it is as if you take Lifeson,
Satriani, and (Eric) Johnson with records
such as Signals/Grace Under Pressure,
Flying in a Blue Dream, Ah Via
Musicom through different personalities.
Palmqvist flows with eased back jazz
styling on the ballad of “If things Were
Different,” portraying a high emotional
stance on “After the Rain,” as well as
executing heavy and chaotic moments with
“Devil’s Dance,” “Truffle Shuffle” the
funkified groove of “Sing for Pongo,” and
the nod to power metal on “Carte Blanche;”
for which all the shredding isn’t for the
sake of just shredding, Palmqvist
knows how to play an extremely fluid
plethora of melodies. His playing definitely
stands out, showing that you don’t have to
go into reckless improvisations to prove a
musical point.
Added: July 8th 2006
Reviewer:
Tommy Hash
www.ytsejam.com
Score:
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