Round 3
Guitar Hero Instrumental Round
I’m sorry for some of the confusion. I just didn’t want this to simply be an Instrumental Round. I have never really been into these great guitar players like Vai, Satriani, etc..so I was looking for a good sampler of guitarists of that ilk.
Anyway, I got all of the submissions and was literally blown away by every one. I actually considered giving everyone a 9.0 and calling it a Push.
But I felt that one song definitely stood out,and I kept going back to a couple others.
So here we go:
Senecadawg2- Neal Schon-Bandalero
Nelson was first to submit, and I have to be honest, I wasn’t expecting to get Neal Schon in this round. That said, I couldn’t have asked for a better first track to my Guitar hero CD. It almost acts as a nice intro. But this is an incredible beautiful and stunning piece. Highly unexpected but much enjoyed.
9.0
b5150 – Joe Satriani-One Big Rush
Alright. Some Satch!. Now everything (very little) I’ve heard from him is basically a steady drum beat with him plaing over. This is like that, but I really like where he goes with this. It’s as though he is singing verses with his guitar. Memorable hooks all over the place. Definitely a cool driving song, as advertised.
9.0
Evermind-Blackmore’s Night (feat Ritchie Blackmore)-Carry On…Jon
Evermind deserves extra points as he sent me his selections from a hospital bed! Bravo brother!! He was also the first to use his Wild Card sending this along with David Gilmour’s Castellorizon. After one listen, it was an easy choice. Blackmore. This is a great tribute to Jon Lord. Very touching and moving. I’ve been listening to Blackmore my entire life, and there was something very comfortable here. Love the Jon inspired organ part too.
9.0
Lonestar-Alek Darson-Sprockets
Apparently a Berklee grad, this is what I now expect from Lonestar. Very chunky and progressive. This kid can play. I think it’s amazing to come up with a composition like this. This took a little while to warm up to but this officially kicks this playlist into overdrive.
9.0
jjrock88- Tony Macalpine- Edge Of Insanity
I was really hoping for some Tony Macalpine here. Going all the way back to 1986 for Edge Of Insanity. JJ loves his 80’s!! This one really stuck with me throughout the entire round. It has an infectious feel and some great 80’s shred. Very memorable, and he will be on my exploration list after this is all done. Also, loved the Schenker-ish outro. And you know that hits my sweet spot for sure!
9.5
Big Hath-Racer X (feat Paul Gilbert)-Technical Difficulties
Coupled with TM, this made a great 1-2 punch on my CD. This was also a favorite of the round. Believe it or not, I have never checked out Racer X. And for no good reason. I was amazed at how effortlessly Paul Gilbert makes his playing feel. Love the opening riffage and a classic guitar instrumental. This was a real joy.
9.5
Wolfking- Marco Sfogli –Still Hurts
Track of the round. Seriously, it takes the shred, the progressiveness, the melodicness, and the power of this round and packs it all into one track. I absolutely love this song and will definitely be checking this album out. Really impressive. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’m not nuts about the last few Labrie albums. They do rock pretty good though, I’ll give them that. This is such a great piece I kept going back to it.
10
Kingshmegland-Animals As Leaders (feat Tosin Abasi)- CAFO
Holy Shred, Batman! This is absolutely insane. WTF! These guys can play. This is very intense and a little busy yet fairly easy to listen to. I’m checking these guys out. I went back and forth on scoring this bitch but I’m going with a 9.5.
9.5
Jingle.Boy-Wasaya (feat Tarek Shehabi)-Garden Of Doubts
The Guitar Hero CD ends with the longest track at over 7 minutes that gives this whole experience an epic closer. So many great passages in this and really quite a find. Definitely following up here for sure.
Really melodic and inspiring and a complete joy to experience.
9.5
Standings:
Senecadawg2-27.5
Kingshmegland-27.0
Evermind-26.5
Jingle.boy-26.5
Wolfking-26.5
b5150-26.0
Lonestar-26.0
jjrock88-25.5
Big Hath-25.5
Seriously guys, this was really tough. I really agonized over the scoring, and if another track scored higher than yours, it was a really small margin. Every song was absolutely incredible.