Amazing...but rediculous
01/10/2004
(3 out of 5 stars)
"First the good news. Darryl Gabel plays as fast as Shawn Lane and his harmonic/melodic sense is almost on a par with Allan Holdsworth, Frank Gambale & Alessandro Benvenutti. But the problem is, he almost never stops shredding. Not for an instant. There's no pacing; no climatic moment--almost no beginning or end since every solo is full-tilt, from start to finish. He really has nothing to prove. Within the first 30 seconds its obvious his technical ability is just spectacular. But then its endless sweep arpeggios and ultra, ultra fast runs and frankly it gets tiresome real fast. Now if a guy like this would just keep a little in reserve and save the Shawn Lane speed for a special peak in the song, it would be thrilling.Worth a listen but way, way too much of a good thing."
Once again; know yourself as a listener
. | Chicago, IL USA | 03/14/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)
"The chops here are in the top echelon,(I still rank Holdsworth above this and all else). Young guitarists who are into shredding might want to get this and a transcription machine to learn the concepts. As music , however it is not on the same level. I have a theory: 1/In earlier times, a hot-shot player still needed to fit into other types of groups in order to make a living, as so would learn how to play 'real' songs, along with singers, getting only short fills here and there, learning to make the most of each musical opportunity, and, in the end, improving their playing. 2/ Now, speed demons have their own market to just play as long and as fast as they can without looking back. This has caused a sameness throughout the genre...The greatest players make great long riffs out of great short ones. It's time for Derryl to concentrate on the short ones."
Track Listings (8) - Disc #1