Search - Joe Stump :: Speed Metal Messiah

Virtuosity with a soul

James F. England | Wenatchee, Earth | 11/07/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Joe Stump has delivered, again, but has definitely upped the ante in a number of ways. Most notably, the production quality of this album is much cleaner and better than his previous work. You can very clearly hear that he has matured enough to allow the other instruments to form a more pronounced framework for his intense virtuosity.



But, Fear Not, Shredheads, this lineup of white-knuckle mayhem will raise the hair on the neck of even the most jaded guitar freaks out there. Only a person without a pulse will fail to find themselves scooping their jaw off the floor as they are assaulted by the Messiah.



Mr. Stump has penned and performed a variety of tomes only an elite, miniscule fraction of guitarists can even dream of playing, and he does it with an incredible precision and flair. A sure sign of the maturation of his songwriting is the necessity to listen to the parts of each track several times before you can begin to absorb the whole. I won't diverge into each individual song; suffice to say if you are a fan of Shred, this is at the top of a very small pile of steaming, ultra-yummy goo.



Mr. Stump is often criticized for over-emulating Yngvie, but I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the variety of ear-chiseling on this outing. And, as Vader said to Obi-Wan: "The circle is now complete. When I left you I was but the learner. Now I am the master."!!!!!!!!!!!"

Practice makes perfect

David Tomasello | Buffalo, new york | 01/15/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Joe stumps career starts here with SPEED METAL MESSIAH. If you love shred music like I do. This CD is the one you want to start with. Don't bother going back to buy his other stuff. It just doesn't compare to this great CD. I've met and saw joe in concert. He's a great guy and a total show men on stage. The sound on this disc is finlly right compared to the others. He actually lets the bass and drums blend in with his playing for the first time. It's made a big differce in the listen. I hope he's learned from this and makes another killer CD. I'll be waiting. thanks joe"