Search - Marc Bonilla :: American Matador

Powerful, Graceful Rock

David R. Bannon, Ph.D. | 09/30/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a solid piece of rock that lifts the listener through a variety of moods and textures. It isn't just Bonilla's virtuosic skill as a pure player that is so impressive; it is, even more, the range and scope of sheer sound that he coaxes, cajoles and rips out of his instruments.Bonilla, who produced the release and wrote most of the songs, has a graceful, powerful hand that creates music at once moving, inspiring, and exhilarating. It's hard to pick a standout piece as the quality of the album is so high. His title track ("American Matador") shows Bonilla's remarkable range in a thrilling metal instrumental with prog rock and flamenco roots. "Get Off the Fence" (an ode to Harley-Davidson), "Mephisto" and "Vette Lag" fill ears with indelible sonic images. Glenn Hughes' vocals on "A Whiter Shade of Pale" mix well with Bonilla's deft delivery of rock-charged soul music; this blues metal mix is even more apparent in his haunting "The Vanishing Road." Bonilla himself steps up to the microphone for brutal insight into the insanity of societal violence ("Wake the Baby"). Would that all rock records were made with the same care, the same passion and invention. David R. Bannon, Ph.D.; author, "Race Against Evil.""

AWESOME GUITAR - AWESOME CD

HANS D HARMS | runaway bay, QLD Australia | 08/06/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Another guitar virtuoso that combines awesome technique with the ability to compose stirring and emotional musik. The playing is second to none and shows restrain were it is called for. Bonilla doesn't decent into noodling and every note has a valid place that serves and enhances the composition. If you like HOEY / TIMMONS / FIRKINS / ZAZA or anything of that nature, you will love this CD."

A solid 2nd effort, though "EE Ticket" is better

Dave Chambers | New Hampshire | 11/22/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First, please read my review of Bonilla's "EE Ticket" album - that one is a MUST buy. Now that you've read that review...

This is a good album, and if you liked EE Ticket you'll like this one. But after EE Ticket, Matador is a bit of a letdown - it feels like Bonilla had a half an album worth of stuff and needed to stretch it. The "good half" is just as fresh and inventive and invigorating and amazing as "EE Ticket". But the "other half" isn't quite as good, and feels like filler, and leaves you wishing he had been able to create more genuinely stuff. "I Am The Walrus" isn't as good as "Commotion", and we didn't really need 2 versions of "Whiter Shade of Pale" (in fact we didn't need EITHER version). Bonilla sings on one song ("Wake the Baby"), and he's surprisingly good. Glenn Hughes sings "Walrus", and I don't really care for him. In fact, despite Bonilla's strong work on "Wake the Baby" I would prefer the album to have NO vocals - one of the great things about "EE Ticket" was that it's purely instrumental, and "Matador" makes you realize that the instruments are so good that you don't want any vocals with his music."