Tony MacAlpine - Edge of Insanity (1986)

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Genre: Rock, Instrumental rock, neo-classical metal

Release Date: 1986

Label: Shrapnel

Album Review by Andy Hinds @ AMG

After Yngwie Malmsteen set the guitar world on fire with his 1984 debut, Rising Force, it was amazing how quickly the clones came out of the woodwork. Within a couple years there were dozens of them, flooding the market with their recorded instrumental extravaganzas. Tony MacAlpine was one of the Yngwie followers, to a certain degree. His debut album, Edge of Insanity, with its all-star rhythm section of Steve Smith and Billy Sheehan (drums and bass, respectively), follows the rough blueprint of Yngwie's model. Soloing over dramatic minor key vamps, MacAlpine catalogs his impressive licks at top speed. But while his chops on the guitar are quite astounding, what is more impressive is that he is equally adept at playing the keyboard. So there's plenty of exciting guitar/keyboard interplay here, including dueling solo sections and unison or harmonized runs, that is quite dazzling. Album highlights include the laid-back album-closer, "No Place in Time," and MacAlpine's impressive unaccompanied piano performance of Chopin's "Prelude 16, Opus 28." The low point is "Quarter to Midnight," a "live solo" that sounds very suspiciously like a studio recording with (rather fake-sounding) crowd noise dubbed in. His second album, Maximum Security, is much better.



Progressive metal guitar virtuoso Tony MacAlpine began his musical education as a classically-trained pianist and violinist; his subsequent rock recordings retained a pronounced classical influence, incorporating elements of jazz and fusion as well. He debuted in 1986 with the instrumental Edge of Insanity, recorded with an all-star line-up including bassist Billy Sheehan and ex-Journey drummer Steve Smith; for the follow-up, Project: Driver, MacAlpine formed the band M.A.R.S. with drummer Tommy Aldridge, vocalist Bob Rock and bassist Rudi Sarzo. The group quickly dissolved and MacAlpine returned to his solo career, additionally forming his own label, Squawk; after 1987's Maximum Security, he founded another group, dubbed simply MacAlpine, with singer Alan Schorn, keyboardist Mark Robertson, bassist Mike Jacques and drummer Billy Carmassi. The band's lone record, Eyes of the World, appeared in 1990, and MacAlpine returned to instrumental projects for the remainder of the decade, issuing a series of albums including 1992's Freedom to Fly, 1995's Evolution, 1997's Live Insanity and 2000's Cab. Cab 2 followed in 2001. by Jason Ankeny @ AMG

Richie Kotzen - Richie Kotzen 1989

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Genre: Instrumental rock

Release Date: 1989

Label: Shrapnel

By the time of Richie Kotzen's debut album in 1989, Mike Varney's Shrapnel label was cranking out young guitar virtuosos like an assembly line; it seemed like each week, a fresh-faced teenaged prodigy would emerge from the Shrapnel stable with a self-titled debut, backed up by an all-star rhythm section. Pennsylvania's Richie Kotzen was one of these. With bassist Stu Hamm and ex-Journey drummer Steve Smith behind him, he added yet another all-instrumental shred guitar album to Shrapnel's catalog. But, fortunately, he avoided many of the cliches that plagued many of his contemporaries. Rather than attempting wide-screen neo-classical melodrama, his style here is offbeat and humorous; witness the hilarious stop/start dynamics of "Unsafe at Any Speed," with its cartoonish scherzos and ridiculously over-the-top blasts of rapid-fire guitar fills. Kotzen obviously owes a debt to Steve Vai here, but adds his own quirks to the formula. The production assistance of labelmate Jason Becker also helps to distinguish Richie Kotzen from the other predictable-sounding stuff on the Shrapnel label; the record is mixed bone-dry instead of reverb-drenched, which adds a more personal charm to the proceedings. Both Kotzen's chops and tone would improve greatly over the next year or so, but this is an interesting entry in the genre nonetheless. ~ Andy Hinds, Rovi

Marty Friedman - Dragon's Kiss (1988)

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Genre: Instrumental rock, neo-classical metal

Release Date: 1988

Label: Shrapnel

Dragon's Kiss is the debut studio album by guitarist Marty Friedman, released in 1988 on Shrapnel Records.

Marty Friedman – guitar, bass guitar, co-producer

Jason Becker – additional guitar solos (tracks 1, 6)

Deen Castronovo – drums

Mike Varney – producer

The Story
"Dragon's Kiss" features guitarist Marty Friedman in an intense classical/speed metal instrumental full of complicated changes, impressive solo work, and incredible drumming from Deen Castronovo. Jason Becker contributes his guitar talent's to two tracks "Saturation Point" and "Jewel". "Dragon's Kiss" is real eye opener for those seeking something fresh and inventive, and is an exciting collectable for fans of Marty's guitar work with Megadeth.

Steve Morse Band - The Introduction (1984)

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Genre: Instrumental Rock, Guitar virtuoso

Release Date: 1984

Label: Musician

There's a reason Steve Morse is one of the most respected guitarists alive; he's a virtuoso that can speak, sing and cry through his instrument with a sense of melody that touches on the divine. Like seemingly every Morse album I've ever heard, The Introduction is the kind of disc you spin once to give a good first listen, then end up spinning incessantly for the next week just because there's so much to hear. It touches on any style it comes across but leaves no mistake just who you're listening to. As an introduction, though, it's probably not the best one to pay full price for. I'm happy my first buy was the wonderful Structural Damage instead.
First off: there's a lot to recommend this album. The opening "Cruise Missile" ranks with the most powerful, blazing road anthems the man's produced. The rock/jazz/country diversity he showed through all those Dregs albums is in fine form, as you can probably guess from titles like "Mountain Waltz" and "General Lee." The playing is skilled enough to make fellow musicians grit their teeth with envy. It's heavy enough to wail out of your speakers and happy enough to bring a bright ray of sunshine into any day. Most importantly, the writing is just as important as the performances themselves; those who like good string-bending and those who look for a good composition will both find a lot to enjoy here. Those who like a good lyric should just be warned that Steve does instrumental work.

Then why does it not quite live up to its title? For one thing, it stands at a quick 34 minutes. For another, it's in dire need of remastering - it sounds pretty good if you crank the volume up a lot, but it lacks the near-perfect sound mix of later offerings like Major Impacts. Forgivable, true (it was 1984 after all), but along with the fine remastering treatment some of the Dregs catalogue has been receiving, The Introduction is past due for a sonic overhaul of its own. The guitar world will be just that much better for it. If you know Morse's music already and want to hear more, you wouldn't want to be without any of them. If not, a good starter would be Structural Damage (if you can still find it), High Tension Wires or this year's Split Decision. It only takes one to get hooked.. ~ Amazon.com

Vinnie Moore - Mind's Eye (1986)

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Genre: Instrumental Rock, Guitar virtuoso

Release Date: 1986

Label: Shrapnel

1. In Control
2. Daydream
3. Saved By A Miracle
4. Hero Without Honor
5. Lifeforce
6. N.N.Y.
7. Mind's Eye
8. Shadows Of Yesterday
9. The Journey



AMG by Robert Taylor :

Who's faster: Yngwie Malmsteen or Vinnie Moore? That was the question back in 1986 when this recording was released. An obvious clone of Malmsteen, Moore burst upon the scene proving that, yes, someone else could play "that fast too." The problem with Mind's Eye and the subsequent genre of shredding that followed was that it became stagnant. Malmsteen turned heads from all musical styles because of his technical proficiency back in the early '80s, but those same heads quickly turned away to find out that there was little more being offered than really fast scales. The speed alone was not enough to hold many rock or fusion fans' interests for very long, as each guitarist seemed to be playing the same ideas, just at faster speeds. Without being too hard on Moore, he is one of the more interesting of the shredders and has one of the cleaner sounds. Ironically, Tony Macalpine is the keyboardist here and would soon emerge with an identical sound to Moore's. The better moments here are on the more aggressive numbers such as "In Control" and "Saved by a Miracle," with the latter containing a decent drum solo by the underrated Tommy Aldridge and a fine acoustic introduction by Moore. Mind's Eye is a classic in the shredder community, but rates as just a display of technical ability to the casual listener.

Neil Zaza - When Gravity Fails 2006

Genre: Instrumental Rock
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Released: 2006
Label: Melodik Records

1) Something Anything

2) Purple Plush

3) Cinematic

4) In My Dreams

5) Bleed

6) Celestine

7) Danza Della Notte

8) Heavyocity

9) My Only Son

10) My Dearest

11) Ultra

12) The Awakening

13) Before the Throne

Neil Zaza (Lead, Rhythm, Baritone & Bass Guitars, Synth)

Michael Anthony (Bass)

Timothy M. Bradford (Keyboards)

Bill Cioce (Drums)

Peter Frampton (Guitar)

Doug Johns (Bass)

Scotty Kormos (Drums)

Mark Leach (Hammond B-3 Organ)

Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (Keyboards)

Bobby Rock (Drums)

Jordan Rudess (Keyboards)

Steve Smith (Drums, Percussion)

T.M. Stevens (Funky Bass)

David Strieter (Keyboards)

Garry "GMan" Sullivan (Drums)

Anyone that is familiar with Zaza’s work will know that his work is a near perfect marriage of

melody and flash and "When Gravity Fails" is perhaps his ultimate exercise yet in this art form.

"When Gravity Fails” is a superb instrumental album. I defy anyone to listen to this album and not be blown away. Zaza really has come up with an ace with this record, and whilst "Melodica" was a very good album, ‘”When Gravity Fails” can be considered to this point Zaza’s magnum opus. Stylistically it has all the right ingredients, yet there is an element of passion here that is

often missing from instrumental works even from the perceived big name instrumental market leaders. On the basis of this album (not to mention Zaza’s back catalogue), Neil Zaza deserves to be at the very top of the guitar elite. ESSENTIAL. - Virtuosityone.com

Now comes When Gravity Fails, the Ohio native's eighth CD loaded with 13 melodic hard-rock gems, jaw-dropping solos and an even more impressive guest list than Staring at the Sun that would make better-known players squeal. Unlike other instrumental guitarists, Zaza is smart enough to retain control of his playing. Sure, When Gravity Fails lifts off with lots of soaring, high-pitched arena-rock soloing (part of what makes the record so refreshing and endearing), but nary a single note sounds out of place. Nor does Zaza ignore his fellow musicians. In fact, “Cinematic” emerges as one of the album's prettiest and best songs precisely because Zaza allows Rudess a mesmerizing piano solo in the middle, accented by Frampton's classic-rock fretwork. The man's example is one that many younger players - and even some older ones - should heed. We need more musicians like Neil Zaza. - Sea Of Tranquility ~