Ax Inferno
Rainstorm Records (2013)
There is a scene in Casino
Royale where James Bond is getting dressed for his big high-stakes poker
showdown with Le Chiffre. He picks up a tuxedo jacket from the bed and glares
at it. He struts into the bathroom where his fellow provocateur, Vesper Lynn,
is applying make-up and exasperatedly claims "I already have a dinner
jacket." She calmly replies "There are dinner jackets and dinner
jackets…this is the latter." How does this relate to the new CD from guitar
wizard Paul Speer? Well, yeah, Paul does wield his guitar with the same aplomb
as James Bond does with his Walther P99…but here's what I am getting at. There
are guitarists and there are guitarists…Paul Speer is the latter. There are
plenty of guys and gals who can rip off stinging leads and thunderous power
chords, displaying blindingly fast technique aplenty. However, there are much
fewer who know that it takes more than flash and fire to impress a discerning
listener. It takes discretion and wisdom to know when to strut and when not
to; it takes brains and heart to compose killer hooks, catchy
melodies, and infectious rhythms without making it sound commonplace or
commercial. Paul Speer has all those qualities - and then some.
In an email exchange, when I told Paul that I appreciated
what a great song writer he was and how he didn’t just thrown in flashy solos
everywhere, he told me this: "Based
on your comments, something about my playing and writing that may be of
interest to you is how I structure what I do is influenced mostly by singers
and horn players, not so much guitar players. Many guitarists ramble on
and on whereas singers and horn players need to breathe. Hence, I feel
they put more thought into each phrase. Listen to what I play with that
in mind. I take breaths....."
Now, after all that, I'll start out this review by letting
my inner child out - THIS ALBUM ROCKS AND ROCKS HARD! Whether Paul is playing
with ace drummer Ron Krasinski or managing the beats and rhythms on his own,
this baby will kick start your engine into high gear pronto. This music
is lean, mean, and out for blood; a pulse-pounding mixture of instrumental
rock, hard core electronic, progressive fusion, and floor-thumping techno. Ax Inferno is not what you listen
to when you need to chill. Paul's guitar playing (and, by the way, he also
plays bass and synthesizer) is a brilliant mixture of jaw-dropping but always
tasteful (not aimless noodling) solos, solid rhythm guitar accompaniment, and
melodies that grab you instantly, making you want to hit "repeat" the
instant the song ends.
"Contents Under Pressure" makes a statement right
out of the gate, as Speer fires off rapid staccato chords and Krasinski lays
down a rock solid backing rhythm. Pulsing synth bass beats and keyboard blasts
circle around superb lead lines that Speer lays down, juxtaposed by those
chattering rhythm salvos. It's immediately apparent that Speer's solos and
leads are pared to the bone for maximum efficiency with no waste whatsoever.
Every pealing note soars into the stratosphere with a purpose. Ping-ponging
synth chords (on headphones) pan from ear to ear dialing up the tracks' adrenalin
rush to "11." This is only the first song! Rapid pulses of synth bass
pepper the opening of "Accelerator" while Krasinski pounds away on
the tom toms. Speers' lays down both a repeating motif and also soars with
sustained echo notes and then tosses in chattering chords, adding even more
fuel to the fire. If you play this album in your car, you may look down and see
your speedometer read 100! "Tornado Warning" (the first track where
Speer goes solo and the rhythms are programmed) shows that even without real
drums, Speer can still rock the house. Here the mood is mysterious and eerie,
with an undercurrent of swelling minor key synth pads and fast tempo drum kit
rhythms with Speer offering up short, intense guitar leads. You can almost picture
streaking across the flatlands of Oklahoma, in the heart of tornado alley, in
pursuit of "the big one," grey skies threatening overhead and your
blood racing with equal parts excitement and fear. Judicious use of sound
effects (thunder, wind and a severe weather siren) only increase the palpable
sense of danger in the music. Next, "Vortex" erupts with spacy synth
effects anchored by seriously powerful drum work by Krasinski, followed by
mournful sustained echoed leads by Speer.
The rest of the tracks include the subdued power pulses and
flying fretwork of "Helion Prime," the pumping oomph bass rhythms and
lush, flowing synths of "Powerglide (not to mention the delicious organ
riffing alongside more superb guitar work), and the rock steady drum playing
and stinging guitar fireworks of "Megatron" including some wah-wah
wonder. To finish things off, Speer takes "Contents Under Pressure" and
"Accelerator" and retools them for the dance floor, labeling each as
the "Techno Mix." Take the already high energy of these two songs and
now put a 125-140 BPM rhythm underneath it (for "Contents Under
Pressure" while "Accelerator" clocks in a bit slower) and throw
in a few more synths, plus strip out the drum track and substitute electronic
beats.
Fans may have dreamt of an album like Ax Inferno after Speer released Hells
Canyon with drummer Scott Rockenfield back in 2000. That was certainly a
good album, but Ax Inferno is on an
entirely different, and higher, level. Everything on this disc is polished to
perfection (all booth tasks, i.e., production, engineering, mixing, were done
by Speer). However, I’ll bet no one could have imagined the brilliance that
Speer has captured on this recording. Seldom does this kind of electric guitar fire
and fury get unleashed in such an accessible and, funny as it sounds, civilized
manner. Paul Speer has brains, brawn and skills…kinda sounds a little like
James Bond, huh?
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