Dave Martone: a demons dream review

News:
17-03-2008:
While essential guitar is off line, I've republished my reviews for essentialguitarist.com

A Demons Dream - Dave Martone
Reviewed by Laurie Monk

Canadian axpert Dave Martone, issued his third instrumental album on the guitar orientated Lion Music label at the end of 2002. The former Berklee College music degree graduate and current Parker Guitar guitars endorsee is a genuine guitar maven and consummate studio engineer.

The release emphasizes Martones' extensive musical schooling and encyclopaedic musical tastes. Big Church, is first up and showcases a display of acoustic dynamics ranging from, delicate icicle harmonic embellishments, to brutal full force Fallujah riff assaults. Like Satriani, he is able to do this and maintain the listeners attention without making the listener recoil in rejection.

"Do Da" is a catchy pop track with a melody that sounds not unlike "99 Luft Ballons". However, with the use of engaging guitar voices and sensitive signal processing, Martone concocts something altogether more appetising. Just when you get comfortable he twists it on its head, with a whacked-out crazy computer arrangement, seguing into a stylish array of arpeggio based sweeps, and pop melody reprise.

Also featured on "The Alchemists" Liquid Note release, "What the hell" is a more progressive composition that weighs in at 6 minutes 50 seconds. The solo work is high quality through out, with Alex Masi like "Lane inspired" manic sweeping and Michael Angelo, super fast, clean picking. This track demonstrates Martone is able to mix it with the best that neo-fusion genre has to offer.

"Demon Fetal Harvest" is my personal favourite on this pleasure trip. It features inventive musical constructions, unlike anything I have heard before. Starting with sophisticated drum and base sensibilities, tapped harmonic overlays, emulated Spanish flamenco arpeggio swirls, easily blending into middle eastern sitar sounds. Sandwiched between are layers of "call to prayer" voices, evocative of Black Hawk Down. In my opinion this track is nothing short of a masterpiece.

Proving his musical diversity, Martone easily switches between styles, whether it is country inspired mad chicken picking of "Country Maniac" or clean warm bluesy tone of "Got Da Blues" or jazz credentials with an excellent cover version of Jeff Beck Goodbye Pork Pie Hat. Martone has great pop melodic awareness, but is not afraid
to show that he is a natural born shredder. He is a great all rounder.

"A Demons Dream" is most definitely his most accomplished outing to date, with top notch production that comparable with big budget label releases. Martone balances the excellent production, with original song writing, listen able melodies, sophisticated sound scape, great guitar playing, providing an overall package that is well put together, highly addictive and that screams buy me.

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