Produced by Neil Kernon
Released: August 25, 2008
As I think I've posted somewhere else, shred albums don't really do that much for me. Ordinarily I would have most likely not even listened to this, but Jeff Loomis is the guitar prodigy from Nevermore, one of my favourite bands, so the interest was there from the outset. Not to be left at a loose end or outdone by his singer's solo efforts this year, Loomis has unleashed a nice display of guitar mastery on Zero Order Phase.
The great thing about this that sets it apart from other ego-projects is that Loomis comes from a songwriting background in a successful band rather than just being some hired gunslinger who jumps from group to group between albums of self-important wankery. So instead of just leaping in with series after series of face-melting fretboard ejaculations from the get-go, Loomis lets riffing and structure tell his stories as much as the soloing does. It makes Zero Order Phase far more interesting and listenable than other albums of its ilk.
Loomis has long been lauded as a fantastic guitar player, yet while he's never exactly held anything back in Nevermore, it is here where he is at last given total freedom to show what he is truly made of. The influences from Malmsteen and James Murphy are evident, but more so is Loomis' own style and, as mentioned, he uses his songwriting power to back up his masterful and often breathtaking playing. Moreover, where Warrel Dane used Praise to the War Machines to sink further into the despair and misery of Nevermore, Zero Order Phase sounds righteously joyous. "Shouting Fire at a Funeral" opens the album well, featuring a typical Loomis-style riff that makes it sound like it could have been left off This Godless Endeavor. This is really the only Nevermore-like track on the album however, as the more expansive, shred-ridden "Opulent Maelstrom" is a clear departure from the man's signature style. "Sacristy" begins as a quiet but not melancholy piece, showing a side of Loomis that isn't usually seen in his usual role. On "JATO Unit" he trades leads with Ron Jarzombek in a display that will have guitar freaks busting out of their pants. Some of the best parts come when Loomis steps aside however, like producer Neil Kernon's jazz-inflected fretless guitar section in "Cashmere Shiv" and the team-up with former bandmate Pat O'Brien in "Race Against Disaster" is also something of a highlight, displaying both men in somewhat different colours than to be otherwise expected.
Zero Order Phase is quite a solid offering from Loomis, a nice departure from his Nevermore enterprises and a damn sight more engaging than a lot of guitar instrumental albums.
Released: August 25, 2008
As I think I've posted somewhere else, shred albums don't really do that much for me. Ordinarily I would have most likely not even listened to this, but Jeff Loomis is the guitar prodigy from Nevermore, one of my favourite bands, so the interest was there from the outset. Not to be left at a loose end or outdone by his singer's solo efforts this year, Loomis has unleashed a nice display of guitar mastery on Zero Order Phase.
The great thing about this that sets it apart from other ego-projects is that Loomis comes from a songwriting background in a successful band rather than just being some hired gunslinger who jumps from group to group between albums of self-important wankery. So instead of just leaping in with series after series of face-melting fretboard ejaculations from the get-go, Loomis lets riffing and structure tell his stories as much as the soloing does. It makes Zero Order Phase far more interesting and listenable than other albums of its ilk.
Loomis has long been lauded as a fantastic guitar player, yet while he's never exactly held anything back in Nevermore, it is here where he is at last given total freedom to show what he is truly made of. The influences from Malmsteen and James Murphy are evident, but more so is Loomis' own style and, as mentioned, he uses his songwriting power to back up his masterful and often breathtaking playing. Moreover, where Warrel Dane used Praise to the War Machines to sink further into the despair and misery of Nevermore, Zero Order Phase sounds righteously joyous. "Shouting Fire at a Funeral" opens the album well, featuring a typical Loomis-style riff that makes it sound like it could have been left off This Godless Endeavor. This is really the only Nevermore-like track on the album however, as the more expansive, shred-ridden "Opulent Maelstrom" is a clear departure from the man's signature style. "Sacristy" begins as a quiet but not melancholy piece, showing a side of Loomis that isn't usually seen in his usual role. On "JATO Unit" he trades leads with Ron Jarzombek in a display that will have guitar freaks busting out of their pants. Some of the best parts come when Loomis steps aside however, like producer Neil Kernon's jazz-inflected fretless guitar section in "Cashmere Shiv" and the team-up with former bandmate Pat O'Brien in "Race Against Disaster" is also something of a highlight, displaying both men in somewhat different colours than to be otherwise expected.
Zero Order Phase is quite a solid offering from Loomis, a nice departure from his Nevermore enterprises and a damn sight more engaging than a lot of guitar instrumental albums.
- Shouting Fire at a Funeral
- Opulent Maelstrom
- JATO Unit
- Azure Haze
- Cashmere Shiv
- Race Against Disaster
- Sacristy
- Devil Theory
- Miles of Machines
- Departure
Rating: 82%
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