I just have to draw attention to this guy - Mendel bij de Leij. Where the hell did he come from?!
I'm kind of worn out on neoclassical shred, but when it's done this well I can't complain. This album is an instrumental metal beast. He's definitely closer to the Jeff Loomis school of neoclassical (versus, say, Michael Romeo) in that it's pretty heavy and a little thrashy at times.
To be honest I think I prefer this album over Jeff Loomis' latest. Very focused and he definitely has an ear for composition. He knows when to slow down, when to go heavy, when to add some organ/symphonic elements for flair, and he can keep me interested throughout the whole 70 minute album.
The closing song is a monster 25 minute track
Unfortunately download only right now, but hopefully he presses some physical copies. You can name your price, so what's there to lose?
http://mendelian.bandcamp.com/
June 5th, 2012, 10:26 AM
