Jaded
Heart crossed with "Eclipse" Yngwie Malmsteen... this was the comparison I just could not shake from the head while dabbling in
Zeno Roth's latest guitar extravaganza,
"Runaway to the Gods". His guitar and influences are touched with the gift of neo-classic, giving these hard rockers a pleasant shine like Malmsteen and his followers. The songs themselves are overly electrified tunes in the shape of German metal on the melodic side - thus the nod to Jaded
Heart. There is also a sense of over polishing and sweeping epic bombast like the British band Ten. Of course the J'
Heart link doesn't end there, as composer/instrumentalist
Zeno enlisted
Michael Bormann as singer. His bright and bluesy voice is a good match for the music, and its great to hear him fitted with some metallic material after his departure from Jaded
Heart.
The musicians here are quite fantastic. Rhythm section is solid as a rock, guitars are fast, furious and plentiful, the violins give a nice epic glimpse of bombast at appropriate times. Maybe I should have stated "musician" since
Zeno Roth plays everything, absolutely every instrument, making this a pretty amazing record indeed. For one person to handle everything like this with such high quality, it boggles the mind really. However it also seems to sap some of the uniqueness that comes with having a gaggle of people performing with their individual quirks coming through on the recording. It all feels a little artificial and almost too glossy.
"Land of Illusion" has a slick hook and beautiful instrumentation. For the solo, a tiny spark is coaxed into a raging fire of licks.
"Runaway to the Gods" is the track you will crank to show off the album. A huge chorus of sheer elation hits instantly and the song is otherwise packed with sharp riffs and twisting tornadic guitar solos. Bormann's delivery lifts it up even higher til you feel that you just might could runaway to the gods, given the proper chance and opportunity. Euro hard rock catchiness with a glossy neoclassical sheen.
"I Feel - I Live" channels the ghost of Coverdale fronted
Deep Purple and Bormann comes off sounding like a German version of Ian Gillan. Fire flung guitars that spiral out of control like a spreading wildfire and a fabulous adrenaline rush of energy.
"Purify (Pilgrims of Remembrance)" has the melodic hook of
Rainbow and the wild guitar structures of a well groomed commercial bound Malmsteen tune.
Zeno tries his pipes at singing too for
"Do You Feel the Time" but shows himself to be an average vocalist. Not horrible by any means, but he seems wobbly in places especially his approach at the front of the song. As it goes on he gets stronger and packs more power and gains steadiness. A good effort, and it would be entirely plausible for him to front an entire album if he can sing this well. Bormann would have knocked this out of the park though. Adore the title
"Sunset Birds Flying Home (Celestial Touchdown)", and the song lives up to its mystical name. A well spun instrumental that dazzles and delights with an elemental charge in the guitars and a soaring, free flying atmosphere that suits the title well.
There is not a single song on the album that could be considered a true clunker, though it does vary in quality.
"Fanfares of Love" is the closest thing to cheese here and even that is so packed with crazy guitars and synergy that its not terrible or anything approaching it. My other complaint is that a few of the songs seem to miss a little special something that would mark them as being absolutely magnificent instead of merely good-to-great.
Ex-Scorpion, Uli Jon Roth's lesser known sibling has cranked out a very solid disc here. While nothing overly original or new, it does strike a chord of pleasant familiarity. Rich neoclassical trappings laid over a solid as steel Euro metal framework makes for a nice album. This is especially true with the kind of virtuosity seen here. There are moments when
"Runaway" seems too bent on being a showpiece for the ever talented
Zeno, but those indulgent musings are usually quickly washed away by another great chorus or captivating hook.
There's a wide range that the disc will appeal to as well. It has the ability to capture the hearts of the fans of axe heavy Euro Metal (Brazen Abbot, Edge of Forever), neo-classical (Masi, Axel Rudi Pell, Yngwie) and even AOR, specifically those bands hailing from Germany (Frontline, Jaded
Heart) and their special nuanced flavor of the genre. And as a guitarist himself?
Zeno definitely is up there with the big guns in the shredder's world. Let's just hope it doesn't take a time lapse of another eight years before we are reminded again of his guitar mastery status.
Written by
Alanna Tuesday, November 7, 2006
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