Joop Wolters is the lead guitarist for the metal band Arabesque, and Workshop is his solo debut of instrumental guitar music. Containing a plethora of metal, neo-classical, and funky overtones, Workshop proves to be a fun listen at times, firmly displaying the guitarists' chops, although on multiple listens much tends to sound too similar.
"Cross My Heart" is one of the more melodic and memorable tunes here, featuring some emotional playing from Wolters. On "I Don't Know" and "Funk it Up" I was reminded of some of Ritchie Kotzen's more recent material, as these tunes feature funky rhythms and Wolter's blazing fretwork. "Headstart" is perhaps the most successful at combining heavy riffs with melodic solos, but the programmed drums sound pretty stale. On "Syntology" the guitarist lays down some nice leads, but over completely cliched, boring riffs. With his talents he could have come up with something more exciting. Perhaps the most interesting song here is "Flamoose", a quirky jazz-fusion piece that sounds more like Tribal Tech or the Elektric Band, and is a neat break from most of the generic metal trappings on the rest of the CD.
It's no doubt that Joop Wolters is an amazing player, but these nine tracks fall a bit flat. If you like plenty of over the top solos, then this is for you, but those seeking some variety and uniqueness in their music may feel that you have heard this all before.
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
