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Harris, Michael: Ego Decimation Profile
Guitarist Michael Harris, lately of the prog outfit Thought Chamber (with Enchant's Ted Leonard), recently reissued his 1996 instrumental album Ego Decimation Profile. Without an obvious clamoring for such a reissue, why did he do it? Well, Harris says he wanted to give the record a fuller, more contemporary sound, especially on the drums and lead guitars. Mission accomplished, as Ego Decimation Profile – too bad Harris didn't also retitle this remixed, remastered and repackaged record – is sonically fantastic.
A combination of metal, prog, funk and fusion, the album is considered by Harris aficionados to be his heaviest instrumental work. But it's also highly symphonic, with parts of opening track "Forewarning" echoing the crescendo effects in Cheap Trick's "Dream Police" and "Pawn to King IV" evoking the introduction of royalty before sliding into the perfectly titled "Grandscape." (I can't even imagine how awesome this melodic masterpiece would sound with lyrics and a big chorus.)
Harris plays guitars, bass and what few keys can be heard on the album, and it's all quite impressive. In fact, it might even be enough to introduce the man's music to a new generation of listeners.
Track Listing:
1. Forewarning
2. Vicious Uppercut
3. Stratus-Fear
4. Julius Seizure
5. Pawn to King IV
6. Grandscape
7. Hair On the E String
8. Freudian Trip
9. Brainwarp
10. Terminus Epic
Added: April 16th 2008 Reviewer: Michael Popke Score: Related Link: Lion Music Hits: 2333 Language: english
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Harris, Michael: Ego Decimation Profile Posted by Scott Borre, SoT Staff Writer on 2008-04-16 08:54:33 My Score:
I'll admit up front that I'm generally against remasters. They seem to me to mostly be a way to get more money out of loyal fans. However, there are certainly cases where the original production of an album is poor, and the material deserves a second chance at sounding good. That is evidently what Michael Harris thought about his Ego Decimation Profile, as various aspects of the album, including the guitar tone and drums was reworked. For starters, the album sounds great. The guitar tone is sharper and more in line with what you heard on his latest works, including with Thought Chamber.
What interest me about Michael Harris is that he seems to have no fear with his compositions. He isn't afraid to mix things up, to have some jazz, some funk, some metal, some classical and throw it all into his cauldron. With brilliant technical skill Michael Harris seems to give himself no boundaries. In my review for his Orchestrate album I commented that Michael Harris is a rare guitar player that can play insanely and compose extremely well. This album is no different. While some people might find some of the guitar solos to be lengthy and without intent, others will fine the purpose and just enjoy what they are hearing.
If you are a fan of Michael Harris and were disappointed with how this album originally sounded, then you should pick this up. If you are interested in checking out what he's like and prefer heavier music, then this is a good album to start with.
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