Once upon a time, when 'shred guitar' was in its infancy, if you had a flashy style, and could write passable songs that allowed you to strut your stuff with reckless abandon throughout, the public was very interested in what you had to say. Unfortunately, with the rise of grunge in the early 90's, the music of guitarists like Satriani, Vai, Morse, Malmsteen, Moore, Gilbert, and MacAlpine fell out of favor with the hard rock & metal masses, and in its place, music that left no room for musicial virtuosity took over. In the years that followed, many young players continued to put together instrumental releases that showed off their talents, yet very few listened. Having heard so many of these type of releases over the years, it was very obvious that the reason many were ignored were not because they weren't impressive players, but becuase they couldn't write a damn tune to save their lives. A 40-minute CD made up of 3-4 minute 'guitar excursions' just wasn't going to cut it. So, what does all this have to do with Scott Allen you might ask?
Scott is a formidable guitar player who also dabbles on keyboards, drum programming, and bass, and his latest album, titled From the Blindside, not only displays chops of doom, but contains plenty of memorable melodies. Here's the tie-in for those that have been paying attention; chops plus catchy songs=winning formula for an instrumental rock album. This guy can flat out shred with the best of them, but with driving, memorable songs like "Adrenaline Rush", "I'm You're Boogie Dude", "The Bastard Son of Disco Dan", or the blazing title track, the combination of ear catching tunes with sick guitar playing is impossible to ignore. Allen also has a mellow side as well, evident on such fare as "On the Inside", "Broken Mirror", and the lovely "Windows of Heaven". When he goes all Friedman/Becker on us, like with "Making an Impression", the riffs are absolutely crushing and the leads dazzling.
Basically, From the Blindside is a great example of how to do an instrumental guitar oriented rock album. Mix in some ballads, some jazzy interludes, as well as a healthy assortment of driving anthems and blistering, metallic chops driven jaw-drop-o-ramas, and you have an exciting release from a very talented player.
Track Listing
- From the Blindside 6:58
- Work in Progress 2:53
- Adrenaline Rush 2:57
- On the Inside 4:40
- Broken Mirror 4:56
- I'm Your Boogie Dude 2:04
- The Bastard Son of Disco Dan 3:01
- The Long Road 4:29
- Windows of Heaven 5:30
- Making an Impression 5:28
- It's All About the Bling 4:12
- Bodega 6:49
- Close to You 2:10
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