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Forte, Stephan: The Shadows Compendium

Instrumental Guitar

4.0/5.0

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Listenable Records
by Craig Hartranft,  02.13.2012

What does any guitar virtuoso want? To do their music in their own way, in the own time, and with no constraints. That's why guitar gents cut solo albums. So here's Adagio mastermind and guitar wizard, Stephan Forte, cutting loose on his first solo project The Shadows Compendium.

Above, Stephan Forte: asleep at his guitar ...

Playing largely from the neo-classical school, The Shadows Compendium is mostly a metal guitar album. Forte's guitar skills are already highly vaunted. You can expect him to 'wow' you with his nimbleness upon the fret board. In nearly every song he balances ambitious and lightning-like thrills with more subtle forays. Essentially these are guitar hero romps. His immense skills aside, Forte also offers sound arrangements as the canvas for his guitar strokes.

Noteworthy is Prophecies Of Loki XXI, a heavy piece with blistering guitar, then tempered by moments of classical piano. Second is the finale, Improvisation on Beethoven's "Quasi una fantasia" (popularly known as the Moonlight Sonata) Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor Op. 27 No. 2, a melancholy piece for piano and guitar. This well-crafted piece should strike fear into any peer or aspiring player who thinks strapping on a guitar and having three chords handy makes you good.

Along the way Mr. Forte is helped by some other like-minded metal friends including Jeff Loomis of Nevermore, Mattias Eklundh of Freak Kitchen, Glen Drover from Megadeth, and two aspiring guitarists, Derek Taylor and Daniele Gottardo). Overall, this is ambitious and creative solo effort from Stephan Forte, which will surely inspire many aspiring guitar players.

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Adagio guitarist Stephan Forte offer his first instrumental solo album The Shadows Compendium, and it's full of ambitious and thrilling guitar chops from this wizard.

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My childhood was safe and sane. No abuse and no traumas. I was surrounded by a large and loving family who taught me the importance of hard work and a meaningful education.
   Ronnie James Dio

Lyrically I like to use themes that make the listener use his or her imagination, and to give a little of the lessons I've learned in my own life.
   Ronnie James Dio