Dangerdog Music Reviews :: © 1999 - 2024 Craig S Hartranft :: All Rights Reserved
No part of this this website, including design and music reviews,
may be reproduced in any form or by any means without
the prior written permission of the publisher.
- New Music Reviews
- |
- Archives
- |
- News
- |
- Submissions
- |
- About
- |
- |
New Music Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal, AOR, Alternative Rock, Alternative Metal
Recent Reviews
April 2024
- Vanden Plas: The Empyrean Equation Of The Long Lost Things
- Praying Mantis: Defiance
- King Zebra: Between The Shadows
- About Us: Take A Piece
- Blue Oyster Cult: Ghost Stories
March 2024
- Cruzh: The Jungle Revolution
- Whom Gods Destroy: Insanium
- The Prog Collective: Dark Encounters
- Lords Of Black: Mechanics Of Predacity
- Lipz: Changing The Melody
- The End Machine: The Quantum Phase
- Stargate: Escaping The Illusion
- Turbulence: Binary Dream
- Sonata Arctica: Clear Cold Beyond
- D'Luna: Monster
- Big Big Train: The Likes Of Us
- Benjamin Croft: We Are Here To Help
February 2024
- Traveler: Prequel To Madness
- Lionheart: The Grace Of A Dragonfly
- Honeymoon Suite: Alive
- Durbin: Screaming Steel
- Smoking Snakes: Danger Zone
- Revolution Saints: Against The Winds
- Striker: Ultrapower
- Show N Tell: The Ritual Has Begun
- Robert Hart: Circus Life
January 2024
- Corvus: Immortals
- Caligula's Horse: Charcoal Grace
- Grand: Second To None
- Neal Morse: The Restoration - Joseph - Part Two
- The Rods: Rattle The Cage
- Gotus: Gotus
- Metalite: Expedition One
- Cobrakill: Serpent's Kiss
- Jack Russell & Tracii Guns: Medusa
- Jim Peterik & World Stage: Roots & Shoots Vol. 1
- The Grandmaster: Black Sun
Valence: Laser Baron (EP)
Valence: Laser Baron (EP)
Instrumental Progressive Rock/Metal
4.0/5.0
Website
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Unsigned / Self-released
Words by Craig Hartranft, 29.05.2014
Instrumental albums are tricky to begin with; an instrumental album driven by twin guitars and offering progressive metal can be dangerous. It can be creative and entertaining or massively self-flagellating with either guitarist wiggling, twiddling, and basically fondling the neck of their guitar like its their manhood.
Valence: beards r us.
Don't get me wrong. Both Michael Buonanno and Geoffrey Schaefer have inspired and killer guitar chops. They're wizards in the best sense of the word, but they arrange music and play in the band context in such a way that sounds so good you forget that they are really, really good. Laser Baron, a short three song EP, gives a taste of their skillful fret work, backed up by the terrific tight rhythm section of Chris Romano on drums and Ian Morris on bass, and wrapped up in flippin' riff monster, groovasaurus, progressive arrangements blasting sharp leads with the accuracy of the laser in question.
But it's not all blistering and face-melting guitar buzz. Valence will give you some mellow like the world flavored intermission just over the half way point of Laser Baron. Then it's back to shredding your eardrums. Nearly the entirety of Wormhole explores prog rock fusion, leaving the heavy flurry to the closing minutes. The Reckoning returns the brisk shredding progressive metal where riffs fall like a meteor shower and leads fly like so many sparks from a fire. It's all good but, and you guessed it, it's too short a time. Otherwise, easily recommended.
Valence - Laser Baron EP (Promo Video)
Tweet
Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.
In Short
More expressive and inspired guitar driven instrumental progressive metal, just not enough of it.
Find A Review
Alphabetical Index
New & Notable
Three years have passed since Sweden's Cruzh dropped their second long-player, Tropical Thunder, also introducing their new singer, Alex Waghorn. Now the band returns with The Jungle Revolution ... [ Read More ]