Search - Cacophony :: Speed Metal Symphony

Good Guitar Work But Really Lame Vocals

10/13/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I've been a fan of neo-cassical shred guitar since its beginings and I will say that this CD has some of the craziest dual guitar work EVER - next to the band "Racer X." However, when I first got this CD I was expecting an instrumental album that would take me on a musical epic journey. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. Instead, this album has typical song structures with verses and a chorus. The singer on this album sounds like someone doing a parody of a heavy metal singer, and the majority of the songs are written without much thought; fairly primitive in musical structure (except the solos and the instrumentals "Concerto" and "Speed Metal Symphony." The song "The Ninja" has a really cool intro but then those vocals come in :PThis CD is good for about 3 songs. I've always told myself that a CD is worth owning if it has at least 3 good songs, so buy it if you feel the same way. However, I think that Jason Becker's solo album "Perpetual Burn" is MUCH MUCH better. Also check out Yngwie Malmsteen's "Concerto for Electric Guitar And Orchestra In E flat Minor Op.1 - Millennium" for the best representation of neo-classical shred guitar."

Guitar Wizardry at its best

Shredwood | Washington D.C. | 02/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Let me the say that the vocals on this cd may be painful at first, yet you get over them very quickly, except for a few spots. Even so, they do not lower my score for the album, and at times are quite catchy.



Savage - Good riffs, good solos, catchy, purely driven madness to start this insane album. 93/100



Where My Fortune Lies - the intro is absolutely nuts, and the highlight of the song. Probably my least favorite after this, yet the solos are still out of this world. 87/100



Ninja - what a great song! The intro is one of the greatest things I have heard in my life, and this song may actually have you humming along at points. NINJA! Very well laid out, and the solos at the end are the best so far on the album. Brilliance. 97/100



Concerto - Amazing once again, and Becker the 17 year old prodigy showcases himself throughout. He proves he is the master of sweeping and arpreggios all over this album, and this song is an insane instrumental that captures melodies like none other. More notes played in 4 1/2 minutes than in George Harrison's entire career. 98/100



Burn the Ground - fastest on the album solo wise in fact Becker is so fast it is hard to believe that its human. Very melodic too except when there are vocals, the song is kinda of disgusting. 87/100



Desert Island -another amazing song very well laid out with great solos and great riffs. The outro is the perfect intro to Speed Metal Symphony. The vocals are actually good on this song, like Ninja., an entertaining song. 97/100



Speed Metal Symphony - nine minutes of shredding and arpreggios and all kinds of melodic madness that is beauty to any shredder's ears. Everything about this song is good. 97/100



There isn't much to say about this album except Becker and Friedman show they are true masters of their instruments and are able to play in a melodic and listenable way. I would recommend this over Yngwie Malmsteen, who has not improved since his first album."

Visceral!

Eric B | 05/01/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"An absolute orgy of power chords and solos...but even that description is oversimplified,and may conjure images of mindless noise,as nothing is further from the truth. "Classical" music never sounded so good. Your pulse will thump like a jackhammer as you marvel how clever and creative this stuff is,and laugh at how serendiptious it is to combine classical melodies with depleted urianium grade metal--and how great it works. Judged by "song" standards,a couple of tracks seem uncohesive...but it doesn't matter,as you're still euphoric from those ephonious riffs."