INK COMPLETE

Wow! To categorize this album is something not really obvious: let's say it is almost as metal as fusion with progressive structures! Well, there are so many things to say about this record! If there are no other artists who sound like Spastic Ink, then they probably created a new progressive subgenre.

This record really demonstrates an absolute technical exhibition of 3 virtuosos: indeed, the omnipresent "fast as lightning" guitar solos sound a bit like Yngwie Malmsteen's stuff, although they are less symphonic; there are many guitar bits that have the Allan Holdsworth's style, when Jarzombek does not play with a distortion effect; the extremely complex and refined bass performance is easily comparable to the Jeff Berlin's or Jaco Pastorius' ones; finally, the impossible drums totally defy the laws of repeatability, simplicity and conformism.

The music is VERY intermittent, fully punctuated by pauses followed by brief but extreme pulses of loaded music: it evokes the displacement of a squirrel: it is very nervous, never the same, fast and not previsional. The guitarist is able to be quite melodic, like on the funny "Wild hare" track. The musicians constantly take a brief pause between every musical peak because it is humanly impossible to keep their infernal cadence all the time! Sometimes the guitarist uses some guitar effects other than distortion: that's why he may sound like Allan Holdsworth, Joe Satriani, Steve Vaï or Vinnie Moore. The guitarist knows how to sound very good, like on the catchy "Eights is enough": a further exploration in this direction would have been interesting too.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!