LACK OF EDUCATION

This band has something to say in today's music and even the title of the album proves the good attitude that this extremelly talented musicians had about what's in today's world...both politically and musically!Musically speaking ,they prove that even if you are not a signed band you can produce a high quality album,without the help of media or any other ways to make you popular!Being tired of musical compromises,WHOOPGNASH are already at their third album,defnitelly the most mature and elaborated to date!Fans of ALLAN HOLDSWORTH,guitar player and mastermind JOHN ERICKSON pushes even further the sense of the words virtuosity and musicianship!Not being professional musicians,the 3 guys in WHOOPGNASH are really breathtaking in this pretentioius and difficult musical style!WHOOPGNASH's music is so technically that sometimes we have the feeling thet the guys are from other planet!It's hardcore fusion,in the vein of HOLLDSWORTH...sometimes PAT METHENEY...SCOTT HENDERSON HALLEBEEK ...and even SHAWN LANE style...or influenced,but with a more dense and frenzy approach!Great and diverse,the ferocious style of JOHN ERICKSON is very,very impressive!The other two "partners in crime" are very competent and efficient too,especially Bill on drums is astonishing!This is music made for the ones who don't like the easy way of fusion,au contraire,is for die hard practicians,for those who guitar is a religion and an instrument where talent is not enough to be an accomplished musician!It's like Hendrix sayed...but changing a litthe his quotation...1 % inspiration and 99 % sweat!!!All our respect to this kind of bands,devoted and commited to pure art,and with the will to perform at such high standards!ITrully impressive!!! 4.5 STARS for the determination and passion!

Whoopgnash's Lack of Education, has that intensity and frantic, frenzied fusion rock in so many cuts that just making me listen has me breaking into sweat. But that's good ~ as the drive in Erickson's guitar work is brilliant versus brawn alone. Everyone in the group is killer tight and on the money top-shelf playing. A beautiful outro dedication to the late Shawn Lane closes this fine CD.

I notice too that this recording is mastered, mixed and produced excellently with fun channel pans and crystalline separation. This is a wide-open, headroom maxed CD. Signal to noise ratio is ~ 100 to 0 if ya know what I mean. Compositions & voicings are varied enough to easily avoid that typical fusion rock rut of every song being too narrow in the spectrum of sonicland.

For those needing places to anchor their heads as to what this Whoopgnash band is all about, try and figure this description out: Allan Holdsworth, in his I.O.U era was given a dose of Scott McGill's eclectic rock heaviness and kink ~ mixed in with a healthy swig of Ohm's Chris Poland ferocity and then the bpm is cranked way up. In a word, exhilarating!

Whoopgnash has really matured over their three-CD span of releases and this one shows them coming into their own trademark sound. I give this high-octane, fusion rock a solid 10 and highly recommend it for your collection. So buy it now! That's how fusion survives.