X

12 years after the last TRIBAL TECH studio album-the phenomenal and innovative ROCKET SCIENCE-our dearest fusion masters are back in business with this amazing new album called X!Well-12 years is an amazingly long period of silence-and this too long musical hiatus for TRIBAL TECH-has come to an end ,the new masterpiece called X-will plenty satisfy even the most pretentious Scott Henderson fan-or TRIBAL TECH fan-or-generally speaking-any modern fusion fan!Definitely-the alchemy between the musicians is still present-technically speaking-all 4 guys are fantastic-and the compositions are the expression of what instrumental fusion should be in 2012!I've always admired the fact that TRIBAL TECH were all time an avant gardistic band in a way ,trying all the time to discover and explore new musical territories-and this album is the prove that the guys in the band still have something to tell in this eltistic musical style!Most of the songs are midtempo orientated-and the element oif surprise is present on each track too!The sound,the production is perfect-crystal clear sound-and each instrument sounds sensational!Henderson is pushing some unbelievebly complicated solos-and he's a monster technician,maybee the most technically advanced from all fusion guitar players-ALLAN HOLDSWORTH included here!HENDERSON is a fantastic vibrato master-and the way how he is making the guitar sound-is breathtaking!Absolutely fantastic!GARY WILLIS is equal to himself-great technician,fantastic sound aswell-pure perfection!KIRK COVINGTON is literally killing the drums,he is offering some mathematic and complicated rhythms-totally awesome!Finally-the 4-th wheel of the perfect machine-MR SCOTT KINSEY-WOW!Great keys solos and wonderful interventions-magnificent!In my humble opinion-TRIBAL TECH is the best fusion group ever!All 4 musicians are aces and the fruit of the musical alchemy that exists among them is fabulous!In the end-our endless respect for another stellar album and the hope that we won't have to wait another 12 years to have a new TRIBAL TECH album,isn't it?5 STARS for a perfect album,without any weak track!

Tribal Tech return after an 11 year hiatus with "X". Not the most original album name, but whatever. I'm not Tribal Tech expert, I only have a few of their albums from the late 80s/early90s, and only heard a couple of tunes from their later albums, but I can tell you without a doubt---this is their most original album in a while. This album is hard, experimental in places, and funky in others.

The only thing you know you can expect is virtuoso playing from these guys, of course. After that, X sees the band playing around with song structures. Apparently, in 2010 they recorded most of the rough tracks for this album, lots of improvisation and so on. Then they spent the year and half before this album came out adding overdubs and structuring the jams, making much of this music seem composed; and in a way it is.

What I also like about this album is the "usual fusion" sound is gone, you know, that late 80s/early 90s fusion sound, like Chick Corea Elektric Band, Dave Weckl Band, or Zawinul Syndicate (minus the world fusion aspect); THAT sound. It's gone here. And it's good, because otherwise it would date this record horribly. No, the band is trying new things on this album. A little electronic beats here and there, different keyboard sounds, etc. This record is more earthly. There are moments of intense electric post-bop, some more soulful, contemplative playing by Scott Henderson, and a variety of other different moods.

It's not the most progressive album, but it's a fun record, and one of the more original albums by the band. And it's nice to see Tribal Tech not stuck in the same sound, experimenting with different things.

A pretty good fusion album. If you like modern fusion, you'll probably enjoy this. If you're a Tribal Tech fan, you'll enjoy the different feel this album has.