BURNING BRIDGES

Multi-instrumentalist Lars Eric Mattsson is back with his (I think) sixteenth solo album, again aided and abetted by Andy Falconetti on drums while the strings and orchestral choirs are performed by the Astral Strings: given this is not his only project (there are plenty of others, such as Astral Groove, Eli, Lars Eric Mattsson's Vision, Condition Red, Book Of Reflections) that is quite some output. This is the follow-up to the previous year's 'Evolution', which was the first release I had heard from Lars in some years even though I first came across his music decades ago.

Lars is widely regarded as a Malmsteen-style shredder, but as with his last album what immediately strikes me is the quality of the vocals and the way the material is arranged to keep them at the forefront with all the guitars histrionics and nuances on sitar, keyboards etc designed to highlight them. This is all about ensuring everything is about the song as opposed to the ego, which is refreshing given the undoubted talents he has. It would be very easy for this to become a shredfest and for the vocals to be almost incidental, but that is not the case here. This time around I was prepared for the vocal style, and know they are by Lars himself, but it still sounds to me as if Frank Dimino is working a side gig alongside Angel. As I said last time, the way Lars lifts his voice at times is typical Dimino, but this is not some Angel knock off, but an album of wonderful variety and complexity which is also easy to get inside and enjoy the very first time it is played.

This album never feels like the work of a multi-instrumentalist and a drummer but as if it were a full band in the studio working out how everyone contributes without anyone taking the spotlight away from the singer as that is where they have decided the emphasis needs to be. Yet again what we have here is a melodic AOR album with some nice hard rock riffs, some shred where it is needed, incidentals from different instruments to add layers and great songs which are blessed with wonderful vocals. Yet again a winner.