PRIMAL TRACKS

This album is a collection from Tribal Tech, mostly taken from their second, third and fourth albums. Since I do not own, nor have heard those albums, I can't tell you if it represents a good cross section of their music. What I can tell you is that Scott Henderson and Gary Willis are excellent musicians. What they lack in songwriting, they make up for in some fiery fusion guitar and bass playing, respectively.

And yes, that last statement indicates that the songwriting is somewhat lacking. Mostly, we get some mandering chord progressions, with blips and blaps from the synths. But Henderson's soaring guitar and Willi's adept bass transcend every piece, and make them a joy to listen to.

Special mention should be made for Ominous. This piece, with some fine electronic tuned percussion, sounds very much like Bill Bruford's Earthworks band.