Alex Masi
Late Nights at Desert Rimrock

Release date: October 27th 2006
Label: Lion Music
Provided by: Lion Music

Website: www.alexmasi.net

Style: Instrumental Metal

Rating: 60/100
Reviewed by:
The Jack
Date:
October 31st 2006

ALEX MASI – One of the 80s most admired shredders, especially due to his ”Attack of the Neon Shark” album from 1989. Alex has always delivered immaculate and very diverse sounding guitarleads, putting himself in the top echelon of experimentalists.  

”Experimental” is also a good description of the album in question. He seems to try to break down the barriers here with a highly competent mixture of everything from Prog. Metal over Funky Metal to exotic-sounding disharmonies.  

The fact that he strays so much also leaves the album as a guitar-album which probably won’t appeal to anybody who hasn’t got an interest in shredding.  

From my point of view it seems that he could’ve done himself a favour if he’d only tried to give his fingers a rest every now and then. His shredding is VERY fast and all the time too. Same tempo (drums played by none other than John Maculoso) and same runs up and down his fretboard.  

You really need time to get into this album but if you like these shredder-experiments you’d probably dig it all the way.  

I hear hints to MEGADETH every now and then…It sound weird, I know, but a lot of the ambience on this album is similar to what MEGADETH could’ve come up with back in the 80s.  

A good atmospherical album without a lot of crossover potential.