Joop Wolters is a Dutch guitarist who has just released his 3rd solo album titled “Out of Order”.

Influenced by awesome musicians such as; Allan Holdsworth, Steve Vai, Greg Howe and

Scott Henderson, among others. Joop Wolters is ready to show the world that he doesn’t need

to hide behind the more established musicians when it comes down to handling a guitar.

 We get 16 tracks of a style that’s quite hard to describe. Well.... let’s call it Instrumental Progressive Fusion/Rock. Here’s everything from harder Rock/Metal to Jazz/Fusion and the more progressive moods.

Well... this album reminds me a tad... just a tad of Greg Howe’s “Parallax" (1995), mostly because of Mr. Wolters playing. Sure... Joop Wolters can play like the devil was behind him but I’m still caught somewhere between heaven and hell when it comes to his music. The calmer tracks and parts are great but there are still a lot of guitar masturbation to be found on “Out of Order”. Some of the tracks sound more or less pretty much the same and pretty much like the albums of the last guitar wizard before him. You hardly will be able to find a spot not trodden before.

Still, there are a few great tracks to be found; Take a listen to “Harmonic Spheres”, 2 minutes of Spanish guitar... 2 splendid minutes... simply amazing guitar playing in my humble opinion. Or what about “Kindering Spirits”... a beautiful and peaceful breather with a wonderful melody and a great and relaxing atmosphere. The leads in this track are hypnotizing and breathtaking at the same time.

Track 2 “American Dance” reminds me of Satriani... the guitar riffs... the leads... also a mind blowing track.

Track 3 “Anthem” contains a melody that could make the Devil himself weep... beautiful!

But even after 7- 8 listens I’m still left a bit disappointed. 16 tracks are just too much for me and

I find this album a bit monotonous… however genre-fans should definitely check this album out.

The production is both great and not so great at the same time. It’s crystal clear on the calmer tracks but I miss something on the heavier tracks… the rhythm guitar should’ve been more upfront in my opinion and the sound more powerful.