Racer X were
always a cut above the rest in the 1980s and “Second Heat” (1987) was arguably
the band’s finest moment. Partial credit was due to the twin guitar brilliance
of Paul Gilbert and Bruce Bouillet. Admittedly I haven’t heard anything from Mr
Bouillet since then but the sound of his new solo album sure sounds like a close
companion to “Second Heat”.
Bruce Bouillet’s
skills encompass composition, melody, interpretation and technique amongst other
things – in fact the strongest selling point of this album is the completeness
of Bouillet as a guitarist. “The Order of Chaos” provides for some entertaining
listening, which a rare quality for an instrumental album. In itself the music
style is nothing new but it’s executed with enough passion and tempo breaks to
keep you interested. Placing, say, ‘Defiant’ and ‘Akiko’ side by side helps
appreciate the array of ideas, which pilfer from shred, Hard Rock and Bluesy
moods. Having a great production only helps matters further.
Bruce Bouillet
never went away but I’ve the impression that there’s more to him than is
actually known. So grab yourselves a copy of “The Order of Control”, listen,
enjoy and spread the word.
