Freak Guitar: The Road Less Traveled

Mattias Eklundh | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 6, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Favored Nations
• ASIN: B000A8AXVI
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #167,424 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's about time, December 23, 2005

By 

J. Russell (Vancouver) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Freak Guitar: The Road Less Traveled (Audio CD)

Shred has been dead since day one. Wether it's Malmsteen or Vai (who was good when Zappa told him what to do) or... it's been nothing but amazing guitar licks over bad, bad rythm sections. But didn't we all hope that one day those techniques would be used to a more interesting effect? Shawn Lane's work with Hellborg did it, Buckethead did it, and now... Mattias IA Eklundh, killer player. but most importantly he has great taste. This disc is very Zappa inspired and sounds alot like Buckethead, but with tighter compositions and more of a European influence (gypsy scales and what not). Definitely worth picking up, and what a sense of humour. I haven't laughed this much at someones guitar playing (laughed in a good way I mean) since the day's of Danny Gatton. Hellborg has just picked this guy up for some power trio work with Jeff Sipe. I am really looking forward to hearing what they do together.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Psychotic, Quirky...and great, September 6, 2005

By 

Daniel S. Upton "draqza" (Charlottesville, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Freak Guitar: The Road Less Traveled (Audio CD)

I had no idea what to expect when I got this CD, except that it was probably going to be crazy instrumental stuff, since it's on Steve Vai's label. In that respect, this CD definitely fills expectations. Mattias has a great command of the instrument, although undoubtedly many people (the same who bash Tom Morello) will think his sense of humor in composition is little more than unfocused noodling. The hyperactive covers of Smoke on the Water and Minor Swing are excellent.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Humor and chops, February 17, 2006

By 

J. Weissman - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Freak Guitar: The Road Less Traveled (Audio CD)

Never have I heard musical "humor" conveyed so well as on this breakthrough album. The production is seamless, and Eklundh's high-level chops are not threatening, that is, his humor and musicality buffer the typical "macho" delivery of shred-guitar playing, and indeed evolves it into, dare I say, ART.