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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perhaps the Best Guitarist I've Ever Heard., May 27, 2005
This is my first Allan Holdworth cd... probably the first of many. I'm not normally into jazz or fusion, but after hearing how amazing Holdsworth was and getting him recommended to me left and right, i finally decided to take a chance and, man, am i glad i did! Holdsorth is definitely one of only a handful of guitarists that can make a good claim to the "greatest living guitarist" crown and, quite frankly, i couldn't argue against him deserving it. I really thought i'd heard the best that a virtuoso guitarist could offer... Vai, Satriani, Eric Johnson, Malmsteen, Shawn Lane (among many others)... all amazing in their own right... but i wonder if any of them could do what Holdsworth does.
First, the title track opens the album in a very rocking way. A very cool opening riff that is soon accompanied by busy, jazzy drums and bass. The riff is expanded on throughout the course of the song, usually by Holdworth's stunning tremolo use and odd scale runs. The clean guitar work in the verses are equally as good. I can only begin to guess what chords Holdsworth are using, but they all sound note perfect. The vocals are pleasant enough... the lyrics... well, if you're buying this album, it isn't for the lyrics, so why make a big deal out of them? Just enjoy them for the melodic effect. The solo, like most on this album, feature THE BEST legato work of any guitarst i've ever heard. I've heard guitarists play this fast, but never, EVER this cleanly and precise. Holdsworth legato is second to none and heads and shoulders above any guitarist i've ever heard.
Home, the beauty of the album, begins with background chatter from people, but is joined by, what is, one of the most gorgeous guitar tones i've ever heard. It sounds as if tears are dripping from Holdsworth's guitar. These raindrop-like notes and chord progressions are just achingly beautiful. The bass and drums eventually come in to accompany the guitar beautifully. The acoustic guitar is the star of this song though. Holdsworth does some surprisingly excellent acoustic guitar soloing that perfectly fits the song. What's amazing about this song though, is there's very few repeated melodic lines, yet, it's still immediately memorable. Repeat listens will help piece all of the melodic parts together though.
Devil Take The Hindmost... what can i say except "oh my God friggin gee-golly wow!" Maybe the most astonishing work ever put to guitar. Starting off with with some great, off-kilter jazz chord progressions with an ever moving drum and bass line. The song shifts moods from flowing jazz, to softer ballad several times, both with some odd rhythms and timing. Even some very ethereal, moody parts. The bass playing is actually just as much of a highlight on this track as the guitar. But at 1:35 in the whole song changes... Holdworth signature legato lead work enters. Slowly at first, ever building, with some really odd, almost (dare i say?) demonic sounding runs. Holdsworth doesn't unleash the full fury of his soloing until about 2:25 in, at which point i think ANY guitarist will be blown away by the string of stunning runs Holdsworth puts together. The song finally ends where it begins, back with that awesome opening progression.
What's so good about that song though is, the runs never sound like wankery. They seem to support the tone of that song perfectly. They're always unique and never "same-sounding'. But as far as electric guitar goes, i've never, NEVER heard it played any better than in that song.
Panic Station is a calming number after the hell-fury that is Devil Take the Hindmost. A beauty in its own right, Station starts out with an appregiated clean guitar and accentuated bass that builds up to the vocal part. Perhaps the best vocal performance on the album, this song is just a pleasure to listen to. The solo features some great runs before leading into some excellent tremolo work. This is perhaps the catchiest song on the album as well.
The Un-Merry Go Round is 14 mins. of musical bliss. The only way i can describe it is Pink Floyd meets a guitar virtuoso. This song, for the most part, is very ethereal, atmospheric, and moody. The odd, muted guitar that starts the song leads into some swelling... uhhh, are those synths i'm guessing? When the drums kick in is when the fun truly starts. One of my favorite moments on the whole album in fact. The shuffling drums and rumbling bass add such a 3D quality to the song. Allowing Holdsworth background chord work and more up-front legato lead work to shine. This song shifts several times and almost works in seperate movements.
The drum solo is worthy of mention as well. Never have i heard a drum solo that i can not only sit through, but even ENJOY like the one in Un-Merry Go Round. After the solo we have more of the shuffling bass/drum work, which leads into some odd chord work, which then completely dies off and then the song heads into real Pink Floyd arena. With the swelling, ethereal sounds, it's an oasis against the chaos of the rest of the song. The song will eventually, but slowly pick up, and lead into some more great Holdsworth legato lead work.
The song pretty much ends with Holdsworth, i imagine, using his infamous "synthaxe" to simulate a flute. As silly as the idea sounds, it works quite well. Holdsworth manages to create an interesting sound and string some interesting runs together with it. The song comes to a close with some more great chord work and ends exactly as it opens.
The last track is really the only disposable track on here. As much as i can disregard lyrics on the album, In the Mystery is just too much cheese for even me. Musically it's not that interesting either. Though it does have another good Holdsworth solo.
In conclusion, this album is a must for fusion enthusiasts, guitar virtuoso enthusiasts, or just anyone interested in hearing how far the limits of guitar playing can be stretched. I've never heard another guitarists even remotely like Holdsworth BEFORE Holdsworth. Since him, countless guitarists have copied parts of his unique style. From EVH to Meshuggah's Frederick Thordendall whose lead lines directly rip off Holdsworth's soloing style (in a good way). Federick Thordendall and Meshuggah is actually what prompted me to check out Holdsworth. Anyone interested in hearing what Holdsworth would sound like in an extreme metal setting should definitely check out Meshuggah (who are geniuses in their own right).
Anyway, i can't wait to get some more albums from this amazing artist. I can't imagine why Holdsworth isn't more well known than he is. Perhaps his focus on trying to create his own style and stretching out musically has kept alot of listeners away, but i imagine more adventurous people will really dig someone as adventurous as Allan Holdsworth.
(...)
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10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
From a normal middle-aged jazz fan, May 12, 2003
Holdsworth makes records that are really classics of their time and sells them to a kind of guitar/bass/virtuoso/instruction audience with prog-rock, metal, and fusion leanings. What was often frustrating about Holdsworth's mid-80's efforts was their overt and out-of place pandering to the market, when clearly Holdsworth wasn't really at home with those idioms. A good example of this was the title track from Metal Fatigue where an apparrent attempt to cajole his hard-rock fans results in a sort of heavy metal shuffle. Another example other reviwers have mentioned is the inclusion of embarassingly awkward prog-rock lyrics on the disk's three vocal tracks. That is about half the album in terms of cuts. Throughout these, Holdsworth's playing is fluid to the point of being somewhat limpid. He does play very very fast.The other tunes are in a completely different aesthetic universe. Now, here's the rub for me. In each one of Holdsworth's records there are moments where you think you are listening to the next Liszt or Mozart. The music is that timeless and evocative. Holdsworth's command of melody and of form show his tenacious quest for balance between composition and improvisation, between variety and familiarity. Most serious music fans will know that these are THE unsolved problems in jazz. Holdsworth gives us many solutions although they lie outside the jazz aesthetic. His example here is "The Un-Merry Go Round" which, given it's brooding subtitle, should be enjoyed with attention to it's melancholic aspects. The sound - domintated by digital synthesis - is neither organic nor nostalgic, nor urbane. It's the sort of sound you expect to hear in promotional videos for Biotech firms, and Holdsworth and company are neither very out or very in jazz-wise. And yet "The Un-Merry Go Round" is both moving and cinematic. You barely realize you are listening to solos. The more orthodox guitar jazz tracks on the record, "Home" and "Devil take the Hindmost", are not as catchy for me but they employ similar amounts of ingenious mathematics. Other Holdsworth fans find them extraordinarily catchy, especially the latter track. I give the record 3 stars because of the 3 brilliant tracks. This is from someone who doesn't know or care how hard it is to play the music. Aspiring guitar players will enjoy it even more, although Holdsworth sets up an almost impossible standard.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply one of the greatest Guitar achievements ever., January 24, 2002
Metal Fatigue is an INCREDIBLE achievement that lingers in the mind for years after your first listen. Simply put, this recording is one of Holdsworth's best and exemplifies his incredibly unique approach to the guitar. So different is Holdsworth's sound that he essentially redefines the boundaries of the instrument. But understand this, you DONT buy a HOLDSWORTH recording to hear catchy lyrics or a typical song composition. What you DO get it for is to hear an unparalleled genius provide his take on the music, whatever it is, that's happening around him. That's what he he delivers and it's what makes him great. Holdsworth's amazing achievements can be appreciated stand-alone, or as MUSICAL INTEPRETATIONS by a genius. And make no mistake about it - Holdsworth is in every way a genius. Whoever equated "Mr. Mister" to ANYTHING on METAL FATIGUE is completely out of line. Yeah, the lyrics drive me crazy sometimes and they don't always sound as cool as an 80's pop tune, but are you reviewing the lyrics or are you reviewing Holdsworth? Even if you take the approach that you must review the entire work and all supporting members, Holdsworth's is such a triumph of musical possibilities and sheer passion that he simply overshadows anything "Mr Misterish". I can listen to Holdsworth over and over again, and each time take something different away from the experience. Holdsworth is an artist, and like many artists past and present, he is misunderstood and underappreciated by many whose brains have been turned to jello by what our collective FM radio stations pump out on a daily basis. Boring? Not at all - Holdsworth speaks through his music, and he has an incredible story, an EPIC story to tell with each musical passage, but nobody said understanding it would be easy.
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