Joe Satriani – Super Colossal (2006/2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 59:02 minutes | 1,31 GB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Epic – Legacy
„Super Colossal“ is the 12th studio album from guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani. The master shredder still traffics in arena-sized hard rock instrumentals that provide plenty of room for his melodic, technically dazzling solos. But Satch mixes things up, too, with sunny, country-tinged riffs (‘It’s So Good’), atmospheric jams (‘Ten Words’), and bittersweet love songs (‘Made of Tears’).
While a record of guitar rock instrumentals might seem in imminent danger of growing stale, Satriani manages to keep things interesting, not only by varying his stylistic approach but by utilizing a wide vocabulary of guitar sounds and effects. And, naturally, guitar players and aficionados of six-string wizardry will find plenty to admire on nearly every track here.
The most frightening thing about “Super Colossal” is that it starts off sounding horrifically similar to the chorus of Billy Squier’s “The Stroke.” Thankfully, this is remedied immediately, and Satch returns to familiar territory. The sound of the title track is big and booming, but the tone and delivery are instantly recognizable. Satriani doesn’t pull any new tricks out of his bag, but lets his fingers do the talking throughout most of the record. And, of course, it wouldn’t be a Satriani record without a few midtempo numbers thrown in for good measure, and “It’s So Good” certainly delivers a swaggering punch that is reminiscent of not only Flying in a Blue Dream but moments of protégé Steve Vai’s epic album Passion and Warfare. There are moments of delicate frailty and instrumentals with a romantic and optimistic feeling, tempering the high-energy blues-driven guitar shredders and leaving Super Colossal with a nice sense of balance — except for the album’s finish. “Crowd Chant” is arguably one of the weirdest moments in a career full of eccentricity, but it’s painfully out of place. However, with its catchy melody and call-and-response verses, it’s going to make one heck of a concert singalong. On the whole, Satriani really doesn’t push boundaries or stretch his guitar vocabulary too much here, but even on his worst day his productions could best any other shredder du jour based simply on the fact that he crafts songs rather than insipid guitar-scale exercises to flaunt and flail around carelessly. ~ Rob Theakston
Tracklist:
01. Joe Satriani – Super Colossal (04:14)
02. Joe Satriani – Just Like Lightnin’ (04:01)
03. Joe Satriani – It’s So Good (04:14)
04. Joe Satriani – Redshift Riders (04:50)
05. Joe Satriani – Ten Words (03:28)
06. Joe Satriani – A Cool New Way (06:13)
07. Joe Satriani – One Robot’s Dream (06:16)
08. Joe Satriani – The Meaning of Love (04:34)
09. Joe Satriani – Made of Tears (05:32)
10. Joe Satriani – Theme for a Strange World (04:39)
11. Joe Satriani – Movin’ On (04:05)
12. Joe Satriani – A Love Eternal (03:33)
13. Joe Satriani – Crowd Chant (03:16)
