Time Signature
Magic...
Genre: instrumental guitar rock / metal
Tommy Ermolli is a talented Italian guitarist, and on this album he showcases some of his talents in a collection of instrumental tracks. While he is capable of playing some magnificent solos, one of the things that I like about this album is his focus on rhythm. A lot of the tracks are groovy and contain a lot of very well written and very well performed rhythm guitar riffs. Just check out the heavy "Enlightening Darkness" and "Arrival" (which is a bit funky, too) and the hardrockers "Endless Space" and "Taking Control". Other tracks are more mellow, like the title track "Step Ahead", the acoustic "Magic", and the more jazzy "Virtual Redefinition", while tracks like "Renewed" and "Joy of Illusion" are more uplifting.
Recommended to fans of instrumental guitar rock along the lines of Steve Vai and Joe Satriani, but do not expect Malmsteenesque neoclassical wankery.