www.foundrymusic.com

Rusty Cooley - S/T
Rating: 10 out of 10
Reviewed by Marc B.

Some of you who may actually take the time to read my reviews might realize how much of an avid guitar freak I am. Being a guitarist for almost 18 years and studying many styles, I've heard so many players from all genres who have blown my mind and left me in awe. I have almost 1000 guitar related CD's from around the globe, and believe me, I've heard them all. While many of them are terrific players, who write terrific songs, and use their talents to further their craft, rarely do I recieve a CD from a guitarist that makes me really stop in my tracks and wonder in awe 'HOW THE HELL DOES HE DO THIS'. Rusty's CD is one of those rare discs. It possesses some of the same qualities and freshness as some of the pioneering guitarists of yesteryear. Rusty's technique on the instrument is simply amazing and fans of heavy guitar who are looking for something fresh need to check this guy out. SOON!!!!!!

The disc opens with 'Under The Influence' and immediately you get the meaning behind the title. Rusty's love for all things shred is evident as the song opens with the high energy drive of old school Yngwie Malmsteen/Jason Becker neo-classical stylings. The song is fast, yet dynamic and Rusty at first demonstrates his command over the genre before adding some of his high octane flavored runs which have a more chromatic, modernized feel. Rusty has total control over his instrument (believe me, I have some of his videos and he is simply SCAREY). Now alot of folks out there will probably dismiss any sort of technical playing or speed runs as musical masterbation or video game noise. This is simply not the case with this CD. Yes, there are times when Rusty simply burns because he can, but you know what. SO BE IT!!!! The man can cleary pen a tune and play with finesse, as perfectly demonstrated on the haunting 'Dark Matter'. The track opens with the minor key moodiness often associated with the neo-classical genre before errupting into a torrent of molten metal lava. This is simply brutal playing with some of the most intense passages I've heard in a while. Rusty is from the old school of guitarist and at times his influences are clear. A dash of Malmsteen here, a pinch of Jason Becker there, mixed with some Paul Gilbert insanity and you get the picture, right? Wrong!! There is something about Rusty's CD that is fresh and intense and what he has managed to do is push the envelope of technical guitar playing to another level. This simply isn't from the tried and true old school of metal players. Rusty uses 7-String guitars exclusively and demonstrates how effective that low B string really is (So all you Korn/Limp Dik fans out there, take note). The speed and dexterity at which Rusty plays at is extremely intense and difficult, yet never fails to retain your interest or stir emotion. 'Dominion' has a terrific metal sound and the song just simply drives hard. I was in awe at the ease at which Cooley pulls of some of his runs and then throws in some insane two hand tapping/sweep arpeggio licks to leave you breathless (that's musical termonology folks). Rusty's tone is tight and METAL!!!!! His use of the 7-String guitar should push that instrument to new stratospheric heights. There is a small but growing legion of new-school shredders using 7-String guitars exclusively (Rob Johnson, Tom Kopyto, Derek Taylor, Scott Stine and Eddie Head) and Rusty is on top of the pack. By using such a heavy sounding instrument, the tracks have a low end boost often missing in instrumental music. 'Jazzmine's Song' is a terrific hook laden monster and demonstrates Rusty's melodic control and terrific songwriting abilities. This disc left me breathless and inspired. After listening to Rusty Cooley's debut, I simply want to return to the woodshed and work on my guitar skills. This disc will be in the CD tray for a long time to come.

So there you have it folks, a new monster on the block. A guy who can truely bring some freshness to the instrument. Many of you I am sure will not realize just how good this release is, nor do you have to. Simply enjoy the fact that there are still guitarists/musicians out there who want to push the envelope and dedicate their lives to making intense/beautiful music. To not only push the envelope, but quite possibly inspire a generation of younger hopefull players who might not realize that there is an entire sub-genre in the music underground that believes that musical virtuosity is not a disease, but a terrific abiltiy to control that ever changing, ever moving state of music.

To Purchase Rusty's amazing debut, go to www.guitar9.com or www.lionmusic.com

and please be sure to check out Rusty's website www.rustycooley.com and check out his intense CD-Rom instructional videos at www.chopsfromhell.com