After listening to the self titled release from American shredder Rusty Cooley, there is no doubts at all about his ability. After all, this brilliant guitarist has won awards for his abilities including the Houston based 'Guitar master series' as well as being asked to host the local access cable show called 'World class guitar techniques' for 3 episodes. Cooley is a very technical and skilled guitarist that reminds me a bit of Malmsteen at times, but also a bit like Michael Angelo with his blistering fretwork. The album consists of 10 instrumentals and 2 bonus tracks that are vocal versions of the instrumentals 'Dominion' and 'The Butcher'. (Vocal version of 'The Butcher is actually called 'The Machine') The album would definitely be classified in the 'noodling' category, but has some pretty cool songwriting such as 'Hillbilly Militia', 'Jazzmine's Song', 'The Duel', and 'Dark Matter'. Where some people may object to listening to an album where the fretboard is just smoked, this album offers more in the way of the great overall sound of the project. Also, those vocal numbers are a nice addition to the album adding a bit of a different feel to each of the two songs. Just imagine the potential Cooley has in a total rock band project. That would be cool indeed.

Overall
It gets pretty hard these days to stand out on your own as a guitar hero. There are a lot of decent guitarists on the market, but Cooley does stand out. When you hear some of his techniques and solos it will make your jaw drop. Good songwriting and relentless attack on the fretboard make this a very cool listen. Keep an eye out for this artist.