A SILENT SPACE IS A PALLET TO BE CONQUERED BY THIS AMAZING AND NE'ER MATCHED MUSICIAN. ALTHOUGH A WORD IS SCARCELY UTTERED IN THIS FINE WORK, SO MUCH IS EXPRESSED, SO MANY IMAGES CONJURED UP BY MR. COOLEY'S CAREFULLY AND WELL THOUGHT OUT TAPESTRY OF SOUND. AT TIMES, DURING THIS LISTEN, I WAS TAKEN BACK TO A DAY IN WHICH I NEVER LIVED - DAYS OF "KINGS AND QUEENS AND GUILLOTINES" - WHEN A BARD WAS SUMMONED FROM THE MASSES AND ENLISTED TO PRESENT HIS SERVICES TO ONLY THE MOST REGAL OF AUDIENCES. ENTER THE LORDS AND LADIES IN ALL THEIR FINERY INTO THE PRESENCE OF THE BEST THE LAND HAD TO OFFER! AN EXTRAVAGANZA OF COLORS AND FANTASY AWAITS ANY WHO WOULD TAKE THE TIME TO FREE THEIR MINDS FOR THE SHORT MOMENTS IT TAKES TO WITNESS THIS PRESENTATION.

TRACK #1 - "UNDER THE INFLUENCE" - STRAIGHTAWAY, RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE, A CLASSICALLY ORCHESTRATED WALL OF METAL GREETS YOU FACE TO FACE. IF JOHN TESH AND YANNI DECIDED TO PARTAKE IN STEROIDS AND GIVE INTO A MAJOR ATTITUDE, THIS MIGHT BE WHAT THEY WOULD SOUND LIKE, BUT THEN AGAIN.....I COULD SEE ALL THE GREATS: MOZART, BACH, PAGANINI THROWING HORNS AND BANGING HEADS TILL THEIR POWDERED WIGS WERE FLUNG FROM THEIR HEADS! AT LAST, THE GENRE PRESENTED IN A WAY THEY'VE ALWAYS IMAGINED IT - IT'S THEIR MUSIC BY WAY OF 21ST CENTURY TECHNOLOGY!

TRACK #3 - "DARK MATTER" - THIS PIECE COMMENCES WITH AN ACOUSTICAL FEEL REMINISCENT OF SATRIANI; LILTING AND SEDUCTIVE IN IT'S PRESENTATION, IT CALLS THE HEARER INTO A MUSICAL WORLD OF WONDERS AND INTRODUCES LIGHT INTO THE VERY DARK, COLD PLACE TODAY'S INDUSTRIAL REPETITION HAS CREATED. THE PIECE THEN GIVES WAY TO A MILITARISTIC CADENCE OF ORDER SOON TO BE TAKEN OVER BY SWEEPING GUITAR WORK. THE RHYTHM SECTION IS THE ARMY WHICH HOLDS DOWN THE FORT, WHILE THE GENERAL, MR. COOLEY, TAKES CENTER STAGE, MESMERIZING AND BECKONING THE LISTENER TO WATCH AS THE NOTES FORM A DESIGN OF THE MIND. ALWAYS THE SPECTER, KEYBOARDIST BOBBY WILLIAMSON, PROVIDES THE CONTRASTING LEGATO IN THIS PIECE AS THE BACKDROP FOR THE EVER PRESENT SCALES OF PRECISION PRESENTED BY MR. COOLEY. THE LISTENER IS TRANSPORTED TO A PLACE OF BEAUTY AND SUBSTANCE.

TRACK #5 - "EBE" - THIS ONE HAS A HEAVY, OLD SCHOOL FEEL WITH A GROOVY WAH-WAH UNDERTONE. IF YOU MIXED ZAK WYLDE WITH GEORGE LYNCH AND VAI, YOU MIGHT GET A LITTLE TASTE OF WHAT THIS ONE IS LIKE. THE LEAD BREAK FEATURES A REAL PIANO EVER SO SUBTLY BUT IT, COMBINED WITH THE CRAZY GUITAR LITANY, IS VERY FLAVORFUL - LIKE MEAT AND POTATOES WITH A DASH OF WASABE!

TRACK #6 - "HILLBILLY MILITIA" - WHIMSICAL, BUT MEAN - JUST LIKE SOME WELL EDUCATED "HILLBILLY MILITIA" ON SOME SERIOUS AMPHETAMINES - SOMEBODY STOP ME! DEFINITELY CANDY FOR THE EARS...IT MADE ME WISH I COULD PUT THIS TUNE INTO EVERY X-BOX IN AMERICA TO PROVE TO THE KIDDIES THAT MUSIC CAN BE FRENZIED CHAOS WHILE RETAINING INTEGRITY!

TRACK #8 - "WAR OF ANGLES" - AMID THE MASTERY OF MR. COOLEY'S PLAYING, THIS PIECE FEATURES KEYS AND MINOR SCALES FROM ANOTHER TIME - PROGRESSING INTO THE FEATURED EVENT - THE CENTERPIECE OF ALL THE PIECES, THE UNPARALLELED GUITAR WORK OF MR. COOLEY. THIS MELODY SPEAKS TO ME AND MAKES ME LONG FOR A TIME WHEN TRUE, PROGRESSIVE MINOR KEY, MELODIC METAL REIGNED. I GOT MUCH ENJOYMENT OUT OF THIS ONE - THE END CHANGES TEMPO TWICE AND EMPLOYS A HARD DRIVING DOUBLE BASS DRUM, IT CHANGES YET AGAIN GIVING WAY TO A SWEEPING DISPLAY OF AESTHETIC POWER.

TRACK #9 - "THE DUEL" - AN UPTEMPO SELECTION WHICH FEATURES A MENACING MELODY PRESENTED BY GUITAR AND KEYS ALIKE. SOME OF THIS MUSICIANSHIP LEAVES MY MIND IN THE DUST WONDERING WHAT JUST SWEPT BY! IT PASSES IN A FLURRY OF NOTES AND SOUND AND I'M LEFT SOMEWHERE IN IT'S TRAIL BEHIND! JUST WHEN IT SEEMS TO BE IN MY GRASP, IT TAKES OFF ONCE AGAIN, LEAVING ME WITH JUST A SLIGHT RESIDUE OF UNDERSTANDING AND WITH THE FEELING THAT IF I COULD ONLY LISTEN TO IT ABOUT THIRTY MORE TIMES, I MIGHT FINALLY HAVE THE ABILITY TO GRASP IT. TO WITNESS THIS ONE LIVE WOULD TAKE SOME VERY INTENSE CONCENTRATION. THE SMOKE EMANATING FROM THE FRETBOARD AND THE KEYBOARDS WOULD NO DOUBT BLUR MY VISION AND LEAVE ME WITH MY SANITY BARELY INTACT!

TRACK #10 - "PIECE OF MIND" - AND APTLY NAMED...THIS IS NOT "PEACE OF MIND", BUT RATHER A PIECE OF MR. COOLEY'S VERY KEEN MIND. HIS VIEWPOINT IS PRESENTED WITH AN AGGRESSIVE, NO-HOLDS-BARRED MUSICALITY; HIS VERY OWN SOUND-GENERATED COMMENTARY WITH NO APOLOGIES OFFERED AND NONE REQUIRED BY THE LISTENER.

...AND ALTHOUGH THE CD IS OFFICIALLY OVER, THE BONUS TRACKS ("DOMINION" AND "THE MACHINE") ARE AMONG MY FAVORITES TO DATE FEATURING THE SHINING VOCAL SKILLS OF KELLY CARPENTER, WHO ALSO FRONTS MR. COOLEY'S LATEST ENDEAVOR, THE BAND "OUTWORLD".

RUSTY COOLEY DEFINITELY HAS A LOT TO SAY BY WAY OF HIS MUSIC. AT TIMES THE MESSAGE IS SIMPLY STATED AND AT OTHERS, THE MESSAGE IS SO COMPLEX SO AS TO EXCEED THE REALM OF NORMAL THOUGHT. AS A MUSICIAN, HE IS A GEM AMONGST HIS CONTEMPORARIES, STANDING HEAD AND SHOULDERS ABOVE MUCH OF THE CROWD. THROUGHOUT THE WORK, MR. COOLEY NOR HIS COHORTS EVER MISS A BEAT, BUT CRESCENDOS AND DECRESCENDOS LIKE THE HEAVY METAL ORCHESTRA IT IS. EACH NOTE IS PLAYED WITH CONVICTION AND PURPOSE AND GIVES THE EARS AND MIND MUCH TO DIGEST.