Andy James

With great talent comes great responsibility, especially when one decides they're going to break the laws of music. Andy James pulls off the ability to cram many instrumental takes that hone the styles of multiple metal sub-genres. Primarily combining power metal, melodic death-type riffs, and (sadly) deathcore, this opens the door for a handful of listeners to enjoy, from all across the dark rainbow spectrum of metalheads.

Admittedly, I was a tad bit disappointed when I first dove into this, because the earlier tracks take root in deathcore for the most part. Yes, the lead shred parts are pretty amazing, and yes there is a large amount of talent displayed. But playing above a rhythm section composed only of deep chugging of the same note greatly limits the possibilities, and these tracks become boring quite fast. Thankfully, "The Storm" saves the day, approaching with a forced entry of speed metal riffs and a far better rhythm section. Primarily, most of the lead guitars are done in the style of a power metal band, and this reigns over the majority of the tracks on this record. He toys with this on "Into The Void" by adding a hint of sad emotion to this, producing something very epic, and indeed more interesting. Conveying different moods like this strictly through the use of guitars is something that not many can do, so these tracks certainly deserve some level of recognition.

Don't think that it's all about speed and power, because slower missions are conquered on this, mostly on the second half of it, but not exclusively. "What Lies Beneath" sounds like the music to a slower Bullet For My Valentine song, bringing back some of the core element, but driving it home a little more smoothly. Other tracks like "Separation" will give off a calmer vibe than that, utilizing cleaner distortions in the rhythm section and bringing back the intensity level in the lead guitar to settle it down. Some of these tend to overdo it though, and run out of actual material that was meant for the song. "Gateways" certainly needs some trimming, as it starts to sound like improve around the halfway mark. Since this was clearly meant to focus on the guitar, attacking the drum work in depth would be rather minuscule, but long story short, they don't match up with the guitars, and mostly serve the purpose of keeping the beat.

When push comes to shove, Andy James's self titled record is certainly masterful, and it may seem like it's being critiqued too hard, but there is a lot of trimming that could be done. Also, the deathcore usage is a turn-off, but to appeal to many crowds, I guess he's gotta hit many points. What it boils down to is crazy melodies and shredding like hell. Variety and good structure are the key here, and if you have an ear for this type of thing, give it a whirl!