Daniel Montgomery

An incredible collection of musical brilliance, along with a hefty dose of guitar wizardry worthy of the God. John Petrucci pulls out all the stops on this one, absolutely stunning the ears with a collection of progressive metal songs featuring only himself and his compatriot Dream Theater drummer. There are odd time signatures abounding, although always tastefully complementing the music, massive guitar tones, beautiful melodies, otherworldy textures, flawless technique - and that's only the seven minutes of track two, 'Glasgow Kiss.' 'Jaws of Life' begins the album with a palm-muted seven-string riff, which becomes a bleak collection of heavy bottom end and wah-pedaled shredding, intersposed with melodic choruses. 'Glasgow Kiss' relieves the tension with a sort of Petrucci'd Irish folk dance in the major-key, 12/8 time opening riff. After a layered-guitar buildup with multiple 9/8 and 12/8 combinations, the song slows to a beautifully constructed solo over arpeggiated chords, until it returns to the original tempo for a two-minute outro solo. 'Tunnel Vision' continues the happy vibe with a massive finger workout in B, with a bridge/guitar solo including some of the most intense shredding on the album. 'Wishful Thinking' takes everything down a notch, with 10+ guitars layered in pretty melodic figures in a soft/loud verse/chorus structure. Five minutes in, as a genius study in contrasts, all but bass, drums, and one guitar are stripped away for an outro guitar solo that ends with speedy runs defying possibility. 'Damage Control,' perhaps the most progressive song on the record, is next with several mid-tempo metal figures which give way to an ultra-extended jam that reaches for at least six minutes. 'Curve' relieves the listener's ears with a fairly basic riff on E major over which Petrucci improvises on a simple melody, ending with a fade-out tapping run. The only truly slow song, 'Lost Without You,' mixes arpeggiated jazzy chords with expressive guitar soloing, only soothing the minor-key assault on the senses with an interlude halfway through. The closer, 12-minute 'Animate-Inanimate,' features several brilliant and driving riffs on A Mixolydian with harmony guitar shredding over the top, a perfect closer for the album. There is not one weak track out of the eight songs, and the songwriting and production will keep listeners busy for a long period of listening.

Aaron Sprinkle's 'Really Something' extended play is a worthy and interesting addition to his catalog, but is not much more than a glorified single. 'Really Something,' the lead and one of the strongest tracks off Bareface, is set out twice, in its original form and in a stripped-down acoustic mix. Perhaps the B-side of the track is 'The Patron,' a Beatlesy song with an anthemic chorus, that yet does not stray from the bounds of alternative/indie rock that is Sprinkle's forte by virtue of his dynamic voice and careful production. While the rest of the songs are 'filler' that didn't make it on to the final cut of Bareface, they are still interesting. 'A Letter to Elise' has an almost country honk to the guitars, but the familiar chord pattern is tweaked enough that it seems original, and the bridge (one of Sprinkle's strong points) is a great piece of songwriting. The remaining two are even more stripped down, 'See it in Me' being a interesting study in acoustic guitar work and 'All that's Left of Me' taking the stage as a slightly drone-y strummer. All in all, the Really Something EP is both a good complement to Bareface and a strong, exemplary collection of Aaron Sprinkle's various indie-rock styles and production skills.