Some people have just got it. In music (as well as other fields of course), there are some people who can seemingly do it all, play multiple instruments at a high proficiency, write great songs, record, produce, mix, master and all the rest. These people bring out mixed feelings in the rest of us mere mortals: we are jealous and angry at them for being so prodigiously talented, and you can’t help but stand back and admire their work, especially when one such individual channels his talents and energies into creating riveting, soaring, progressive djent orientated instrumental metal.
That man in this case goes by the name of Paul Ortiz, and what’s more he does it all from his own home in Colchester in England (and apparently also composes movie, TV and video game soundtrack). Can he sing as well? I bet he can’t! ;-)
Ortiz releases his instrumental works under the name Chimp Spanner, and he has two previous, full length album releases already under his belt. Both are mature, superbly written and realized pieces of instrumental metal, and All Roads Lead Here, a six track EP, takes over where 2009’s At The Dream’s Edge left off. It’s the theatrical and melodic sensibilities that set him apart from other bands/artists ploughing similar musical terrain. He obviously draws upon his extensive knowledge of soundtrack composition to give his pieces that dramatic and grandiose edge, and consequently his songs soar to the heavens and lift the spirits at the same time as display blinding technical wizardry.
That’s not to say all of his works sound like cheesy soundtracks to movies like Top Gun. He gets heavy and twisted when the mood takes him as well. He gives fans of Meshuggah and Periphery something to sink their teeth into, and since he has now apparently put a live band around himself, hopefully we will get to see it done in a live setting in its full glory at some stage soon.
Even further to this, he knows when to get a little funky (Cloud City), and has a beautiful sense of ambience and dynamics to break up the bombast as well. This bloke can just about do it all.
My only complaint with All Roads Lead Here is that a six track EP is simply not enough, especially after two previous full length releases. But at this point I just can’t stop listening to it. A very early candidate for my best releases of 2012, this EP is a progressive metal guitar lover’s wet dream.
