Hello, hello and welcome back to the super-amazing music review series that you cannot read anywhere else (At least until Toilet ov Hell cuts me a deal.)
This son of a bitch is Alex Skolnick. You may know him as the former guitarist for Testament. Or as that music guy with the weird white streak in his hair. Or you may not know him at all. But don't worry, by the end of this, you're going to know him really, really, well.
Alex is really good at guitar. Like Dimebag levels of good. He's even played with the Trans Siberian Orchestra. (Remember the singer of Adrenaline Mob? He sang for Trans Siberian Orchestra. They only accept superhuman talent.) He's made everything from world music to jazz fusion. He eventually got bored with metal and formed a jazz group. Alex Skolnick is essentially a musician's musician.
Let me show you what I'm talking about -
The Alex Skolnick Trio mainly specializes in making jazz covers of metal and rock songs. And doing a damn good job at it. If you've ever wanted to jam out to Dio with your snobby jazz enthusiast pals this is the band for you.
Fade to Black
© Palmetto Records
"Dammit James, this is the last time we play Detroit!"
"Damn right, because I'm about to shoot myself right now!"
This cover felt like Fade to Black for the first minute and a half. And then it transitioned into something way more jazzy and hopeful sounding. A more accurate name would be "The Long Hard Struggle to Fade to Black In A Completely Lit Room".
A cover of Fade to Black is only as good as that final guitar solo. And for the way they took the track, I guess it fits. I find it really cool that it becomes a double bass solo instead.
All that said, I just checked and I own six different versions (seven if you count a fan remaster) of this song. So I won't fully review it here. Not yet.
What Do I Think?
I definitely have a soft spot for covers of metal songs that change the genre.
Oh, you know it's coming...
But Alex Skolnick Trio isn't metal at all. They're just flat out jazz. Their covers are so jazzy to the point that if I heard one on the street I wouldn't even know it was a cover. And I'm not really a jazz guy. But my family is. So I guess I've found some kind of compromise.
Wrathchild
© Restless Records
So here's some background on this track. This one is a cover off Numbers From the Beast: An All-Star Tribute to Iron Maiden. Not going to lie this album is mostly the 90's thrash and glam bands everyone slept on and of course Ripper, Dio and Lemmy (because when aren't they there for something like this?)
Wrathchild has the distinction of having former Maiden singer Paul D'ianno on vocals so immediate points for that. Also, Frank Bello is on bass so that's a plus, too.
What can I say? D'ianno sounds better than he did on the original. The guitars sound beautiful. I mean it's almost impossible to play a Maiden song accurately and sound bad. It's Iron Maiden.
The main riff sounds kind of choppy. And some dickhead damn near mixed out the bass. But this isn't Maiden. This is one member of Maiden and five guys who were likely inspired by them. So whatever.
What Do I Think? / Final Verdict
I think they should record an actual all-star tribute to Iron Maiden before everyone gets too old. I mean with Ripper, Rob Halford, Metallica, Anthrax, and Ozzy. And let Steve Harris mix it so the bass doesn't sound like garbage. Paul D'ianno is definitely always down.
Alex Skolnick is an amazing guitarist. But I'm not a jazz guy so I'm not too eager to check out more of his stuff with the trio. And Testament is another story for another day.
Come back next week when we take a look at one of my favorite bands - L.A's All Hail the Yeti!
Alex Skolnick Picture © 2008 Rock House Method
Alex Skolnick Trio Picture © 2018 Palmetto+
All Hail The Yeti © 2013 All Hail The Yeti
No More Nice Guy © 1997 Hip-O Records
Van Picture © 2017 Evan Snyder
Alex Skolnick Trio Picture © 2018 Palmetto+
All Hail The Yeti © 2013 All Hail The Yeti
No More Nice Guy © 1997 Hip-O Records
Van Picture © 2017 Evan Snyder
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