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The solo career of Aussie guitar virtuoso Plini is impressive to say the least: worldwide tours; big-name collabs with Periphery, Novelists, and Tesseract to name but a few; and now his eighth extended play.
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Though I’d like to think Plini’s smooth, Satriani-inspired style is resplendent and clear as a bell*, the impression I get of The Red Fox is a pastoral scene bathed in dappled light beaming on to lush grass and playful animals, all whipped up by Plini’s soulful yet gentle runs across his fretboard.
It seems the order of the day on this EP is introspection and calm, Five Days of Rain echoing Devin Townsend‘s Ghost or Pain of Salvation‘s more stripped back affairs where the guitar does the talking, wondering, and dreaming. Crunch does a slight return in Still Life, another mid-tempo offering relaxed and spacious sounds, ripe for lazy summer nights talking nonsense over a couple of cold ones.
A fan of hot fingered guitar? This EP is a no-brainer.
Aqua Vista could do well on radio – well, if there’s a radio station that still plays anything harder than Coldplay – stretched to the limit with languid licks and mind-bogglingly fast fret-runs, bass and drums burbling serenely underneath as Plini does his prog rock thing. Ember is the fourteen-minute knockout that Plini (and prog metal) fans will be talking about; a heady blend of strung-out riffs and tasty morsels of djenty goodness. Tosin Abasi from Animals As Leaders also guest shreds at some point; but I’d be damned if I know where. Plini’s brand is has guitar, will tour and blow minds; though some of the lighter fare seems a bit samey and safe. A little, “I’ve heard this all before.” When he lets fly, Plini stands eye to eye with his contemporaries; and perhaps even his unacknowledged mentors like the Satch and Steve Vai. One can’t deny his talent, that’s for sure. A fan of hot fingered guitar? This EP is a no-brainer.
STANDOUT TRACKS: The Red Fox, Aqua Vista, Embers
STICK THIS NEXT TO: Joe Satriani, Freak Kitchen, Animals As Leaders