Steve Vai - Inviolate
Updated: 2 days ago
"Inviolate" is guitar legend Steve Vai's tenth solo album, released on January 28, 2022 on the Mascot label.
This is Steve Vai's first since "Modern Primitive", released in 2016. Vai first came to prominence in the early 1980s as Frank Zappa's guitarist, went on to play with David Lee Roth and with "Whitesnake" (on 1989's "Slip of the Tongue"), and his 1990 album "Passion and Warfare" is considered one of the most influential guitar albums of all time.
It's insane, but what you hear on this album is played by Steve Vai after recovering from shoulder surgery and after tearing a tendon. Do not believe? See for yourself what Steve does in "Knappsack" and you will realize that the man is simply a deadly and unstoppable machine.
The album features musicians at the highest level, each in his own field: Billy Sheehan, Philip Bynoe, Jeremy Colson, Vinnie Colaiuta, Terry Bozzio, Henrik Linder and Bryan Beller.
Steve Vai noted that this is the first time he is recording an album when his band members and guest musicians are not together in the same studio. The situation forced him to work using the "file sharing" method. He sent excerpts to his band members and featured artists and they added their own instruments to them.
The virtuoso guitarist noted that he took advantage of the Covid-19 lockdowns to specialize in playing and experimenting with new and challenging techniques. The result can be heard in excerpts like "Candle Power", "Knappsack" and "Teeth of the Hydra" which Steve Vai claims was the most challenging.
Vai did not only played with new techniques, but also new equipment. Vai is known for in the developments and additions to his guitars, so this time it is a triple-necked guitar he designed, named "The Hydra", and on which he plays in the opening section "Teeth Of The Hydra".
We also do not remember seeing Vai play a hollow-body Gretsch, but that is what he does in the crazy piece "Little Pretty", where the weird chords and Vai's playing reminded us a bit of Robert Fripp's (and not just because of the type of guitar).
This album is diverse and full of musical styles. The Blues of "Greenish Blues", the Jazz influences in "Sandman Cloud Mist", the Prog-Metal of "Avalancha" and the crazy Fusion of "Apollo In Color".
Steve also noted that some of the tracks will sound to us like songs and not instrumental, well, indeed "Zeus In Chains" is one of them.
There is no doubt that guitarists and shred lovers will enjoy this album, and so will others. Guitar World readers ranked it the third best guitar album of 2022.
For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music
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