Lars Eric Mattsson	Website:	www.LarsEricMattsson.com
	Genre(s):	Melodic Rock, Classically Influenced Hard Rock, Progressive Metal
	Instrument(s):	Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
	Trademark(s):
	Album(s):	BeyondInspiration
	Collaborations:
Translate This Page To: Deutsche Francaise Espanol Italiana Português Russian Chinese Korean

Lars Eric Mattsson heads up a slew of international melodic rock all-stars including premium axemen Rolf Munkes, Alex Masi, James Byrd, Cyril Achard, Tony Hernando, Neal Grusky, Torben Enevoldsen, Chris Steberl, Thorbjorn Englund, William Stravato, Paul Nelson, and Petrossi Dushan on this tribute to the founder of the melodic rock genre, the original innovator of classically influence rock, and the present day, undisputed master of sound and the Sky Guitar, Uli Jon Roth. The humbling lineup of talent on this effort does not disappoint, delivering an unbelievably inspired tribute to Uli that clearly conveys the strength of the impact Uli's influence has had on two successive generations of guitarists that followed him into the annals of rock and progressive music. The album is a retrospective journey through Uli's melodic rock works spanning the 70s and 80s Scorpions / Electric Sun era, ending with a piece by Paginini that marks the beginning of the Sky Guitar era of Uli's reinvention into the modern era of virtuosic guitar.

The album blasts off with Uli's highly-charged "Electric Sun" from the boundary-stretching album of the same name. Chris Steberl's soaring guitar work establishes the standard for the tribute with a superb interpretation of the original complete with near exact immitation of Uli grinding riffs, grooving rhythms and towering lead work with some variation accounted for by his own creativity. Joop Wolters steps up next on guitar with the Norse warrior call to arms, "Sails of Charon" with a mesmerizing version of the pulsing rhythm and groove of this hard rock predecessor to Yngwie's Viking lore. Lance King delivers a fantastic vocal effort on this track that captures the war-hardened spirit of early metal days. Accompanied by Mattsson on guitar, Ella Grussner follows King's vocals with a tastefully unique, contrasting, female-voiced rendition of "I'll Be Loving You Always" that gives way to Mattson's heart-felt, singeingly melodic leadwork that clearly captures the qualities of Uli's depth in his playing. Mattson's absorption of the signature Uli stylisms and inflections is impressive, once more bringing to light the intricacies and emotional depth continuously imparted by Uli to his leadwork time and time again. Texas-based axe-slinger, Tony Hernando, cranks out a surprisingly powerful rendition of the UJR classic, "Firewind" that is complemented by the strong vocals of Torgny Stjarnfelt. Hernando opens the throttle wide open on his climactic lead that blasts out an overwhelming barrage of blistering leadwork deploying an array of Uli-ish tones. Tony's phenomenal leads on "Firewind" ups the anty for the match.

Rolf Munkes steps on stage for a verbatim rendition of "Dark Lady" that clearly announces his deep roots in Uli influence with the seamlessly fluid interpretation he sets down on this track. Lance King again delivers a powerhouse vocal effort on this track. Next up on guitar, Petrossi Dushan slows it down on a notch on "Yellow Raven" that features the lyrical vocals Alf Wemmenlind. Petrossi wails out a heart-felt lead on this track that is rich in patented Uli stylisms. "Burning Wheel Turning" is next on the agenda with Torben Enevoldsen on guitar and Lance King again on vocals. Enevoldsen delivers an outstanding performance on this track with speedy, thundering staccato runs laden with triplets, searing melody lines, and near-flawless reproduction of Uli's diverse tones and complex chordal voicings. Creator of the heavily UJR influenced, "Son of Man", James Byrd, throws the guitar on for the tribute rendition of the Uli classic "Still So Many Lives Away". As expected from his phenomenal guitar work on "Son of Man", Byrd again delivers an emotionally charged, spiritual performance on this effort that raises the hair on your neck. Accompanying vocalist Lance King on guitar, Cyril Aachard takes the spotlight on guitar for another Uli favorite, "I'll Be There". Aachard's superb leadwork on this track articulate the classically influenced and staccato driven, intensive development, soaring themes, and breathtaking changes that Uli designed for this now legendary arrangement that was the original inspiration for the neoclassical genre that was to follow steeped in the techniques defined within this composition. "Indian Dawn" ensues with King again on vocals, this time supported by Thorbjorn Englund on guitar and Gerald Kloos on skins. The trio nailed this one with another precise reproduction of another Uli classic. Englund takes a little liberty on the leadwork, though the conveyance of the diverse Uli-like emotional content marks the lead guitar efforts on this track. Torgny Stjarfelt belts out powerful vocals on the signature, early era Scorpions classic, "Pictured Life", with brother in guitar arms Neal Grusky running a gauntlet of blistering Uli runs on this assaulting landmark classic of 70's hard rock.

William Stravato and Alex Masi team up on guitar and trade off on leads for the introspective "Return". Stravato takes the first lead that and Masi follows with nostalgic, star gazing leadwork reminiscent of Bellas and Hess. Next on the guitarist venue, Eric Sands pairs up with Alf Wemmenlind on vocals, Ian Hagland on drums, an Weine Johansson on bass for the tribute original "Polar Nights" that is crafted in the traditions of UJR's shifting compositional style that incorporates diverse guitar texturings including wah-wah effects, saturated tones, and Hendrix-like rhythms. Paul Nelson closes out the tribute with an arrangement based upon Uli's interpretation of the Paginini masterpiece, The 24 Caprices, that opens with the towering A minor arpeggios and chromatic runs that give the piece its demonic character that is so often associated with Paganini. This piece closes on a note that leaves the tribute hanging at the start of Uli's modern Sky Guitar era.

Fans of UJR will most certainly enjoy this retrospective journey through Uli's melodic rock years focusing on the Electric Sun sessions that forever changed the soundscape of rock music with his lyrical melodies, innovative patterns, original sequences, signature melodic stylisms, and unprecedented expressionism. There were two things that were indellibly impressed upon me most about this album in listening to the immense impact that UJR had on the musicians on this album and the converse fueling of inspiration that drove these musicians from Uli's music. First, it was striking how deeply UJR's playing and music influenced two successive generations of guitarists, many of whom are great guitarists in their own right, all having the common thread of driving motivation and influence that is connected to Uli. Second, the interpretations of Uli's music put forth on this album bring to light the genius in Uli's inspired playing, ground-breaking composition, and emotional projection in a way that made me reevaluate the music that I have long since absorbed, catalogued in my mind, and shelved. The original, uplifting progressions, breath-taking changes, lyrical inflections of the thematic lines, and unprecedented emotional projection all came to life and drove these points home on this album. The album was a welcomed revival of UJR's contributions to modern progressive music that brought to light the rareness of Uli's renaissance-like innovation, intangible spirituality, and phenomenal technique that has defined the modern era of electric guitar with the many branches of rock influenced music that have borrowed and built upon his chops.

Notwithstanding the tremendous efforts and inspired results produced by the musicians that were assembled on this album to honor Uli's great talents, the single criticism, or really suggestion, I would offer concerning this CD is concerning the conspicuous absence of several of Uli's most famous and prolific disciples that spawned the neoclassical movement from directions largely derived from his works. Considering that this first tribute spans the classically-influenced melodic rock era that inspired the neoclassical pioneers, I would suggest that it would be appropriate that the second tribute that covers Uli's later Sky Guitar and neo-renaissance classical revival era should consider inclusion of his most famous, towering neoclassical disciples such as Yngwie, Marty, Vinnie, MacAlpine, Bellas, Romeo, Mitic, and maybe even Kuprij in the lineup, possibly with return appearances by those who contributed to this effort, as well. This second tribute could pick up where this first tribute leaves off at the start of the Sky Guitar era that has included some of Uli's most impressive guitar work that has re-established him as an undisputed virtuoso and a brilliant musical pioneer. In the course of my reviews in discussing influences with many of the modern greats of electric guitar, I have been repeatedly struck by how many of the modern greats quietly (as though with great respect and humility) reference UJR as a major influence. What I have discovered in these discussions is that his influence goes far beyond melodic rock and neoclassical into other styles and genres where his influences are not as obviously apparent.

All things considered and my views in this review taken for their worth, in the end there is only one opinion that matters concerning this tribute and the last word is left to the innovator of classically-influenced melodic rock, definitive source of modern guitar technique, and master of sound as a medium for emotional projection who is honored by this superb tribute...

Copyright 2001 - 2006 Christopher Ruel. All Rights Reserved. www.ChrisRuel.com