Anand plays well-executed, guitar-oriented progressive rock that borders on prog-metal. Without a doubt, this is a guitar album, and Anand is the star of the show. This guy shreds. I suppose that this is mainly from the school of Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and other virtuosic solo players, although I'm not overly familiar with them. Basically, every track is a guitar solo, generally very melodic, with the rest of the group serving a back-up role. I suppose this is good for what it is, but it's really not a style that I'm particularly familiar with or fond of. The album has an extremely slick production, is all instrumental, and everything serves to highlight Anand's soaring guitar melodies.
Unfortunately, most of these songs sound rather similar, without offering
too much individually. They feature some all-out shredding behind some
metallic riffage, but don't often veer into the overly bombastic territory
of straight prog metal. Songs like "Mysterious Ways" have some extraordinary
dynamics, as does the rather beautiful "Far Away", while "What's on a Man's
Mind" introduces a funkier vibe. Of the "proggier" tunes, "Midnight Chaser"
definitely sticks out, with an intertwined guitar rhythm and some great
harmonic tapping. Overall, I think those that would get the most out of this
are fans that are particularly into guitar technique or into Satriani and
Vai and that sort of thing. I find it pretty clichéd myself, and not
particularly complex aside from the guitar playing, but there definitely is
an audience for this, and you know who you are.
