[http://www.theshredzone.com]
[http://www.gondolin.aplus.pl]
Review by JJ Fila from www.gondolin.aplus.pl (from Poland) may 06 (the original is in Polish) It's been some time since Jill Yan sent me this CD from not so far Switzerland. I've written "not so far" because when I think about some crazy and remote places from which we receive the CDs, Switzerland seems to be as close as a nearest village ;). There's been some time since I've posted a review of the instrumental CD of lesser known guitarist. So, you asked for it! Jill Yan and his "B4" album. There are three of them. Jill Yan (the one who causes evil and confusion;), Franz (behind the drumkit) and Ivan (the one who responsible for the low tones). 10 tracks, an hour of music. What music? Well, I was a bit surprised when I heard heavy and downtuned riffs which reminded me of some popular bands from the MTV, than an instrumental, guitar album. But as it seems, it was just an intro to the whole. How's the whole? We've got lots of very spacy playing. The albums sometimes sounds a bit like fusion music, so the degree of complexity of this music is higher than in an average rock band. There are some synths here and there, but they're kept in the background, and don't overreact with guitars. I like the sound of bass. Nice mix, great sound, interesting stuff. There's rather no place for ultra-speed shredding. We've got very complex playing with sound. Some harmonized parts remind me of Vai. There are some nice chugging riffs and rhythm parts. Big plus for keeping it all alive! We've got drums, bass and guitars all played by human beings. The electronic sounds are well balanced. There are some synths, but that's all. They fill the spaces very well. Thanks to them we've got a little bit of jazzy atmosphere here and there. They remind me of Jimi Tenor. Lazy, a bit synthetic synths and solo guitar. Very well stylisticaly balanced album! I like it, really! Perhaps it's more like a background music, but there are many intriguing parts here. Sometimes it's more heavy (riffs!), sometimes more jazzy. Very solid release. I think that it would satisfy both - the people listening Aghora, Cynic or Canvas Solaris, and the enthusiasts of intelligent guitar work, not spoiled by the neoclassical playing. (Points : 8/10)
[Web Creator] [LMSOFT]