Geoff Tyson
Drinks With Infinity

Tyson is said to be taught by Satriani himself, taught by Satriani himself is taken from the mail I got with this album – is that a good thing? Is Satriani a skilled teacher? He is a good guitarist, as is Tyson who has drinks with infinity. I think the cover looks pretty dull, not worked through infinity to get to what it is, or maybe it is overworked. So, what about the music?

Guitar driven music with clear focus on the skills of the guitar playing, perhaps more that than on the actual songs. There are some fresh ideas, but it is mostly things we recognise from other guitar albums, like something from Vai, Yngwie, Satriani, to name the more famous ones. There aren’t too many surprises and the album tend to feel a bit static, monotone towards the end. Perhaps a little unvaried, but I think the main reason for this is the lack of dynamics through the album, that makes it appear a little bit static despite variation.

I think this album is pretty good, the songs work well, and it is nice to listen to. Tyson is clearly a skilled guitarist and good producer, a fine craftsman. There are strong and catchy elements, but also some monotonous elements and a sense of a pretty static album that maybe should have been shorter, or more dynamic. The album is good, but that little extra is missing, that touch that makes a good album great. That touch that captivates the listener and makes you stop and listen instead of just letting it play in the background partly unnoticed.

If you like guitar driven instrumental music there is a good chance that you will like this one, Tyson clearly has some skill and some decent ideas that might be seen as more than decent by fans of the genre. So, if you like Satriani or Vai I think it is an album to check out, but at the same time it isn’t the most memorable album and I think that it is one that you will forget pretty soon.

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