Ethan Brosh - Live The Dream

Ethan Brosh is an amazing new guitar talent that is more than the sum of his parts - or should I say shrapnel?The heyday of instrumental guitar rock in the late 80s, burned into the popular consciousness by Joe Satriani's Surfing With The Alien, saw its best and brightest over at Mike Varney's Shrapnel Records. Like all things, the passage of time has dulled the edge a bit as the public's musical tastes wandered, but thankfully there are artists that carry the torch of the venerable virtuoso musician bringing his skill and prowess to audiences looking to be dazzled. I happen to be one of those people always on the lookout for a new instrumental thrill, which leads me to the latest from Ethan Brosh.

Growing up in Israel, Ethan began learning guitar - his parents insisting on classical music at first - at an early age, developing enough skill and technique that it earned him a scholarship at Berklee. Since then, he's released his debut on Varney's Magna Carta Records and has now finished his follow-up Live The Dream. Ethan's latest disc is chock full of the things us guitar lovers crave: incredible speed and dexterity wrapped up with flashy technique that never loses sight of a good melody or the overall sense of the song. And speaking of technique, Ethan's playing shows a great diversity of influences that spans the years of great instrumental guitar rock that's come before.

As for the album's highlights, it all begins with the grand, energetic Shawn Lane-style phrasing of the fusiony title track.  I was then really impressed with the Malmsteenish baroque shred that broke into something like Darren Householder's swing-meets-metal groove on Bottomless Pit.  Knock On Wood is a great tapping extravaganza all played with the guitar on Ethan's lap. Space Invaders is a straight ahead pedal to the metal track that rocks along into another of those wonderful, sophisticated bits of fusiony phrasing (1:15-1:27) I really enjoy. The impressive Suspicious Exchange reminded me of Eric Johnson's contemplative, flamenco-tinged Desert Song but ups the game by skillfully blending nylon-stringed acoustic guitar with some distorted electric soloing (something like Marc Bonilla's American Matador). And mention must be made of Ethan's great take on Led Zeppelin, Up the Stairway, an impressive homage to Stanley Jordan's amazing reinventions of classic songs like Eleanor Rigby. Lastly, When Picks Fly is a fun chicken-pickin'-meets-hard-rock style piece that recalls the work of Michael Lee Firkins or Zakk Wylde's Farm Fiddlin'. All in all, this is a great album full of diversity and character and I can't recommend it enough. By the way, if you get a chance to see him and his band Burning Heat, check them out.

The Bottom Line: Ethan Brosh is an impressive guitarist that skillfully blends the best of the amazing techniques heard from the instrumental guitar gods that have come before him into his own unique style. I really look forward to hearing more from this guy. Shredheads, go get this album.

Tracks to Make You Feel Guilty About Not Practicing: Live The Dream, Space Invaders, Suspicious Exchange, and Up The Stairway

- Genghis really does want to brush up on his guitar playing...