Artist: Mattson CD Title: "Another Dimension" Reviewed by: Nick Martinelli Reviewed: 3/2/2001

  Powerful, moving, melodic, progressive,  and and over the wall impressive guitar playing are just a few words to describe this stellar in your face guitar driven metal release!   That's even  an understatement to the skill of this Euro guitarist!  I just got this CD in the mail from Lion Music and I was totally blown away!  If your a fan of the Neo-Classical / Progressive Metal Genre or not you'll really love this CD.  Don't get me wrong this isn't a straight Neo release either, its just that it has lots of Neo-Classical touches to it. 
"Another Dimension is also packed with shred and balls wall guitar playing.  That's the first thing you'll notice about Lars Eric Mattsson, his playing style is massive!  Whether its a million notes per second, soulful melodic solos, or down and dirty metal riffing, this guy delivers the goods!  If your a guitarist please do you playing a favor and buy it!  Even if your not, this CD was made for the true metal fan at heart.  Great lyrics and song writing and lots of catchy lyrics.  Not to mention the sound quality and mix of this CD is absolutely killer.  Not many guitarists can handle the production and mixing as well as this guy does.  All instruments are clear and loud.  I hope you enjoy this CD just as much as I did reviewing.  Its worth every cent!  On with the goods...

     Track one "Hell" is a great name for this song because this song was written in the utter depths of the pit of fire!  Great guitar work, I love the main riff of the song, it drives onward through out the whole track.  Giving lots of power and mass.  Also pay attention to all the runs and fill in riffs through out the song.  Great vocals Bjorn's vocal have really developed though the past few releases and is stronger than ever.  1:55 begins the main lead section, and what can I say but IT SMOKES!  The lead lines just flow together so well.  Lots of classical flare added in.  Then the second part of the solo chimes in at 2:24, and Lars shows how melodic he can be with a series of bends an melodic phrases and a great climbing line at 2:41 - 2:46.  I also love how the song breaks it self up with some great clean sounding keyboards / guitars.  It really helps to move the song around to different parts. 

     "Crash and Burn" track two opens with a cool slow riff, with some great keyboard backings.  I really enjoyed this song, it a medium speed song.  Lots of walking guitar lines are played through out the whole song.  Which really makes this song stand out from the others.  This is one thing the Mattsson does a lot, he uses lots of climbs and walking lines.  The lyrics in this song a cool too, very catchy.  2:13 marks the staring point of the main lead of the song.  This one is slower paced, focusing on great feel and soul.  With bits of shred tossed in every so often.  Its very melodic and will defiantly catch your attention, and keep it.  I also like how Mattsson uses the keyboards to accent different parts of the song.  Again at 3:58 breaks another slow paced solo, with plenty of bends and feel.  This one really creeps up inside you.  His lead tone is just so smooth and clean.  No bad notes, and he uses a great blend of effects to get this super sweet sounding tone.

     "Don't Chain My Mind" track three is a pounding guitar driven song that will tear down the walls with screaming leads and powerful vocals.  The guitar just carries so well in this song.  Can we say start head banging right now!  Great mix of instruments on this one, the keyboards help create a massive wall of sound.   Listen for Lars's cool climbs all over the song.  His guitar tone in this song is really pounding,  I think I can feel those Marshall speakers vibrating right next to my head!  Nice keyboard solo at 2:41, Mattsson's keyboard playing sounds as great as his guitar work.  Its very melodic and smooth.  3:17 unleashes the guitar onslaught from hell.  Can we say shred?  One off my favorite solos on the CD period.  It moves very fast and has some great licks all over the place.  My favorite is at 3:40, some slides with tons of effects that give it a spacey sound.  Bjorn Lordin's vocals are awesome on this track, very powerful.  The drum work really rock in this song as well. Eddie Sledgehammer has got some talented feet!

     Track four "Angel Blue" is the first solo song on the CD.  Lots of classical elements through out the track.  You even get a taste of citar in this track.  This song has a big middle Eastern vibe to it.  The violin accents are a nice touch as well in this one.   2:22 begins the first solo, in Harmonic Minor.  Its slower paced and very accented.  He selects some great passages for this one.  Don't forget to check out the cool violin solo at 3:48 that ends the song.

     "Burn the Witch" track five begins with a nice nylon string guitar intro.  Is has a eerie almost dream like state sound to it.  Then comes in the massive guitar.  This song is at a medium tempo.  Cool clean guitar lines are tossed in every so often.  You just gotta love the lyrics in this track as well, to cool!  This track really lays down a killer groove, a slow banger if you will.  2:44 breaks out a cool 70' ish Hammond organ line by Par Lindh (Guest keyboardist), something out of and old Rainbow CD, I'd say.  Then Mattsson hits you with another slower melodic solo that has some great speed breaks and impressive licks.  He really pays attention to the smallest details.  I really love the part from 4:04 - 4:27 where the guitar lines are muted and doubled playing in harmony with each other.  Kind of Helloween like.  5:11 marks another great keyboard solo spot by Par Lindh ; this one being slow, but really paying attention to the whole mood of the song.

     "Burning in My Soul" track six begins with a hard hitting Metal guitar riff accompanied by keyboards.  We even get a killer guitar solo at 00:08.  This song really caries and has a power metal vibe to it.  Showing that Mattsson has all realms of Heavy Metal guitar covered!  Cool lyrics in this one to, Lodin's voice really makes this track stand out.  Like said before, I think this is his best vocal display yet with Mattsson, his voice has really evolved into a huge presence.  Check out the chop fest at 2:30, gotta love that shred. Rob Johnson (Guest Guitarists) uses the bridge pickup for this one and it really smokes.  Some super fast arpeggios at 2:56 buy our buddy Lars.  Then some rocking descending likes at 3:03.  The rest of the solo is a shred fest from hell.  Lars and Rob do trade of leads in this and it is just amazing, the speed and cleanliness of the runs!

     Track seven "Don't Lose Your Patience" is a nice break from the rest of the CD.  Its a slow paced track with lots of emotion and feel to it.  Try out the soul packed solo at 2:38 nothing but excellence.  See if you can pick out the pentatonic lines he uses.  This song is also packed with Mattsson's signature fills, be sure to listen closely for them.  There's lots!  Its also nice hear his blend of minor and pentatonic lead work combined together, they fit so well.

     Track eight "Another Dimension" is Mattsson's version of a Dream Theater epic song packed with keyboard and guitar doubled lines.  This song smokes, its a great instrumental song.  You get your repeating licks in this one as well.  Lars's really displays his technique in the song covering many modal movements.  His guitar tone is great and does slightly change depending on the line.  Please check out the trade off / doubling of keys and guitar beginning at 3:30 with the most evil guitar riff on the CD.  Look out DT, because Lars can do the progressive deal very well!  I also really like Mattsson's use of the WAH pedal to accent his playing, its not over done, and just adds a nice flavor to the pot of leads. 

     "Road To Babylon" track nine starts off with a kick butt metal jam riff with a tasteful pentatonic intro lead.  Then the song gets a darker feel accenting on the Harmonic Minor scale, take full use of the leading tones and the raised notes.  Cool lyrics in this song as well Bjorn again delivers a mass of vocals in this one.  Check out the cool descending hammer On Pull of lick at 2:26.  This lead section really rocks.  Lars packs so many great sounding lines and runs into it.  Also listen to the short WAH section at 2:51.    

     "In Both Ends" track ten starts with a slow jam riff backed by some cool backing keyboards.  This song also has those signature walking guitar lines in it.  This is one thing that really helps separate Lars Eric Mattsson from other guitarists, because not many do this.  They tend to stick with more straight ahead guitar lines.  Lars isn't afraid to stray from the guitar norms and try something different.  Cool long keyboard solo at 2:10, its a slow paced one, emphasizing the notes a lots as they go.  The backing drums in this part really help the keys move, they both lock together.  Lars's leads 2:45 are really soulful, with a taste of Pentatonic thrown in.  Again, the drums really help to add a solid back beat to this song.  Lots of cool lead breaks through out the song and defiantly take some time to learn some of the backing riffs to this song, their great.  

     "Save Our Soul" track eleven is a atmospheric sounding song.  Great vocals and backing section really help develop the theme of this song.  The keyboard adds in a very airy sound to the song.  Lars does some cool clean guitar work in this one.  Also, pay attention to the keyboards through out the track, you'll get to hear Par Lindh (Guest keyboardist) do some arpeggios on the keyboard!  I really like the last lead section starting at 4:19 that accompanies the female vocal lines.  Then Lars goes nuts with some mega shredding. Go Lars!

     Track twelve "Memory Lane" is another slow work of art.  Very, very melodic.  The keys and guitars really lock together in harmony with each other, giving the song smooth and sweet sound.  This track really brings a calm mood onto the listener.  Mattsson has a great ability to suck the listener into his songs, clearing your mind from everything, but the feeling of the song.  Not many guitarists can do this successfully.  They usually start off going great, but then lose you somewhere along the way, but Lars's keeps you sucked in dying for the next note.  I really like the restating guitar line that pops in through out the song.  Also check out the outro leads there a little softer sounding than his normal but they rock!

     Track thirteen "Wait for the Angels"  begins with Par Lindh's Hammond organ playing which starts of nicely.  These lines pop in many times through out the song.  Also, Bjorn Lodin's voice is  varied in this song.  He goes from soulful to the  mild metal voice.  He really knows how to hit a nice variety of pitches.  This is my favorite vocal track on the CD.  Bjorn's voice really stands out.  Lars uses lots of his walking guitar lines in this song again.  This track is also packed with some great lead lines, check out this outro section starting at 4:24, I love it!  Lots of start and stop breaks.

     Finally "Cry No More" song fourteen begins with a WAH infested jam riff.  This song reminds me of a Eric Clapton (electric style) meets Reggae with a bit of metal thrown in.  Its hard to explain, but after hearing the intro and the main guitar line you will know what I am talking about.  Again Bjorn Lodin, shows off some more of his vocal range on this one.  I'm really starting to like his style of singing, he has really grown on me.  2:07 marks the beginning of the coolest lead section of this song.  I really get a Eric Clapton feel from it, meaning the leads lines flow together with a great groove.  What's really cool is how Mattsson tosses in the Metal chorus lines.  This song is defiantly a great track to end with.  Its a killer jam from start to finish.  Surprise!  There's even a saxophone solo near the end at 4:05, bet you didn't expect that one.  

     Well what else is there to say, but this CD just plain rocks!!!  Mattsson covers a lot of guitar ground here.  From classic rock to metal, we get it all.  This CD was so well put together its not even funny.  Lars has a great song writing ability, thank god he is sharing it with us all.  The songs never get boring, they always keep your attention.  If your one of those tone monsters get ready to be blown away by this guys guitar sound.  Its simply ear pleasing.  Mattsson uses a lot of bridge pickup  when he does his shred lines, more than most normal guys in his genre that's for sure.  Again, the sound quality on this CD is amazing.  Its very crisp and clear, no sour sound or buried instrument tracks.  I can't wait to get my hands on another release from this shred monster.  I have a feeling it won't be that long!  

     So please go check out this release from the stellar guitar god Lars Eric Mattsson, he's nothing like you've heard before!  Whether its metal, rock, progressive, pentatonics, or classical you'll simply fall in love with Mattsson's guitar playing as I have.  I really enjoyed writing the review for this album because I can really appreciate the caliber of this guitarist, ones like him really make on going contributions to the guitar playing world.  Without them we would not grow as guitar players ourselves!  Cheers...