Artist: Mike Campese CD Title: “Vibe” Reviewed by: Nick Martinelli Reviewed: 11/2/2003

Mike Campese is back with another off the wall guitar driven shred manifesto. Campese is a New York native that is no stranger to extreme guitar playing. This shred monster graduated from G.I.T. and has “the skills.” He took a little different direction with this cd as compared to his last one. This one is very neoclassical influenced as compared to his previous fusion ventures. Not only does he lay down some heavy shreds, but he also spotlights his vocal talents on a few songs as well.

Track one “Prelude” is a quick little number under three minutes. Mike trots off into neoclassical blitz with his waltz like lead performance. This song is packed with off the wall speed runs, melodies and bliss.

“Broken” song two is a smooth track with lots of melodic arpeggios and fancy picking. Campese uses plenty complex guitar phrasings that will keep your brain mangled in disarray. The main solo section is amazing! Mike pulls out all the stops, with super melodic speedy runs, arpeggios, blues and beautiful harmonies. What else could you ask for in a solo? After hearing it you’ll get a real good feel for the type of player that Campese is.

Song three “Monkeys” is great tune and is defiantly one of my personal favorites. Beware the digital screams of monkeys, sounds like their hunting you down, as if you were the last banana on earth! The when main verse came in I was a little surprised, because I wasn’t expecting a vocal track from Mike. His voice is great and complements the song. This is a great tune that is filled with plenty of odd guitar licks. “Monkeys” has a Frank Marino vibe to it. I’m not sure if that’s what Mike was going for, but that’s what it reminded me of.

“Zinger” opens with some jazzy percussion followed by some even slicker picking. Campese is on the down low in this one and you can totally fell the fusion/jazz vibe he’s going for. If you’re into intricate songs then check this one out! There are so many cool licks, I wouldn’t know where to start.

“Aries Suite No. 1” is a neoclassical chop fest from hell! The track opens with a strong and mighty orchestral section just like it was taken right out of a Beethoven overture. Then Campese comes in with blazing neo leads that scared the pants right off me. I enjoyed the orchestra trade offs with the guitar, because they complimented each other perfectly and kept a dark and dreary feeling going.

“Out of the Box” is a perfect name for this tune because Mike uses an “outside the box” approach to playing in. Campese jams with a wide variety of styles, ranging from jazz fusion and blues. The main lead break is definitely something to watch out for, because Mike shreds all over the place leaving his listener to wonder what he’ll do next.

“Morphins” is a quick instrumental piece that is driven by melodic keyboards and moody leads. Campese backs of the heat and lets his soul loose. Mike isn’t afraid to let his fingers do the talking for him. Every note was perfectly selected from the pallet. It’s as if his fingers are the brushes and the fretboard is his canvas.

“Tuesday” is the song I’ve been waiting to hear from Mike since his last cd. Why? Because it’s a nylon acoustic number. What makes it even cooler is that it’s a vocal track, so you can’t go wrong with that combination. The guitar has a huge Latin vibe helps build a strong musical front. Mike layers his vocals with harmonies galore creating an atmosphere that is unbelievable. This is definitely my favorite selection from “Vibe.” Along with that, Campese packs plenty of fury in his leads. The lead selection at the end of the song is simply perfect. Nylon stringed guitars have a tone that no other instrument can match and Mike capitalizes on that with his melodic phrasing.

“Vibe,” the title track and brings back the neo shredding we all know and love into the limelight once again. His guitar tone just screams with a nice bend of mild effects. There are plenty of cool licks and fret board acrobats to listen to. Check out the smokin’ shred fest at 02:21. He executes great arpeggio phrases and harmonies. So put this section on loop a few times and try to figure out what exactly he’s doing.

“Silver” song ten, is a bare fingered, clean tone fusion rock masterpiece. Campese pounds through some very complicated chord progressions that are equally matched by his strumming patterns. His leads are very exciting as well, because you get to hear him without any overdrive assistance. Mike is a very clean player, executing every note with the highest of grace.

“Aries Suite No. 2” picks up right where part one left off, accept this one is more upbeat and has that waltz feel to it. After hearing this song my ears were just famished! He has a unbelievable ear for composing mind bending musical pieces. If you’re familiar with Tony MacAlpine, then you’ll know exactly what type of song this is. Classical masters like Yngwie would be impressed with this magnitude of a song. If I didn’t know it was Mike, I would have thought it was an original Mozart or Beethoven piece.

Song twelve “Memories” is a heartfelt vocal song that is accompanied by smooth keyboards and melody drenched guitar. I really enjoyed the fills Campese used in between each vocal passage. They lock into the mood and give it an extra oomph of coolness. Lyrically speaking, this piece will leave a thought filled impression on the listener. Mike’s guitar work was superb as well opting for acoustic again. He always knows what to do at the right time. Its as if he’s reading your mind and composing one step ahead of you. The main lead is ungodly awesome. Campese packs all the soul he can squeeze into it with amazing tonal bends and melodic phrasing.

“The Whip” brings back the high speed shredding into the forefront. Campese begins with a freeform jam that soon leads into some heafty neo-classical romping. Don’t miss the short diminished phrasing during that section, because its very intricate and worth learning.

In the mood for something completely different? Well “Whammy Too” is the song for you! Why you’re asking? Let me tune you into a little gem that is a little know secret among guitar players today. There is a certain pedal made by Digitech that’s called “The Whammy.” Ever dreamed of bending notes 3 octaves higher than your 24th fret? Well that’s what this pedal does. I have one, so why don’t you? Anyways, Campese belts out some of the coolest bends in the business using this scream machine. I’ve heard a lot of players use it, but not the way Campese does. He makes a whole song out of it! I highly recommend buying the cd just for this one alone.

“Aries Suite No. 3”, brings this mighty trilogy to a close. This time Campese’s guitar dominates the airways with bone chilling melodies and movements. His playing is very articulate and clean. Campese doesn’t know the meaning of a sour note! A major highlight was his use the nylon string guitar during the middle section. It really gave it a medieval feeling putting the music into perspective. Shortly after, he brings back in the lead guitar, but opting for a more melodic approach then the straight ahead neo-classical onslaught. Mike still uses harmonic minor, but he focuses on plenty of major sounding movements and runs. As the track closes he brings back the speedier neo-classical chop fests to wow you one final time.

“Guitar Concerto No. 1 in C” sadly brings the cd to a close with a 9 minute and 42 second jam of neo proportions. Without giving the whole song away, I’ll just tell you that Mike struts his stuff through many climatic passages, each one building on the last. Again you’ll get a strong reintroduction into the Mike Campese School of playing. His technique is held in high regard, because he can be soulful and fast at the same time. This song easily ranks on the levels of classical masters like Yngwie, James Byrd and Uli Roth. Mike never takes a back seat ride with his guitar playing and I’m sure you’ll be quick to agree.

In closing, Mike Campese is a modern day classical master. Not only can he play some insane guitar, but he is always a skilled pianist as well. And we thought Tony MacAlpine was the only shredder that could shred on the 88 keys! This cd is a great follow up release from his last instrumental hit “Full Circle.” Mike created a energy packed album when he sat down to record this one. I was overly impressed on all fronts, because he treaded all the water that was there to tread. You’ll get classical, blues, jazz, fusion all in one nicely package cd. I highly recommend this cd to any fan of neo-classical shred and balls to wall melodic playing. Campese’s “Vibe” rocks without a doubt.