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blistur greatest hits
album review
by rick grant
rickgrant01@comcast.net

Artist:
Blistur

Title:
Greatest Hits Vol II

Release Date:
 08.31.07


      The last time I crossed paths with Blistur was at the Sun Dog about six months ago. At the time, the modern rock band was recording its much anticipated new CD Greatest Hits Vol II in Atlanta. I was impressed with the group’s mostly original songs, which meld modern rock with nouveau acid rock, cleverly arranged with the heavy guitar overload. This power trio stitches together many rock genres into its hell-hath-no-fury sound.
      Now I have a copy of the CD and after listening to it–all 19 cuts– it exceeded my wildest expectations. It is one of the most impressive modern rock debuts in recent memory. The record is intelligently mixed with every nuance of the trio’s exemplary musicianship carefully injected into the spectrum. In other words, I could hear every sound on the CD, which includes Neal Gupton’s exceptional drumming, Chris Killam’s wall-of-sound guitar work, and Bart Hammond’s thunderous bass playing alongside the group’s perfectly mixed vocals. Amazingly, I could hear every word of the lyrics.
      The new CD features some showcase songs like ‘Mary Jane.’ “All I ever dream of is you..you are part of me” with an nice acoustic bridge that segues into the heavy guitar overdrive “So glad to be part of you.” ‘You’re a Hard Act to Follow’ has a Frank Zappa-esque break that drifts into a ballsy guitar suite.
      ‘Religion Is Sin’ pulsates with many changes in rhythm and mood, allowing for an extended guitar solo and, more significantly, Neal’s showcase drumming. Man this dude has bull chops. ‘See You Smile’ is written as a ballad that evolves into a burner. “To see you smile is the only thing I’ll ever need.” It’s a classy anthem with the obligatory heavy guitar that breaks up the gushing sentimentality. It’s like revving your Harley in front of your girlfriend’s window while singing her a love song.
      Diversity of sound is the focus of this work, in that, it has fusion changes with the Marshall guitar sound used as a form of heavy percussion with room for single note solos, which harkens back to classic rock. However it never loses its modern rock overview.
      The CD is strangely satisfying because of the way the heavy guitar sound comes in like a thunderstorm. A long rumbling growl comes on strong just when a song is teetering on sentimentality. Bang zoom, the guitar blasts that notion to bits. The work has elements which are reminiscent of Miles Davis’ breakthrough album Bitch’s Brew.
      Overall, the album offers an eclectic menu for every rock fan. It rocks wild and hard, yet it contains some complex modulations one only hears in jazz fusion. It’s Captain Beefheart meets modern rock. Some of the changes are “blistering.” It’s got balls of steel and a heart of darkness.
      The album is available on Blistur’s website at blistur.com or myspace.com/blistur. The band will perform at the Florida State/Alabama College Football Game Celebration at the Jax Landing on September 29th.

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