H R H - R E V I E W S

James Byrd
Atlantis Rising Crimes of Virtuosity Lion Music

by John Kindred
Staff Writer

Comments: In today’s music scene, trends come and go. Whims of youth often dictate the flavor of the month for many music groups. And the corporate labels turn their backs on talent in favor of dollar driving revenue that comes in the form of regurgitated, reformulated concept bands.

There are many professionals in the music industry, whether musicians, producers or engineers, who know of James Byrd, the musician, artist, composer and guitarist who resides in Seattle. Byrd is quite possibly one of America’s finest guitarist, who should be more widely known yet success on a grand scale has eluded him more often than not.

James Byrd has been a fixture of the Seattle music scene since 1983 when his then band Fifth Angel, was discovered by Mike Varney and together the band and Varney produced their first record. The album was progressive for the time and met with stellar reviews. By 1987, the band had been taken on by Concrete Marketing and Management and soon landed a 7-album deal with CBS Records. The debut CD was re-released and the band was on the verge of tasting the success they had all strove for. With a deal signed and the possibilities for large monetary earnings the band went through a major shakeup, and Byrd found himself no longer in the band he had created.

By ’88 Byrd had returned to Shrapnel Records, releasing his next project under his own name James Byrd’s Atlantis Rising. Byrd went on to release his first instrumental release Octoglomerate in 93’ and followed up with his next instrumental disc Son of Man in ‘95. With Son of Man Byrd received an endorsement from a Swede who never gave any ’80s guitarist the time of day, Yngwie Malmsteen. Byrd returned again in ’96 with former Lynch Mob vocalist Robert Mason for his fourth solo release the Apocalypse Chime.

’97 brought the release of Crimes of Virtuosity. Four years later Byrd returned with what has been described as Symphonic Progressive Metal on Flying Beyond the 9 and Byrd continued this new avenue of exploration on 2003s Anthem.

In the here and now of 2005, Byrd is re-releasing Crimes of Virtuosity on Lion Records. Not happy with the mix on the CD that showed up in certain territories on the ’97 release, Byrd delivers Crimes of Virtuosity mastered they way his ears heard the music. Byrd’s guitar style is in the vein of many neo-classical shredders but Byrd brings to the table melodic thought and progressive ideas that keeps him from being pigeonholed into the often repetitive nature of the neo-classical guitarist.

Crimes of Virtuosity can be described as meaty and heavy; the guitars are powerful and the instrumentation is precise and adventurous. Dabbling in rich acoustic textures, sonic layers of warm distortion that are heard in the rhythm and lead guitar work provided Byrd. Byrd was not alone working on delivering Crimes of Virtuosity to his fans and critics. Singer Kendall Tory provides the grit and growl that make Crimes such a solid release. His vocal prowess is on par with his peers and provides the perfect compliment to Byrd’s guitar work. Rounding out the lineup was drummer Chase Culp and bassist Randy Matthiessen.

Opening the CD is the instrumental track “Prelude at Sea” which after 27 seconds takes us in the hard hitting “Metatron.” From the get go the lead guitar burns over the rhythm guitar before Mr. Tory enters the fray. A sitar and a mid eastern vocal opens up track 2 “Heaven On Their Minds,” dramatic solos abound under Tory as the verse takes off. Soon you are met the melodic tonalities of both Tory and Byrd as the vocals and guitar interplay with each other. The lyrics are strong featuring the social commentary that Byrd is known for writing.

“Shot Down in Flames” sees Byrd open with a neo-classical solo, before the ruckus of the song kicks into gear. Another political and social theme carries the song from beginning to end. “My Darkest Hour” is just beautiful song, and is the first time we hear the acoustic texture as Byrd leads us into this stellar track. Haunting, riveting the song sums up what is missing within the realm of today’s main stream music, which is great orchestration and compositional thought. The lead work here is phenomenal and expressive and Byrd proves that speed isn’t the epitome of a great solo. Lyrically introspective, the song delves into the seeking of knowledge and finding out the cost of that venture.

“The Hunted Heretic (When I Was Young)” opens with a whah pedal riff and has a loose, spacious and uncluttered feel. The buildup to the chorus is melodic. Song number 7, “Jane,” is the first instrumental track on the disc. Written by Byrd and Mattiessen the song opens with an acoustic intro and is a nice melodic piece that features beautiful acoustic classical guitar melodies. “Get Free” throws us right back into a more up tempo rockin’ song. Just sing the chorus to yourself, “Get Free,” and feel the power.

“Storm King” opens with an organ intro, ala Deep Purple. The song has a very Purple vibe. The rhythm pulses under the vocals as a clean guitar solo is played. The song slowly builds up to its crescendo, the chorus, where the instrumentation collides in furious fashion. Lovin’ it now! “Byrd’s Bolero” is the new track added to the re-release of Crimes. The song opens with a powerful orchestrated intro before dropping you into a piano melody and builds back into heavy guitar solo and then again returns to the piano. This interplay goes on throughout the song and is a masterful composition.

Haunting synth and guitars lead us into the nearly 8 minute epic, “Goodbye My Love.” Brilliant vocals, lyrics and instrumentation are a highlight. Crimes of Virtuosity closes with “Goin Home.” Another driving composition continues highlighting the guitarist and the vocalist. And after over an hour of music, as the song says, “this is where it ends.”

A very dramatic and powerful finish, one would hope that the interest in James Byrd will be peaked by the re-release of Crimes of Virtuosity. You can’t go wrong discovering the brilliant works done by Byrd and company. Do yourself a favor and discover his music for the first time or rediscover Byrd all over again.

www.jamesbyrd.com
www.lionmusic.com

Also check out the HRH most recent interview with James Byrd here!

Track Listing: 1. Prelude In Sea 2. Metatron 3. Heaven On The Minds 4. Shot Down In Flames 5. In My Darkest Hour
6. Hunted Heteric 7. Jane 8. Get Free 9. Storm King 10. Bolero No. 46 Mvt. 3 11. Good Bye My Love 12. Going Home

HRH Rating: 8.5/10

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