New Steve Vai track

[jacksonplayer]

Originally Posted by noodles

Why have none of us commented on how awful his tone is?

It's a much rawer tone. It works for this track, but I hope the entire album's not like that. The relative lack of delay and chorus essentially brings out the fact that he's using a ceramic pickup/alder body combo into a boosted EL34 amp. You're not going to get a lot of smooth and creamy out of that.

It also sounds like he's got a bunch of Harmonizer in there and has the sustainer turned on. Both of things fuck up your tone.

My biggest sonic complaint is that the guitar is too prominent in the mix. I know that sounds like a silly complaint about a Vai album, but his early solo albums were more even mixed than that. It sounds (on this YouTube clip, at least) like the drums are in a different room.

[Rev Drucifer]

I HATE it when Vai goes Sustainer. I hate the fuckin' tone and I hate what he does with it....

As for the main riff tone....I dig it. I've dug all his tones up to Fire Garden. That album was a mix of GREAT fuckin tones, "Hand On Heart", "Genocide", "Warm Regards"....and the new Vai, over-chorused, over-compressed, too much synth...that turned into each album after.

Pretty sure he's using a Whammy pedal on this tune....in the down 1 step setting....

[Surveyor 777]

Well, I just got the full CD yesterday of "The Story of Light". I pre-ordered it but didn't expect to get it until next week, since it isn't released until August 14th. Weird.

I only listened to it all the way through once. It has it's moments but overall I don't think I'll be replaying it a lot. I will put select tracks on my iPod - the instrumental stuff.

I guess it's more "artsy" if that makes sense. I know Vai has a "vision" that he's trying to express with this group of 3 albums but, well...

I liked "Real Illusions..." better than this one as a whole. As I said, there are good songs on here but as a whole I'm kind of disappointed.

This is coming from a guy who's been a HUGE Vai fan since the late 80's. He and Greg Howe are my two favorite guitarists and have been for quite a while. Greg has a new album coming out in October but it has vocals so I hope that one isn't a let-down also.

I don't know. I'm just disappointed. I guess I just long for the by-gone days where getting a Vai CD meant tons of over-the-top playing. Maybe I just need to listen to this a few more times.

[Pete]

Wirelessly posted

Originally Posted by Surveyor 777

Well, I just got the full CD yesterday of "The Story of Light". I pre-ordered it but didn't expect to get it until next week, since it isn't released until August 14th. Weird.

I only listened to it all the way through once. It has it's moments but overall I don't think I'll be replaying it a lot. I will put select tracks on my iPod - the instrumental stuff.

I guess it's more "artsy" if that makes sense. I know Vai has a "vision" that he's trying to express with this group of 3 albums but, well...

I liked "Real Illusions..." better than this one as a whole. As I said, there are good songs on here but as a whole I'm kind of disappointed.

This is coming from a guy who's been a HUGE Vai fan since the late 80's. He and Greg Howe are my two favorite guitarists and have been for quite a while. Greg has a new album coming out in October but it has vocals so I hope that one isn't a let-down also.

I don't know. I'm just disappointed. I guess I just long for the by-gone days where getting a Vai CD meant tons of over-the-top playing. Maybe I just need to listen to this a few more times.

You've summed up how I've felt about the last few albums from him. I just don't get that excited anymore with new releases from Vai. I used to be a huge fan of his and have seen him live many times but I'm just bored with his recent work. I could almost make the same case for Satriani. Thanks for your review though. I'm sure I'll still pick it up.