GEORGE LYCH
ORCHESTRAL MAYHEM

George Lynch should be familiar to any aficionado of modern hard rock guitar – he has amassed an impressive career through his years with Dokken and his exciting solo career. What he hasn’t done before now is unleash an instrumental album covering orchestral pieces!

This is no mere cover album though – this is a highly entertaining and original set of virtuoso performances which rearrange and reinterpret classics from old masters such as Beethoven, Mozart, Orff, Rachmaninov and Debussey alongside The Verve’s ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ and two offerings from Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

The end result is a guitarist’s wet dream – Lynch’s playing has never sounded more fluid and impassioned, and I wonder if this has been a pet project of his for some time. He wrings every drop of imagination and emotion out of the tunes, making the album a truly beautiful & personal listening experience.

New melody lines are added and Lynch’s guitars soar over the original melodies and rhythms, blistering solo’s fry the speakers – yet it still sounds like classical music, albeit plugged in, reduxed, and turned right up.

Above all else Lynch has demonstrated that not only are these classical classics instantly recognisable to pretty much everyone, but that orchestral classical music is not a million miles apart from hard rock and metal.

Think Lynch was only good for hair metal anthems like those he pioneered with Dokken? Think again, turn this up loud and revel in a modern day master of the fretboard.

Best bit: Melding heavy rock and classical musical without dampening either

Shane Rockpit

Track listing:

1. Bittersweet Symphony
2. Fur Elise
3. Carmina Burana
4. Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, 1st Movement
5. Habanera
6. Venetian Boat Song
7. Prelude in G Minor
8. William Tell Overture
9. The Waltz of the Flowers
10. Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, 4th Movement
11. Clair de Lune
12. Wizards In Winter
13. Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24