Italian guitarist Frank Caruso, of the power-prog band Arachnes, has released his first solo album, the almost all instrumental Kaleidoscope. In it he explores the origins and roots of his musical formation - an explosion of neo-classical metal, hard rock and blues, all delivered with an aggressive and powerful sound, ruled by tremendous technical ability. The Ritchie Blackmore school of hard rock dominates all the work, but also virtuoso sounds reminiscent of Malmsteen and Vinnie Moore, as well as the inspiration of Joe Satriani.
Before Portuguese guitarist Goncalo Pereira's CD "Upgrade", which featured music ranging from blues to progressive power metal, funk, pop, classical, fusion and rock, came Tricot No Pais Das Maravilhas, his 1998 home studio effort that offers more of the same, and then some. An incredible 74 minutes of music that could, along with "Upgrade", make Mike Varney wish he spoke Portuguese. Blazing, well-produced fretwork dominates the instrumental record, along with contributions by drummer Filipe Goncalves and bassist Dick.
