The Francesco Artusato – Chaos and the Primordial

Sumerian Records is releasing two instrumental records on June 28^th: Evan Bewer?s Alone and The Francesco Artusato?s Chaos and the Primordial. Besides releasing instrumental records on the same day, both of these artists have some more interesting things in common.  Both of these artists are in two death metal bands that are expected to release new material in the near future (Evan Brewer plays bass for The Faceless and Francesco Artusato plays guitar for All Shall Perish).  Where these guys found the time to pump out solo records in the midst of writing for their main bands is beside me, but I?ve given both records a good spin, and believe me, the quality of the material was not compromised due to the perceived lack writing time.  Evan Brewer?s Alone is a great record from a musical standpoint, but the real winner here is The Francesco Artusato Project, because with Chaos and the Primordial, they have the potential to be this year?s Animals as Leaders.

Chaos and the Primordial starts off with the title track, and immediately it?s apparent that even though this is an instrumental album, that it is going to grab your attention the whole way through.    It?s a sprawling track that doesn?t know what the term subtlety means.  It has real urgency, and the track just keeps on building.  The track is full of great shredding, and the main melody will stick with you well after you?ve listened to it.  By the time the last solo hits you, there should be no doubt in your mind that this dude is for real, and you?re pumped to see what else he?s got.

?Typhoeus? is another scorcher filled with some incredible soloing.  In fact, much of the tracks first is comprised of solo, switching on and off with what I?ll call a ?chorus? melody.  The second part of the track mellows out, giving the listener a breather after all of the finger flying fretwork.  After the relaxing melodic interlude, the track pick right back where it left off, shredding up a storm.  It may seem like this much soloing would result in a monotonous listen, but Francesco does a masterful job making all of the solos interesting in their own way, all the while staying true to the root melody.

?Ceased Time? slows things down a bit, focusing mainly on melody and structure rather than showing off Francesco?s incredible solo abilities.  He pulled back the reign in order to show off a different side of his talent, and it goes off without a hitch.  The track is sort of a hybrid between classical teaching and more of a modern, progressive styling, which fits into my interests perfectly.  The last leg of the song gets into some soloing, but it is done tastefully, emphasizing that not every guitar solo has to bounce off the walls.

A personal favorite of mine is ?The Metamorphosis? which, big surprise, starts off with a ridiculous guitar solo, but in this song, the other musical aspects stand out the most.  After the intro solo, there is a reoccurring choppy section that really makes you bounce.  There is some nice leadwork layered overtop to make a very memorable part of the album.  Halfway through, the some features some mysterious guitarwork that dips into The Faceless? territory.  By the end of the song, it sounds as if you?ve just been abducted by mythological aliens, which confirms Sumerian Records? assertion; apparently, the sphinx is real.

The closing track ?Layers of Corrosion ? The Last Particle? is a mammoth track, clocking in at over 7 minutes long.  Initially, the track is difficult to get your head around, due to its tricky time signatures and it?s seemingly aimless direction, but Francesco surely enough, brings us through, featuring a rollercoaster of melodies, making some circle banging a necessity.  This rhythm extends for some time, and eventually leads into some great soloing (do you start to see a pattern here?).  The swirling cyclone returns for another extended stay.  It seems as if the song will end with this riff slowly fading out, but Francesco throws us a curveball; the track continues, but it?s turned Middle Eastern on us, complete with some tribal drumming and some watery and hypnotic guitar effects.  Francesca has become a snake charmer and the listener becomes the snake, being mesmerized by the sound and movement of his guitar.  By the time the listener has time to break out of their trance, Francesca and his music vanish into thin air, leaving the listener befuddled, pondering on what they just experienced.

On his debut solo effort, Francesco Artusato has created an instrumental album that has everything a metal fan could ask for.  There is impressive guitarwork, as the solos are the main focus, but that doesn?t mean that the album doesn?t have balance.  The album has enough moderation to keep naysayers at bay, but it is still extremely cohesive.  There are classical influences, yet the sound is completely modern.  If you consider yourself a fan of any instrumental music in the vein of Animals as Leaders or you have a soft spot for shredders like Vai or Petrucci, then you need to pick up Chaos and the Primordial when it comes out, because not only does Francesco blend the two sounds perfectly, but he has created one of the best instrumental metal records in quite some time.

The Francesco Artusato Project ? Chaos and the Primordial

By Tanner Fisher