Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Finnish Guitarist Elmo Karjalainen's “Age Of Heroes”



Elmo Karjalainen is a Finnish guitar player who plays in such bands as Kilpi, Conquest, Seagrave and Helena & Kalevi. He has also released two critically acclaimed
instrumental album under his own name, called “Unintelligent Designs” and “The Free Guitar Album”, and an instrumental digital EP, called “Unintelligent Leftovers”. In addition to this he has released an acoustic album, called “Where We Belong”. Elmo has won the 2015 Finnish “Tilu & Lilu” shred championship, and finished as a runner up in Yngwie Malmsteen’s Guitar Gods competition and as a runner up in Lee Ritenour’s Six String Theory competition.

Critically acclaimed Finnish guitarist Elmo Karjalainen released his new record, entitled “Age Of Heroes” on February 3, 2017. “Age Of Heroes” features 15 brand new instrumental songs by Elmo in a variety of styles, but with a focus on rock. The album features appearances from Derek Sherinian (ex Dream Theater member who has also played with Yngwie Malmsteen, Billy Idol, Alice Cooper and Joe Bonamassa, to name a few), Mattias IA Eklundh (of Freak Kitchen), and Janne Nieminen and Emil Pohjalainen, a pair of Finnish guitarists who won the Guitar Gods competition in 2016, which was organized by Yngwie Malmsteen and his wife April.

“It’s unashamed shreddy guitar playing, but it’s at times funny, playful and weird, but it’s always played with feeling. To emphasise feeling not much editing was done, and there are quite a few mistakes on the record. Personally I’m drawn more towards players who play with passion, players who move me, rather than to people who sound like sequencers”, says Elmo.



01. Warm Welcome
02. How Can Less Be More
03. The Colour Of Greed
04. Chikken Noodul
05. A Fertile Discussion
06. The Grassy Gnoll
07. Blue Eyes
08. Party Political Speech
09. Age Of Heroes
10. A Meeting Of The Gods (And This Guy)
11. Sunset
12. Return Of The Silly English Person
13. Falling For Falafels
14. Lost In A Foreign Scale
15. Three Days Of Peace
16. Limiting Rationality
17. Breathe

Two of the tracks on the album are spoken interludes, and don’t really count as songs.

All compositions and arrangements by Elmo Karjalainen.

All instruments by Elmo Karjalainen, except:

Christer Karjalainen - Drums on "Sunset" and "Chikken Noodul"

Vesa Kolu - Drums on "A Fertile Discussion", "Blue Eyes", "Falling For Falafels" "Three Days Of Peace" and "Limiting Rationality".

Derek Sherinian - Keyboards on "The Colour Of Greed".

Mattias IA Eklundh - 1st, 3rd and 5th guitar solo in "A Fertile Discussion" also 1st and 3rd guitar solo in "Falling For Falafels".

Janne Nieminen - 1st and 4th guitar solo in "A Meeting Of The Gods (And This Guy).

Emil Pohjlainen - 2nd and 5th guitar solo in "A Meeting Of The Gods (And This Guy).

This is one awesome instrumental rock album folks, great full on tracks with masterful guitar virtuosity from all concerned, which when tempered with the slower tracks to give it a sense of balance, makes for a must have in your collection, I consider this to be his finest release to date and you'll be doing yourselves a huge disservice if you don't head on OVER HERE and grab this awesome slab of music as a digital download for €8 EUR or more / compact disc for €10 EUR or more. You will not be disappointed!!

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