Guthrie Govan Discussion

[alexkhan]

I decided that I'm going to give these guys a listen and ordered their Deadwig and In Absential albums. I've heard clips of them here and there and liked the guitar tones and what they're trying to do. I notice they're from UK but nobody here has ever mentioned them. How are other bands in this ilk like IQ and Blackfield? Based on what little I've heard of PT, I think I'm going to like 'em.
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Ed Yoon
Certified Guthrie Fan-atic
BOING Music LLC - Managing Partner
.strandberg* Guitars USA
Ed Yoon Consulting & Management
Guitar Center Inc.

[Delicato]

Yes, I indeed think you will.

I only have In Absentia though but I love that one. Haven't heard any of the other bands you name.
I'm thinking about getting me some more PT but I just haven't gotten around to it yet.

If you like PT and can handle some growls in the vocal department and wouldn't mind to
make it a little heavier you should check out Opeth. Blackwater park is an amazing album that Steven Wilson of PT produced.
It took me a while to get used to the growls(I absolutely hated it in the beginning),
but once I did it just adds to the dynamics(in this case at least).
I acctually dissed them at my friends house for quite some time before I turned to the Opeth side .
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Jesus saves, but Gretzky scores on the rebound

[alexkhan]

I've been listening to In Absentia on and off for the past couple of days. Interesting stuff. I like the singing although I haven't really focused or read into the lyrics yet. Reminds me of Yes and some Floyd but with a modern hard rock edge. I wish there was some real burning guitar playing on it. I'd love to see Guthrie in this sort of a context. This is what Asia should be doing. It's good to know there are bands like these out there with a good following.
_________________
Ed Yoon
Certified Guthrie Fan-atic
BOING Music LLC - Managing Partner
.strandberg* Guitars USA
Ed Yoon Consulting & Management
Guitar Center Inc.

[alexkhan]

I've given both albums several spins now and the music is growing on me little by little. I guess the simple way to describe it would be "progressive alternative" with some hard rock kind of sounds thrown in. I hear a good deal of the late-90's Radiohead (The Bends and OK Computer) in them. It's good stuff although not something I would listen to very often. The guitar tones sound good although there really isn't much lead-playing.

I'm curious about Opeth and will have to check them out soon. So "Blackwater Park" is the one to get?
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Ed Yoon
Certified Guthrie Fan-atic
BOING Music LLC - Managing Partner
.strandberg* Guitars USA
Ed Yoon Consulting & Management
Guitar Center Inc.

[Delicato]

Yes, either that or Still Life, but Blackwater Park is what did it for me.

How is Deadwing compared to In Ab...? I have heard good things about Lightbulb Sun as well.
Hmm, I think I have to make a purchase of some kind.
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Jesus saves, but Gretzky scores on the rebound

[Alun]

I've just been listening to the Deadwing clips on their site and I like them, so I feel a purchase coming on! I can't decide who they sound like - at times there are hints of It Bites, Dream Theater, even "Outside"-era David Bowie.

Incidentally, if there are any drummers reading this (or any musos interested in rythmic displacement, metric modulation, etc) ,I would recommend checking out PT drummer Gavin Harrison's books and DVD - really interesting and challenging stuff.

Alun
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www.alunvaughan.com

[treeduck]

Yeah I really like these guys, I actually like Deadwing better than Ab, it's got a quite a lot of variety from prog to Brit indie rock to heavy metal and more. Oh yeah I really like the drummer too.

[alexkhan]

Both albums are very good but I think I prefer Deadwing over In Absentia. It sounds more mature and more musically adventurous. Some of these songs are quite epic without being pretentious in the typical prog rock manner. There's a down-to-earthness about 'em that I like over, say, Dream Theater. They seem genuinely interested in writing and performing songs, not vehicles to show off how well they can play.
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Ed Yoon
Certified Guthrie Fan-atic
BOING Music LLC - Managing Partner
.strandberg* Guitars USA
Ed Yoon Consulting & Management
Guitar Center Inc.

[M@]

I'll have to check out some of these other bands you talk about. I've listened to some Dream Theatre but it never appealed to me (much prefer to listen to Rush!).

Also, on the topic of Prog-Rock stuff, I wish Guthrie had more input on Asia's Silent Nation album - his tone on that CD may fit the songs, but is rather uninspiring (compared to the TM video clips)! I also get the feeling that he couldn't let loose as much in terms of band hierarchy etc. One can rightly argue that letting loose on those Asia tunes is "inappropriate", but I believe the fire and passion in Guthrie's soloing would have brought those songs to a whole new level...



Cheers
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"My day job feeds my family, my night gig feeds my ego!"

[dave...]

Blackwater Park is considered that 'seminal album'..... the 'nevermind' of opeth (and I know all fans will hate me for that comment ) but there is better music in their catalogue.
This is the place to start, however, and honestly- you should. Beautiful tone, beautiful guitaring (without the wankery) and really original music/song structuring.
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