George Bellas - Turn Of The Millennium (1997)Shrapnel Records

George Bellas is a Stateside multi-instrumentalist (guitars, bass guitars, keys) who cooperated with the likes of Mogg/Way, Ring of Fire, John West, Vitalij Kuprij, Magellan, Mistheria, Jason Becker, Marco Ferrigno and recorded the first album with Palace Terrace in 2007. His debut solo CD was recorded with the following line-up: Deen Castronovo (drums; Malice, Dr. Mastermind, Cacophony, Marty Friedman, Ozzy Osbourne, Hawaii, Tony MacAlpine), Kevin Chown (bass guitar; Magnitude 9, Mike Terrana, Edwin Dare, Tiles, Tony MacAlpine), Matt Guillory (keys; Explorers Club, James Murphy, Mullmuzzler, Zero Hour), Brad Kaiser (drums; Explorers Club) and Mike McCarron (drums; David Shankle Group).

George Bellas is generous in a sense, since he prepared a 70-minute stuff with a kind of music that can shred off your brain. This instrumental neoclassical progressive metal includes a dynamic and rhythmical music performed with a cutting precision. His guitaring is nothing, but sliding up and down through the guitar neck very fast and in an intelligent manner. George's lavish guitar pyrotechnics is mad and driven by exquisite solos decorated with keyboard passages. It is not a catchy style of music, this stuff was written to be contemplated and meditated on. Undoubtedly, it is a specialty genre, however there are also some more accessible instrumentals. A normal human being would break his fingers trying to play this stuff, but it doesn't concern George Bellas whose fingers are as trained as strongman's body. Since many parts are illustrative and cinematic, they sound very akin to Ton Hess' solo works.

On "Turn Of The Millennium" CD, neoclassicism merges with progression, compositions are played with the speed of light, they are enriched with lightning solos and supported by a strong team whose greatest advantage is superb musicianship. George Bellas is a highly trained guitar virtuoso delivering top quality music and presenting the world's guitar mastery. He is a committed shredder who takes no notice of prevailing trends, but he always plays the music rewarding to him. I am pretty sure that shredding metal fans will be dazzled with this release.