A new figure has emerged in the international music scene. Avishay Mizrav’s debut guitar-instrumental solo album, “Forgotten Melodies,” has received accolades for his interpretation of modern progressive rock by international critics and for obvious reasons. Mizrav is a true student of the guitar. Over the course of this nine-track album, his appreciation for not only classic rock but also of blues, soul, and funk is perceptible to even the most untrained ear.
Mizrav begins the album with a tried and true guitar ballad, “Knight Templar.” This energetic piece pays homage to the electronic guitar in all its glory and is reminiscent of old rock and roll ballad bands like Journey, only deeming the lyrical aspect unnecessary as the guitar narrates the journey for itself. In stark contrast, Mizray lays down a more reflective and emotive quality with the song, “Casualities of War,” whose harmonic beginnings crescendo into a harder voice – disjointed, layered but not faltering.
While the fusion of rock and metal persists predominantly throughout the album, it is the infusions of the other that make this album progressive and modern. It is the startling blues and funk riff at the beginning of track two, “The Life of Death of Elphi Theda” that serves as a foil to the battle cry ballad of “Knight Templar.” It is that moment midway through his third track, “Radical Emotions,” where a heavy power ballad is suddenly interrupted by a rhythmic keyboard soon to be layered into an even more powerful crescendo in the end. It is these minor details that complicate any flat characterizations of the album.
Mizrav’s well-rounded understanding of the vast scope of the guitar and Mizrav’s conscious efforts to incorporate all facets of the guitar gives this solo instrumental album both depth and variation. Each track differs from the next but at a whole, Avishay Mizrav’s “Forgotten Melodies” is an example of strong technique and thoughtful composition and ultimately, a brilliant fusion of genres.
By Marion Bradford – bradford.marion@gmail.com
[Rating: 4/5]
