Resist Or Die!

RESISTOR – “Rise” CD ’10 (Private, US) – Well, howdya like them apples?! I mean, George Carlin’s wisdom notwithstanding, you just never know, do you? Here I am, going to the Day Of Prog in PA this past summer, witnessing slaying sets by the likes of Gravity & Syzygy and little did I know my biggest revelation would come on the ride home. Now granted, said ride would come in the wheels of legendary prog-rock-jockey Rick & Roll (Rickter Scale, Delicious Agony net radio), so you know you wouldn’t be listening to Lady GagHer. Still, I was sure not expecting to have my clock cleaned the way I did. It began subtly enough…Rick sticking a CD in the player prefaced only by the remark, “This is the new RESISTOR.” At that point however, everything changed. The first thing I noticed was the production, the guitar sound. Man alive, the glory days are back! A warm, analog-sounding heaviness with two distinct guitarists laying down wicked riffs, one in the left channel, one in the right…just like KK and Glenn in the ‘70’s! Do you hear me brothers and sisters! Let me testify to the Lord of rawk! But that’s not all! Cool mid-range vox that go from a Palumbo-ish smirk to Wishbone Ash-style harmonies. In fact, just in the 7-minute opener alone, I’m hearing what sounds like a midnight summit with Andy Powell, Ted Turner, John Palumbo, Frank Zappa with hmmm…let’s see, Chris Tsangrides sitting at the desk and maybe Tipton and Downing showing up fresh from doing “Sad Wings…!” Yeah, let’s make it clear that this is GUITAR prog! No army of keys here to throw a pall of wimpdom onto the proceedings, honcho! Whether it’s galloping proto-Celtic-metal of “Spaceghetti” or the volatile build-up of “Ether,” this is top-level stuff and when we get to the 16+ minute “Mimosa,” it’s like “Wow!” You’ve got a new favourite lead guitar duo and their names are Steve Unruh and Fran Turner. I’m not kidding when I say these guys are laying down a six-string clinic that’s on the par with the best of the aforementioned W.A. & J.P. guys, not to mention other gods like Thin Lizzy. This is the real deal! The jazzy guitar solo in “Mimosa” starting around 10:57 is like “Run Of The Mill" in a lysergic dream and as it ascends toward the end of the song, it is God!!!

You want some even better news, peeps? What I’ve discussed is only half of the album. Really. No shit. Because what follows “Mimosa” is a 39+ minute epic called “The Land Of No Groove.” Divided neatly into sub-sections a la the best Neil Peart opus, this one is best described as a metallic distant cousin of Zappa’s “Billy The Mountain.” If you are not completely entertained nor don’t have friction burns from air guitar by the time the “Groove Revolution” segment ends you are truly pathetic and massively incapable of RAWKING! I know I said this before…I’m not senile yet…but RESISTOR not only contains one of the very best 2-guitar teams I’ve ever heard, they have also released what has gotta be one of the hottest albums of 2010. Howdya like them apples?! The Land Of All Kinds Of Groove Ray Dorsey

Note: Seems Mr. Steve Unruh (guitars/vox) also has quite a lengthy prog/rock pedigree and has a ton of great stuff available, all of which I need to obtain asap!

http://www.steveunruh.com/