| Before discussing Mike Albert's freshmen
opus, a brief history lesson must be given to fully understand and appreciate this
hardworking musician's efforts. The story goes all the way back to the mid-80's when
Megadeth had completed the recording of Killing is My Business… and Business is
Good - their first album: Lead guitarist at the time, Chris Poland, had left the band
due to personal reasons. In need of a new axe-man for the upcoming tour, Mike Albert was
recruited and performed all 40 shows. Upon returning, he attended rehearsals for the Peace
Sells… album but left the band shortly after due to financial issues. Now,
nearly 20 years later, he has finally completed his first album as a solo guitarist (with
the aid of Jon Escobedo on bass and Tony Espinosa on drums).
Feast or Famine presents an interesting twist on the standard metal formula - no
vocals! The instrumental approach works fairly well, but certain songs would definitely
benefit from having a few words here and there. The main areas that lack are the basic
verse/chorus sections. However, some of these songs stand on their own quite well. There
is plenty of fancy fretwork, crunchy chords, and mellifluous melodies to keep serious
metal heads coming back for more. Additionally, there's also a great deal of hard rock
influence behind this. Truly, this album is a metal/rock concoction, but when viewed as a
whole, there's no doubt that this is total metal. In fact, some of these tracks bear a
significant resemblance to the musical styling of Dave Mustaine.
For those who like to complain about sound quality and production, beware: This album
sounds like it was recorded through a tin can (too much mid-range), but the lousy
production does not mar the integrity of what lies beneath, and the mix is fairly well
balanced, anyhow.
The first major standout track here is entitled "Rude Dog". It comes in at the
number 4 slot and contains a strong rock/metal groove that immediately grabs the
listener's attention. This is easily the rockiest tune here (with the exception of
"Ruby", a Jimmi Hendrix tribute that also serves as the album's conclusion).
Track 3, "Realms", opens with an acoustic arpeggio that conjures up fond
memories of Flotsam and Jetsam's metal masterpiece, "Doomsday for the Deceiver".
Additional standout moments include tracks 7 and 10, "Surfer Bitch From Hell"
and "U.M.F.R.", respectively. Track 9, "Prelude in E Minor", is just
that - a tasty little classical piece complete with traditional finger picking and audible
chord changes (the squeaky sound of the hand sliding along the fretboard). Production and
minor vocal gripes aside (track 2, "Dr. Death", especially), this is a solid
album that deserves to be heard by metal heads worldwide. Listen, learn, and enjoy.
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