UMUR "Plains of Oblivion" is the 2nd solo album release by US guitarist Jeff Loomis. The album was released through Century Media Records in April 2012. Loomis released his debut full-length studio album "Zero Order Phase" in 2008, while his then main band Nevermore was on a break in activities. Loomis (and drummer Van Williams) however left Nevermore in April 2011, and as it would be a few years before he would join Arch Enemy, this second solo album was his main project in 2011/2012. Loomis performs all basic guitars on the album, but is helped out by a couple of guest guitarists like Chris Poland (OHM, Megadeth), Marty Friedman (Megadeth), and Tony MacAlpine (Planet X, Steve Vai). The bass is performed by Shane Lentz (Ys, Kamikabe), and the drums are played by Dirk Verbeuren (Aborted, Soilwork, Megadeth). In addition to that the album features a couple of guest vocal performances by Ihsahn (Ihsahn, Emperor) and Christine Rhoades (who also collaborated with Loomis in Nevermore).

The material on "Plains of Oblivion" are predominantly instrumental tracks focused on the guitar playing by Loomis, which is of course only natural as this is his project. Thankfully Loomis does not neglect the remaining parts of the compositions, which are well arranged and features powerful riffs and rhythms. The tracks featuring vocals are also great for the variation of the album, although the instrumental tracks are ultimately the most interesting ("The Ultimatum" being one of the highlights. The playing on that track is insane..."Escape Velocity" could also be mentioned here). Loomis playing is both virtuosic, fast, raw, and powerful when it needs to be, but also tasteful and melodic, so the instrumental tracks are quite varied, and it´s not only guitarists who should be able to enjoy the music, but also more "regular" music listeners. The vocal tracks are of course also a contributing factor to that.

Christine Rhoades sings lead on "Tragedy and Harmony" and on "Chosen Time", but the limited edition of the album features two more tracks with her vocal contributions. Ihsahn sings lead vocals on "Surrender", which provides the album with a brief extreme metal moment (the album is generally pretty heavy though, and there are several extreme metal influences in the instrumental work too). So "Plains of Oblivion" is overall a high quality release with high level musical performances by all involved, a powerful and detailed sound production, and memorable compositions, which are not just aimed at showing off Loomis considerable skills on a guitar, although we of course treated to loads of great guitar work throughout the album. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Zero Order Phase" is the debut full-length studio album by US guitarist Jeff Loomis. The album was released through Century Media Records in August 2008. "Zero Order Phase" was recorded while Nevermore had a recording- and touring break between the releases of "This Godless Endeavor (2005)" and "The Obsidian Conspiracy (2010)". A break that also spawned the debut solo album "Praises To The War Machine (2008)" by Nevermore singer Warrel Dane. Except for a couple of guest appearances by artists like Pat O´Brien (Nevermore, Cannibal Corpse) and Ron Jarzombek (Watchtower, Spastic Ink, Blotted Science), Jeff Loomis basically plays all guitars and bass on the album. Former Nevermore drummer Mark Arrington plays the drums on the album.

Stylistically "Zero Order Phase" is exactly what I exptected from a Jeff Loomis solo album. The basic foundations of the tracks are rooted in US power/thrash metal with the occasional progressive edge and that part of the music is actually pretty close to sounding like Nevermore. A feeling that is further enhanced by the distinct sounding dry and cold Neil Kernon production. This is not Nevermore though and "Zero Order Phase" is a fully instrumental release, where Jeff Loomis is allowed to showcase all his amazing guitar shredding techniques but also his strong sense for melodic playing.

Besides his incredible speed and dexterity which are sure to amaze most listeners, he is also a skilled composer, and while I would argue that "Zero Order Phase" is first and foremost an album which will satisfy listeners who are guitarists themselves, there are memorable themes and other catchy moments throughout the album that could be enjoyed by other music listeners too.

Upon conclusion "Zero Order Phase" is arguably a high quality release by Jeff Loomis. It´s also a bit predictable, and I could have wished for something a bit different, showing another side of Loomis playing than what we are used to from his Nevermore contributions. Of course his solos are much longer and there is more variation in his playing on "Zero Order Phase" than on anything he has done with Nevermore, but to my ears it´s still not different enough. The Neil Kernon production, which is also very much in the same vein as the productions he has done on some of the Nevermore albums, doesn´t really help on that impression either. It´s very much a subjective point of view though and regarded objectively "Zero Order Phase" is a high quality release and therefore a 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.