GIANLUCA FERRO — Unheimlich (review)

GIANLUCA FERRO — Unheimlich album cover Album · 2010 · Progressive Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
J-Man
Taking distinct influences from the likes of Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai, and John Petrucci, prolific Italian guitarist Gianluca Ferro has crafted another winner in his increasingly impressive discography. Having taken part in progressive metal bands such as Time Machine, Heart of Sun, and Arkhe (among others), Gianluca has been constantly proving his worth as a multi-faceted and talented guitarist. His latest solo album, Unheimlich, shows him in his most comfortable and confident state in his entire career. Taking his influences from the shred-metal scene and seamlessly melding it together with progressive metal and jazz fusion, Gianluca Ferro has created a one-of-a-kind prog metal album that I'd encourage all fans of instrumental music to check out. While I do have a few knocks regarding the playing time, there's more than enough great material here to satisfy me and (I would imagine) most other prog metal fans.

The music here is a mixture of progressive rock/metal, jazz fusion, shred metal, and even touches of instrumental thrash metal. Although this doesn't sound like something that's new, Gianluca Ferro manages to combine these sounds into an instrumental mix that's simultaneously enjoyable and original. One thing that impressed me more than anything else on Unheimlich was the sheer technical capabilities of Gianluca Ferro. The man can handle emotional passages like Yngwie Malmsteen, complex time signatures like John Petrucci, and shredded passages like Steve Vai, resulting in not only an impressive sound, but an overall well-rounded musician. His backing cast is equally impressive, featuring excellent musicianship in all departments. Compositionally, Unheimlich can be a bit unfocused at times, and the near-70 minute playing time doesn't help. It's simply too long, and, as a result, a bit of filler sneaks its way into the album. The best songs here are, in my opinion, the terrific "Bipolar Zombie" and the fast-paced opening "Olympia's Strangely Mechanical Actions". In terms of production, Unheimlich is also great, and boasts a terrific and professional sound.

I'm not usually a huge fan of instrumental music - many instrumental releases tend to feel like an endless noodling-fest with little musical value (for me at least). Every now and again I hear a stellar album like Unheimlich that makes me wonder why few instrumental artists can succeed as effortlessly as Gianluca Ferro has here. This isn't a perfect album, and the playing time can be a bit tedious in the end (I would've preferred it to be 15-20 minutes shorter), but it's still an excellent release well deserving of a 3.5-4 star rating. Gianluca Ferro is a fairly new name to me, but I sincerely hope to hear some more great material from him in the future! This one comes highly recommended to all fans of instrumental jazz-influenced prog metal!
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Asbestos Tiles Hardcore Punk
SUNDOWNER
Buy this album from MMA partners
Lysergic Ritual Sludge Metal
SUNDOWNER
Buy this album from MMA partners
Terra Preta Sludge Metal
TITANOBOA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Endless Suffering Sludge Metal
LØV
Buy this album from MMA partners
Beyond The Shed Sludge Metal
SINICYST
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Agremorta - Adrocitas (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Agremorta - Ploratus Umbra (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Agremorta - Vertex Membrana (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 1 day ago
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR - The Temple Of Curved Space (Official Track Stream)
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR
adg211288· 1 day ago
In Sulfur - The Gate (OFFICIAL VIDEO) 2022
IN SULFUR
Bosh66· 2 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed