Mathias is a Swedish player with a strong neo classical influence (especially from the first two Vinnie Moore albums). His first CD, Pictures of a Dream is a self produced disc that is an impressive 72 minutes long. He expands on the potentially narrow neo classical sounds with good use of acoustic guitars and some lighter more upbeat melodies. The openers "Voyage" and "Golden Snow" are squarely in the neo classical style while the following song, "Call It Alive" is almost as upbeat as a Satriani song. These songs reflect the musical balance of the CD. One of the best is "Change of Pace", where he uses off beat rhythms to good effect and slows down the soloing. Another highlight is "Day of Silence" which begins with a Di Meola-style latin acoustic riff and develops into a fast rocker with progressive metal touches and manages to find its way back into fusion. The mellow groove of "Pictures of a Dream" and "When I'm With You" work as a good contrast to the heavier songs. The only weakness is that some of the neo classical pieces follow the mold too closely but the overall variety of the CD more than makes up for it.
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Mathias Holm: Pictures of a Dream (1997) Guitar: Mathias Holm Bass: Thomas Backman Drums: Mats Eriksson-Wigg Sample Track: Day of Silence |