Joe
Stump is one of the most intense and over the top guitarists
on the planet. His maniacal guitar driven releases are amazing
displays of power and jaw dropping technical command. He was
named by Guitar One Magazine as one of the ten fastest shredders
of all time and by Guitarist as one of the top 20 shredders
of all time.
The
American guitar hero returns on April 17th 2009 with his most
diverse and complete solo effort to date in “Virtuostic
Vendetta”. Not only a killer shred record but also a
great all around guitar driven release, blending neo-classical
speed metal, European influenced shred and old school hard
rock into a great combination of playing and tracks that will
appeal to a wide range of guitar enthusiasts and metal fans
worldwide. Great melodies, killer riffs and from the heart
emotionally drenched playing are combined with all the insane
shredding you’d expect making this the most exciting
record of Joe’s career. Proclaimed by many music experts
as the ultimate guitar monster you’ll hear why words
like Godlike, shred master, brilliant and many more have been
used to describe the Shredlord’s unparalleled playing
style.
On
the album’s new material Joe comments, “On
this record I kind of went back and re-introduced myself to
myself. Two of my early albums “Guitar Dominance”
and “Supersonic Shred Machine” were real
favorites
among my fans, and this new record is quite similar in that
it’s fairly diverse with a cool mixture of tunes stylistically,
but it all has my stamp on it. I’d like to think it’s
my best overall effort as every aspect of this record is better
than anything I’ve ever done, playing wise, guitar tones,
compositions, production it’s all steps beyond any of
my past releases. It’s also a very entertaining and
listenable record considering there are no vocals.”
A
strong Ritchie Blackmore vibe is prevalent on this release,
indeed inspiring one track title “Blackmore’s
Boogie” as well as an original ode to the Rainbow classic
“Gates Of Babylon” in “The Dance of Kashani”.
To his credit, Joe doesn’t shy away from hiding his influences,
“I never claimed to be re-inventing the wheel. I just
take the great influence of all my heroes -- Blackmore, Yngwie,
Bach, Vivaldi, Gary Moore, Jimi Hendrix, Uli Jon Roth, Schenker,
Paganini -- and try to craft my own thing with it. I love guitar
and I always try to make records that guitar fans and hard
rock/metal fans will love as well”. Yet there is more
on offer than the neo-classical influence such as “Old
School Throwdown” which is a nod to players such as
Hendrix, Frank Marino and Robin Trower. Joe also throws down
thanks to his influences with the use of subtle phrases from
well known classics which the keen ear will spot in a few
places.
“Virtuostic
Vendetta” sees a guitarist in Joe Stump who survived
the changed musical landscapes of the 1990’s with his
career and reputation intact and sees Joe 16 years on from
his debut album, “Guitar Dominance,” in the strongest
shape yet.
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Joe
Stump is one of the most intense and over the top guitarists
on the planet. His maniacal guitar driven releases are amazing
displays of power and jaw dropping technical command. He was
named by Guitar One Magazine as one of the ten fastest shredders
of all time and by Guitarist as one of the top 20 shredders
of all time. 
