MICHAEL HARRIS

HURRICANE X


Michael Harris music review by Michael Allison
Artist: Michael Harris
Title: Hurricane X
Label: Leviathan Records
Genre: Rock/Metal Instrumental
Website: http://www.leviathanrecords.com

Guitar virtuoso and head of Leviathan Records, David T. Chastain decided to take on the enjoyable task of creating a guitar masters series with his impressive lineup of talent at the label. David took the same bass and drum tracks and allowed these different guitarists to do a little improvisational guitar over them. While David knew that each would play differently, he found it very interesting to see the approaches taken by each player on each song. Some going straying from heir normal style altogether. Michael Harris is one of the guitarist in this guitar masters series. His skill and talent as a guitarist is nothing less than amazing. I've had the opportunity to listen to Michael on other occasions, and have to say that I'm very impressed with the way this album turned out.
Michael takes his style to a new level, and seems to effortlessly throw himself into these songs. I noticed right away that there's a lot more emotion on many of these songs than what I was use to hearing from Michael. I love the approach he took on 'Prisoner Of Time'. I felt almost every note in this song, and remains one of my favorites. The tone alone on this track is killer. If you have ever wondered what true guitar virtuosity really is, then this is an album that you need to check out. Though I have yet to hear the entire series I can tell you the guitar masters series is worth checking out, because all of the guitarists at Leviathan Records are simply amazing. Stop by Leviathan Records website and see for yourself. The Rundown
Lyrics/Songwriting:*****
Production Quality:*****
Musicianship:*****
Originality:***
Over All:*****
by Michael Allison
http://MusicDish.com/tgm


From Todd Smith/ The Cutting Edge
MICHAEL HARRIS
Hurricane X
Leviathan Records

Leviathan Records is currently releasing the fifth solo record by guitar virtuoso Michael Harris. "Hurricane X" finds the Ohio native moving effortlessly through a myriad of spine tingling improvisational instrumental monsters. Converging a steady stream of influences from Steve Morse to Uli Jon Roth the disc radiates with unique charm and overwhelming dexterity. Coming to us by way of the Diginet Music Guitar Master Series where the bass and drum tracks are recorded in advance, "Hurricane X" allowed the guitarist to add his own improvisation of the top of the rhythm tracks. After serving duty in two successful bands Arch Rival and Zanister as well as his steady climbing solo career, Harris proves he is more than up for the challenge. 'Prisoner Of Time' is the first to leap off the disc with a wonderful sense of melody and dynamics. Running just under 8 minutes the track nails Harris' earliest influences from his father's Jazz texture to his mother's classical training. The same Jazz influence rises again in the gorgeous title track, 'Hurricane X' and the captivating 'Hot Nights'. Equaling engaging is the full-throttle metallic approach of 'Chasing Rainbows' and the blistering 'Armed And Ready'. 'Destination', 'Day of Doom' and 'Mind Games' sit somewhere in the wake to congested melody and symphonic overkill yet retain Harris' commitment to reach beyond traditional boundaries.


HARDER BEAT
Kevin White
Michael Harris - Hurricane X
Leviathan Records

Local guitar virtuoso Michael Harris has been crafting quite a reputation for himself on a global scale these past few years, with jaw-dropping instrumental records that most could only dream about being able to pull off.

This new collection again pairs Harris with label boss and long-time collaborator David T. Chastain, this time on bass guitar. Chastain and drummer Mike Haid recorded the basic tracks and Harris provided the leads and melodies. As part of Leviathan's Guitar Masters series, these same base tracks are to be recorded by several guitarists under the label's wing, each adding their own interpretation to them.

Harris' is far from his usual mind-blowing neo-classical style, but no less brilliant. This time, the guitarist explores his passionate side with a set of blues-based, Gary Moore-esque leads that are as emotive as they are beautiful to hear. Highlight tracks include the woefully dark "Prisoner Of Time," the Iommi-flavored "Day Of Doom" and the more up-tempo boogie of "Hot Nights." Harris explores the gamut of emotions throughout Hurricane X, and this is one ride you don’t want to miss. This disc is a must for any serious musician to hear.


John Forgach
Slug Magazine

Calling all guitarists, Hurricane X, originally released as Michael Harris' contribution to the 2002 Diginet Music Guitar Masters series, is being re-released through Leviathan Records. The Diginet Music Guitar Masters series has been going on since 2001. Leviathan head honcho and guitarist extraordinaire David Chastain recorded an album worth of bass tracks with backing from Mike Haid on drums, then distributed those tracks to a handful of guitarists. The guitarists then recorded an album worth of solos over the bass and drum tracks. (an album full of guitar solos - pure heaven!!). Michael Harris released three albums with his band Arch Rival before forming Zanister with David Chastain. Harris also has four other solo, instrumental albums to his credit. Michael fired up his guitar of choice (Hamer Scarab II) and attacked the eight tracks of Hurricane X. His improvisational skills are sharp and it shows on this release (he didn't do punches on any of the tracks). Michael plays with a lot of feeling, but at the same time knows when to add the right amount of speed and flair to his performance.


Electric Basement - Scott Alisoglu
MICHAEL HARRIS - Hurricane X
(Leviathan)

I've never been a big fan of instrumental albums. I always end up getting bored and wanting something with vocals. I do, of course, like the occasional instrumental, particularly the heavy metal kind, but people like Tony MacAlpine or Steve Vai just never did it for me. It always seemed to be just so much six-string masturbation. That said, I actually enjoyed Michael Harris' Hurricane X. Something about the raw guitar work and sharp soloing against a minimalist bass/drum backbeat (and occasional keyboard accent) really sucked me in.

Using his Leviathan Records label as a vehicle to search out the world's supreme shred masters, David T. Chastain has once again brought us a scorching guitarist. According to the press release, "This CD was originally recorded as part of the acclaimed Diginet Music Guitar Masters series but all parties agreed that this CD needed to reach a much large audience and that could only be accomplished by a full fledge commercial release." The Guitar Masters Series features top notch guitarists "playing over the same bass and drum patterns but creating their own original recordings." This one is the Michael Harris version and his six-string work is heartfelt and absolutely ripping. It's both beautiful and scathing at the same time and kept me interested through the entire CD and I'm not even a musician! Perhaps the coolest thing about this series is that each guitarist lays his tracks down without the advantage of having heard what other guitarists have played.

The CD insert includes a song-by-song explanation of Harris' experience laying down his guitar parts over each bass/drum track. For example, in talking about the album's first track, "Mind Games," Michael explains, "This was one of the toughest tracks to get a grip on, but using the 5th mode of the harmonic minor most of the time, I finally came up with a take that had enough cool ideas in it to be acceptable in my mind." Hey, I don't know about you, but I believe the guy. Harris also added a few keyboard parts, while David T. Chastain and Mike Haid played bass and drums, respectively.

Whether it's slow blues guitar (Robin Trower/Stevie Ray Vaugh Style) or hard rock scorching, Harris' playing is captivating. This is good stuff, even if it's not something that I would blare out of my car stereo while cruising down the highway on a hot summer day.


Rick Maloney
Metal Rules!! www.metal-rules.com
Promoting Metal Online Since 1995
aka: Thundersteel
Michael Harris - Hurricane X
Released: 2003 (Leviathan Records)
Rating: 3.5/5

In my early days as a reviewer for Metal-Rules.com I wasn't a huge fan of instrumental guitar albums. They always seemed to be full of unstructured guitar solos that only served to show off the chops of the performer and not necessarily his skills as a songwriter. After receiving many guitar instrumental discs to review I realized that not only was the genre alive and well and churning out a load of material, there were actually many guitar instrumental releases by artists that could create a song and convey a message without ever singing a word. One of those artists is Michael Harris. He is one of the few artists who can weave a tapestry of sonic delight with only his six string to lead the way. Michael Harris was born into a musical family and discovered the guitar when he was 14 years old. He lists his influences as, among others, Robin Trower, Ritchie Blackmore, Uli John Roth and Frank Marino. His first success came as a member of Arch Rival who released 2 EPs and 3 full length CDs. He has also joined forces with David Chastain in Zanister who have released two CDs called SYMPHONICA MILLENNIA and FEAR NO MAN.

HURRICANE X IS Harris' 5 solo releases and was originally recorded as part of the Diginet Music Guitar Masters series but it was felt that it needed to reach a larger audience so it was launched as a full fledged commercial release. The Diginet series provides a number of different guitar players with the same bass and drums tracks to which they then add to with their own unique guitar parts. Joining Harris on the disc is Mike Haid on drums and David Chastain on bass. The 8 tracks on the disc are a varied bunch including everything from jazzy romps to blues influenced tear jerkers with a bit a shred thrown in here and there for good measure. "Prisoner of Time" is a slow almost epic track that see Harris go for feeling over shred which works to dazzling effect as he sets a high standard early on the CD. "Day of Doom" slows things down even further as Harris plays with a much less fluidic approach. Again this son is more about feeling opposed to out and out shredding ability. Harris stretches his wings on the title track as he opts for more jazz oriented approach. This is definitely a different sound compared to his work in Zanister and shows why he is considered one of the best guitarists today. The closer "Destination" is the most shred-oriented song of the bunch. The song is highlighted by harmonic runs, hybrid picking and ghost bends which make this the most atmospheric and "heavy" track on the disc.

HURRICANE X is a more subdued disc than what I expected from Michael Harris. His band Zanister is much more in your face metal while his other solo works, what I have heard anyway, are more aggressive than this CD. But the whole exercise is not one in aggressiveness. It is in talent and playing ability. Harris more than measures up to the task at hand. The Diginet Music Guitar Masters series puts a new twist on the solo guitar instrumental CD. The backing music is already created and the artists must find a way to make his songs fit that already constructed backdrop. Michael Harris rises to the challenge and delivers a disc of engaging instrumental guitar


AXE-BANGERS GUITARIST SHOWCASE PROFILE
A Profile Report Featuring Some Of The World's Most Talented, Accomplished & Upcoming Players.

NAME:
MICHAEL HARRIS

PLAYING (YEARS):
25+

STYLE:
Progressive

GEAR:
Hamer Guitars, Mesa Boogie, Ampeg, Line 6 amps, Digitech, Line 6 effects

ENDORSEMENTS:
GHS strings

PAST ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
over 15 recordings with solo and various groups

CURRENT & UPCOMING PROJECTS:
1st solo vocal CD upcoming Spring'03

FAVORITE GUITARIST:
Too many to mention, but today it's Michael Schenker

MOST UNDERATED PLAYERS:
Michael Schenker, Brett Garsed

BEST MUSICIAN YOU'VE EVER SEEN:
Allan Holdsworth, Carlos Montoya

FOUR WORDS THAT BEST DESCRIBES WHAT YOU WANT TO GET ACROSS IN YOUR PLAYING:
Emotion, melody, originality, attitude

YOUR HERO:
Paul McCartney

ULTIMATE GOAL:
To retain my musical integrity, keep releasing recordings up to my standards, and touring Japan would be nice!


The Rock Hard Place
MICHAEL HARRIS - "Hurrican X" - Leviathan Records

Michael Harris returns to his solo work with this interesting collection. Leave it to guitar master David Chastain to come up with this, apparently different guitarist were given the same drum and bass tracks and asked to come up with the guitar parts. I don't have a lot of details on how this was done or how much time they had, but regardless, this is a challenge for any guitarist as it tests their skills in ways they might not normally consider.

Harris is known for his speed and progressive nature from his bands Arch Rival and Zanister, but you hear a wide range of skills on his solo work. Hurricane X, considering the way it was conceived, is most likely the closest thing you'll hear to the true Michael Harris.

"Chasing Rainbows" is a complete joy to listen too, he amazes me the way he makes the strings talk and the emotion he puts into the music. You realize what a truly lost art the guitar has become among the mainstream musicians. Overall it's hard to pick one track over the other, I tend to lean towards the more Metal stuff. "Mind Games" reminded me a bit of Micheal Schenker, but with Harris's own stamp accross it. "Prisoner Of Time" is perhaps the slowest song, but that doesn't stop Harris from doing some incredible work, in fact, he is probably more creative on this track than any other.

I've always though Harris's tones were superb, and he continues to impress me on this album. I mean, this is Metal guitar, but he makes it sound effortless and soothing. I have to think that even those not into Metal or Rock for that matter, could enjoy this for it's purity. It has the same effect on me as Classical Music does. It can be powerful as hell, but still has a melodic edge that is pure ecstacy to listen to.

For fans of Michael, this of course is a must. For those of you who appreciate good music, this is also one you should have in the collection. After finding out how this was put together, it really adds to the listening pleasure. It had to be a challege to put music to an existing rhythm section, but as usual, Harris passes with flying colors.


John James from Cincinnati City Beat
Michael Harris-Hurricane X
Leviathan Records
"Instrumental Guitar Domination!!"

Cd $9.99!



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