Steve Vai is back and he has not lost a single step. He’s still pushing the envelope on his 10th studio album – Inviolate. Don’t believe me? Look no further than Steve’s latest weapon of choice that he has named the “Hydra”.
Built in conjunction with the designers at Hoshino and based on a “steampunk motif” idea of Vai’s, the Hydra is a beast of an instrument – a one-bodied, two-headstock-ed, three-neck-ed creature that encompasses, among other things: seven- and 12-string guitars; a four-string bass; sympathetic harp strings; half-fretless necks; single-coil, humbucking, piezo and sustainer pickups; floating and hardtail tremolo bridges; phase splitters; and much, much more.
“It’s an incredibly-built machine,” Vai says. “I told the guys at Hoshino, ‘Anything that you think is conventional, don’t do that.’ This was an opportunity to exercise brutal creativity. And they went beyond.”
Steve Vai always seems to think outside of the box and this guitar is no exception. However, the Hydra is not the only thing Vai has pushed the limits with. From beginning to end the album is a journey through intriguing melodies and seemingly impossible leads.
When I first received the album preview and track list, my eyes went immediately to the number of songs. It was 9. But do not worry. There’s nearly 47 minutes of guitar bliss on this record. To be honest, it was some of the most exciting 47 minutes ever. Even though I’m still living in the moment of ‘Inviolate’ it has me wondering what Vai might have up his sleeve next.
I always list my favorite moments from the album during these reviews and I will try to do that here. But quite honestly, the whole experience felt like a moment to me.
‘Teeth of the Hydra’ starts the album and what a better way than to start with a song that is not straight forward. From the tempos and drum patterns to the in and out aggression of the guitars makes this one feel a bit sinister. The growl at the end is a perfect way to get the blood pumping for more.
I recommend taking ‘Candlepower’ for a ride if you are looking to hear an expanded view of Vai’s expansive guitar chops. For me, this song is all about that tone. It has a great sound as he pushes his strings to the limit.
My absolute favorite track is ‘Avalancha’. I’ve probably listened to this one more than any other song in the last few weeks. This one took me back to my youth in many ways. Not only is Vai incredibly passionate with his phrasing and harmony licks, he has constructed a five minute journey that takes the mind to soaring heights. As I listened to this one again and again it almost made me feel like I was trapped inside of an old arcade or NES video game. As the levels start to increase so does the intensity of the song. As you reach the end of the levels the chorus kicks in just in time for you to regroup. The final level? Look no further than 3:39 of the song. That’s the expert level of the game and the absolute arc of the song and album, in my opinion. Every album has the one song and ‘Avalancha’ is that for me.
As I stated earlier, this entire album is note worthy and I find it difficult to list songs to recommended. I want to go on and on about the rest of the tracks like ‘Greenish Blues’ and the album closer ‘Sandman Cloud Mist’. However, I will end simply with: Go give this one a listen and I promise you will not be disappointed.
So go now! Take a listen to this marvelous album and definitely let me know if ‘Avalancha’ took you to another place like it did to me.
-Tommy Marz
Follow @Tommy on Twitter.
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Here’s a link to an interview I did with Steve a couple of years ago: https://soundvapors.com/interview-steve-vai/