In the past couple of weeks, I've now reviewed two guitarists that I had not previously heard of, but will not soon be forgetting. The first was Charly Sahona, the second, also from France (this is the third review in two weeks for a French band/project) is Julien Damotte.

I know very little of Mr. Damotte, other than that he is based in France and has taken some lessons from some great guitarists, including Bumblefoot of GUNS N' ROSES and Steven Forte of ADAGIO. He is also the guitar player for a band called MADONAGUN.

One thing is for certain: Julien Damotte has some serious guitar chops. Even better, he's gotten Gus Monsanto, formerly the singer of ADAGIO to sing on the album! There are some guests that show up for a solo or some vocals in many of the songs, most notably Mattias IA Eklundh of FREAK KITCHEN in the final song for a guitar solo. Damotte definitely has skill at his instrument and is capable of writing more than just awesome solos (although there are a few of those present too). There are many great ideas here and there is definitely plenty of potential, but that leads us to one of the biggest problems.

There are many grand ideas here, but almost none of them translate into great songs. There were parts that made me say "woah" out loud, but even after more than half a dozen listens, none of the songs themselves stuck in my head. Another detriment is the use of a drum machine; I think the feel of a real drummer is needed for any album to truly succeed. Another thing that stuck out to me was how processed and mechanical the guitars sound.

here's no problem with playing songs perfectly, but the production gives the guitars a digital sheen that makes them sound similar to keyboards. I think a more organic sound would have benefited "Trapped" a good bit.

Even though this record is far from spectacular, it certainly shows promise. I hope that with some more experience, the name Julien Damotte will become well-known by guitar lovers everywhere.
<