FABRIZIO LEO is a relative newcomer to the instrumental community of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal, and hails from Milan, Italy.  This is his third full-length release, and contains fourteen tracks.  In discussing the new album, LEO was quoted as saying "I think that my new album "Spectrum of my Past" is the best one I've ever written so far in terms of compositions and sounds. There are some strong and 'captivating' melodies on it but also some cool shredding moments. This time more ballads ended up on the final product. The main goal for a musician is to reach the heart and soul of people."  Allow me to make some highlights on the album. I have always maintained that good instrumental guitar compositions should register in your mind as vocal lyrics.  In other words, you can feel and hear the titles of the songs in the music.  The chord progressions in "Alien Abduction" do just that.

The pace is swift, and LEO chooses just the right amount of notes to impart the positive and progressive feeling that I hear. The sparse but well-timed fret tapping enhances this but does not overtake the main melody of the song.  Where he really hooks me in is with the track "Remember Me."  This song is pure joy, as if a fleeting memory from a warm summer day with an old friend.  The melody soars into the clouds during the chorus, leaving chills on my arms.  "Sardegna" has a nice swinging rhythm and a Spanish feeling to it at times for me, featuring some running bass lines that accent his emotional leads.  "Laura" is a very coy song, with lush doses of slow and emotional legato guitar lines that are just drenched in sugary goodness.  When he releases some speedier lead passages here and there you are reminded of his technical mastery as well.  "Liquid" follows suit.  Though it's a much shorter song, it is covered in beauty.  In the vein of appreciating some fast, burning, and shredding numbers, we have "Thirty Nights Fever," where the structure and chord progressions remind me of some earlier work from the great BLUES SARACENO.  "Zombie Science" sounds exactly as you would think, based on the title.  It is a down and dirty sort of groove, where the lead dances in and around the main riff.  "Cico" has a very unique sound and rhythm, with a lot of secondary instrumentation.  Closing the album is the song "Samba."  The varying percussion that accentuates the guitar parts gives it that classic Latin feel.  LEO's leads are once again highly creative, going from slow and moving too fast and bright.

The variety of sounds LEO is able to conjure from his instruments is impressive.  When you couple this with his compositional skills, which focus squarely on feel-good melodies and pure emotion, FABRIZIO LEO must be included in all future conversations regarding the best Hard Rock and Heavy Metal instrumental guitarists.  Though he possesses all the technical prowess of a STEVE VAI or PAUL GILBERT, it is precisely his method of composition and unique phrasing, over mindless shredding that sets holds the album in such high regard.  Much like JOE SATRIANI, his music speaks to your soul first.  If he doesn't leave you with a long smile at the end of your listening experience, you may want to check your pulse to make sure you are still breathing.