Maxxess The Sequel Play: Lo-Fi   Mid-Fi   Hi-Fi   Download: Lo-Fi   Mid-Fi   Hi-Fi (Excerpt from track 'Dreamcatcher')

The insert reads "Welcome to another chapter of a story with no beginning and no ending". Err, yeah right, that's one hell of a story then, can't wait, ( who needs ' Lord of the Rings' anyway??) The next sentence then states, "In 2001 l began with 'Electrixx'"!!!! Well that's torn it! This epic tale of yours with no beginning actually started in 2001! Time to cut the pretentious clap trap and concentrate on the all important music on the disc, (or should l be saying the neuro-transient thought-data retrieval process).

The set commences in a no nonsense fashion with '7th Heaven'. Thirty seconds in and l'm hooked, forget my early sniping, this is gonna be one hell of an album. Guitar, drums and synth conspire to create a real melting pot of instrumental textures and atmospherics that guitarists like Satriani and Vai should be truly envious of. Sonically l've read that the guitar work has been likened to that of Dave Gilmore, pish pish stuff and nonsense. If you like this disc go grab yourself some of Doug Scarratt/ Nigel Glockler's work. The production is sharp and punchy, the playing rock solid. Max Schiefele is very much a technical guitarist, at times sounding like Def Leppard's Phil Collen. The tracks are guitar led throughout and executed in a forthright manner which is really quite refreshing.

The gutsy rock opener rattles to a close having showcased what is on offer here. 'Borderliner' as you'd expect starts in a slightly more sedate mode with modulated electro-acoustic guitar stretching into a steady build featuring even ballsier guitar riffing than we encountered on the first track!

So now we've a problem, how do you follow a track like that?? Easy… more of the same, 'Gemini' firing off with a tight little sequencer pattern. A chugging guitar rhythm works its way to the foreground, weaving in and out throughout the piece, sounding like suspiciously like Trevor Horns Frankie Goes to Hollywood production work at the halfway mark, before we're given the big guitar finish.

'Dreamcatcher' should prove to be the most accessible of tracks for the hardened synth nut out there featuring as it does an intro of Berlin school technology, but where's the guitars? Edgy synth chords boost the suspense, and we're in T-Bass UK territory as the guitars finally arrive.

'Hard Grit', (surely not a play on words – on a rock album? Never). Starting with a fast undulating synth arpeggio, the track steams ahead, the guitar playing against sequencer flying through a variety of mood spaces.

'Oracle' has much more of a tight guitar rhythm to it in place of the big chordal slams experienced so far. Similar in style to the work of Jane Foucher. 'Liquid Cave' follows the similar pattern of synth and guitar interplay on this more laid back piece, the synths really winning the day. The nine minute 'Horizon' brings the show to an enigmatic close sounding very accomplished,( as indeed does the whole album). Superb. Max electrifies the entire set with the greatest of ease, driving the tracks forward without ever sounding too showy. I personally love this album, but understand that it may not be everybodys cup of tea given the heavy guitar content. Though to be fair, the synth sequencing really does fill out the stereo soundfield, so a 50/50 split between both synths and guitar would seem to be about right. One other thing which l thought to be well worthy of note is the quality of the drum licks used throughout. Much care and attention to detail has been paid to the drum programming. Is there a real drummer on this album, it sounds like there is? Well in actual fact our drummer only ever existed in software, Max is a one man band, playing/programming all instrumentation.