Instrumental rock isn’t the niche in that genre that produces a lot of fame and fortune for its practitioners but the loaded trio The Aristocrats are stars in that particular, underappreciated corner. Marco Minnemann (drums), Guthrie Govan (guitar) and Bryan Beller (bass) are Reason #1 why people should pay more attention to rock that lacks vocals because they just open up the spigots on everything else; they are ace musicians who can play almost anything with style, muscle and sophistication, and often do.
Their fourth album in eight years keeps them at the top of the heap. You Know What…? has metal swagger by the metric shit ton but it also has style, diversity and depth. The Aristocrats play authoritatively as that name suggests. And there’s actual democracy in this band, the players contributed and produced three songs a piece, which helps diversity but somehow the album still all hangs together.
At times, they’re channeling Cream. “D Grade Fuck Movie Jam” is exactly the kind of song you’d expect with that title: brash, unrelenting and dirty blues-rockin’ and “Terrible Lizard” is more of that heavy blues played with a sleazy looseness that teases and then delivers.
While Govan’s wah-wah wildman antics dominate those songs, Beller’s almost flamenco lines set up “Spanish Eddie,” and Govan’s jazzy runs in the break are tasty as frick. But the stylistic whiplash doesn’t end there: “When We All Come Together” is a straight-up hoedown on steroids while “Burial At Sea,” has a complex, prog-metal architecture.
“All Said And Done” slows down the tempo just a bit to showcase a pleasing melody and Beller shares the front on an equal footing with the guitar; his funk-filled aside more than justifies a shared top billing. “Spiritus Cactus” has an exotic, Middle-Eastern flair for a while but runs through a series of sections adroitly directed and navigated by Minnemann. And “Last Orders” ends the program with their most soul stirring tune, but the relative quiet is briefly broken by a stirring Govan eruption and then on his second go around he summons the ghost of Stevie Ray Vaughan and his soulful side.
So, it be might hard to know how to slot this music, though it bears many of the hallmarks of prog and rock-fusion. Whatever you call it, the Aristocrats do it well.
You Know What…? is now on sale at all the usual outlets.
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