Full Circle

During the late '80s and early '90s, there was indeed a "guitar hero" oversaturation, as it seemed like every month there was a new six-string shredder who was following in the path of either Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, or Yngwie Malmsteen. But by the mid-'90s, the guitar hero seemed to be all but extinct, as grunge and punk-pop bands brought back the importance of songwriting over instrumental chops. But someone has apparently forgotten to tell this to a gentleman named Clintone. Many could be fooled into believing that his 2008 debut, Full Circle, was actually released in 1988, as the all-instrumental release certainly contains the same feel and sound as Satriani's Surfing with the Alien. As evidenced by such guitar solo-fests as "Return to Me," the title track, and "Dead Lines," Clintone has obviously spent countless hours practicing his scales and picking techniques backwards and forwards. And as a result, Full Circle will probably be considered a "love/hate" type of album — worshipped by shredders and fans of guitar-heavy instrumental rock worldwide, but coming off as same-sounding after a while to the average rock fan.