I found it a little disconcerting to read the promo describing Fareri as an 'Italian guitar blazer' and a 'household name in the world of shred' as although I have the odd guitar hero's solo album in my collection I tend to prefer my speedy guitar histrionics to be within a structure of a band rather than being the focal point. Nevertheless, after a few listens its fair to say that there is a little more going on here than simple guitar posing.

Secret's Within marks Fareri's second release and is split into two seperate movements the first of which is entitled "Into The Dark Line". Consisting of nine tracks, seven of which top the six minute mark' this makes up the majority of the album and is also the section where Fareri's shows of his virtuosity to the max. The two opening tracks pretty much set the scene with blistering guitar work that will delight devoted shred fans but alienate any other type of listener quickly as it all decends into near computer game music at times. Respect for the clear ability the guy has is quickly supersceded by the sheer amount of times you can stomach someone ascending and descending the fretboard at warp-speed and in the end the most notable thing about the title track is that it has more false endings than a KISS farewell tour. To be fair, and to his credit, Fareri has gone to some length to offer importance to the other instruments on the piece and their is some often excellent piano work (also from his talented hands!) on display.

"Sonic Garden" has an ambient feel to it whilst The Waves stands out by offering some clever interplay between keys and guitar. "Liquid World" however display the worst indulgences of this type of release and is so fast it loses its initial melody and just sounds badly repetitive. The final twenty minutes of the album however offer some respite from the speed as movement two, "Out Of The Dark Line" is served up in more delicate fashion as only acoustic guitar is used alongside the keyboards and piano. More introspective and far less flashy 'Undefined' provides the highlight with some beautiful playing. By splitting the album into two distinct parts Fareri both showcases his versatility but also makes the album oddly disjointed. Although well produced I can't help thinking that interspersing the shred fest with some of the delicate acoustic work from the second movement would have made this a whole lot easier to listen to.

The released version of the CD promises transcriptions, tutorial videos and making of diary and pretty much cements my view that Fareri's target market is solely the shred fan, and I'm sure they'll welcome the first part at least, however I can't help thinking this is an opportunity missed. The shorter acoustic section hints at a more accessible direction and the overwhelming feeling I was left with is that Fareri could make some band brilliant but will remain in a niche as a solo artist.

-Leslie

OFFICIAL SITE: www.francescofareri.com

RELATED ITEMS: No related articles at this time.