MAGIC ELF

Magic Elf - an excellent instrumental heavy prog/prog metal with a slightly jazz fusion elements thrown in here and there is from New York, USA with two albums in their pockets so far. The second album from 2003 named Heavy meddle is a real gem of an album, really some fantastic passages here, the cherry on the cake is for sure Carl Roa - the head of the band and the guitarist. I can say easy wow, what a great underated guitarist, he playing so easy on the instrument. Reminescent in many places with Dixie Dregs, Steve Morse, Rush and in same league with another obscure band from USA named Wyzards, same aproach , musicaly speaking. Very freash pieces where Carl Roa simply shines, there is some intense instrumental arrangements here (all albums is instrumental) that typical energic heavy prog with some fantastic musicianship. Also there are some complicated, twisted and technical stuff here but aswell combined with a more melodic orentation - the resul is really inspired and pleasent. All pieces are great, not a single weak moment here. Heavy meddle is regarded among fans as the best from the two released albums of the band and one of the major instrumetals albums of last decade. The quality of the music is high calibre and for that reason I can only recommend this one to all fans of instrumental prog to check it, belive me worth every second. A very nice art work too. 4 stars easy, top notch release.

Mix together technical virtuosity, instrumental tracks with absolutely no fantasy theme, except song names and playfulness (they're playing, they even were able to bring this to tracks where's not singer, like big kids, but after all, we all are kids inside). In this style, it continues for about 35 minutes. Result, if you'll like it or not depends therefore on how you can handle these instrumentals. They reminds me Andy Timmons, more than anyone other. And they certainly were not added here because of this album, because to be guitar virtuoso is not one of the terms to get in here (Steve Vai is, Joe Satriani is not, Jeff Beck is, Eric Johnson is not, but they could be).

4(-) for skilled instrumentalists.

Magic Elf’s Heavy Meddle is one of the gems in my collection, although I do imagine that not everyone might find this album as interesting as I did, ah well…

Magic Elf is a New York based instrumental trio performing pretty nifty jazz rock, a fusion of progressive rock, metal and country. I’ve stumbled upon Magic Elf couple of years ago and--being mislead by the name--though “yet another power metal band”. I’m not sure whether the first song I’ve heard was Calamity Castle or Scrambledreggs but I changed my mind really quickly and think of myself as their big fan ever since.

Heavy Meddle is a 42 minute-long brisk fully instrumental album, a second one from Magic Elf and their last one so far. It’s got everything little tigers loves the most: neatly exposed bass lines, interesting drumwork and great guitar play, all mastered in correct proportions. The opening track, Calamity Castle, is a real killer with a crazy laugh thrown in the middle conveying the spirit of this song: wild and unpredictable. There’s also Dixie Dreggs styled uptempo country song Scrambledreggs, very ‘eavy N.S.D., Better Days Head that reminds me of an album Transformation by Alex Skolnick Trio and acoustic Gnome Poem to chill-out at the end.

The Heavy Meddle is a diverse jazz rocking album blended with metal or country riffs here and there. If you’re much into instrumental prog and like to hear entire band showing off, not just the guitarist this album is for you. If you don’t mind an instrumental album sounding a bit starkly because of lack of keyboard fillings this album is also for you.

I think this instrumental CD is a solid mix of style, melody, and musician prowess. Overall, the music is very reminiscent of Liquid Tension Experiment, sans keyboards and a bit shy of the overindulgence. The three membered band does an excellent job of keeping the music full and fresh. A very upbeat collection, this CD had me turning up the volume as I got into the grooves presented. Even with "Visions in Green" chilling out, a stand-out tune for this CD, the guitarist Carl Roa was able to pull off some subtle shreds that maintained grasping the pulse of the song.

The bassist Roy Altemus plays effortlessly through complex riffs and does not hide behind anyone, providing a solid bottom that does not supersaturate the overall mix. His tone matches the music perfectly. And the mix is top notch. Very clean with levels befitting of the material being generated.

Getting back to the styles of the music, I found myself hearing possible influences from Eric Johnson, Steely Dan, Deep Purple, Rush, and Steve Morse. "Scrambledreggs" really threw me off with what could be considered a progressive country invention including some picking that Roy Clark would have fun with. The musicianship chops were in full color for this ditty.

Overall, an excellent music experience and one which should be applied liberally to your ears.

After reading a review about "Heavy Meddle" in a local heavymetal magazine, I was very curious. I first listened to some tunes on the website of MAGIC ELF, and although it were just some very short samples, I was totally blown away. Being a fan of the LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT (LTE), I just had to buy this album. Compared to LTE, Magic Elf has a more jazz/fusion orientated sound, and a much cleaner production. Being a drummer myself, I was really impressed by Dave Miranda's very technical drumwork. Carl Roa's guitarplaying is very melodic with an exceptional character. Roy Altemus can be discripted as the silent force, but he's not afraid to take the lead in the more mellow parts. They're all very skilled musicians who sure knows how to make some very impressive music.

The next songs are the highlights of this record.

The record starts with Calamity Castle... full guns blazing! It's full of odd time signatures, changes of tempo, great breaks. Godspeed is a very heavy song, yet very melodic. Better Days Ahead is a mellow song, but the very aggresive drums makes this song something special. Scrambledreggs is definitely influenced by the DIXIE DREGGS, being a crazy uptempo mix of folk and country. N.S.D. is an old school heavy metel influenced song, but very melodic.

To all who both like heavy progmusic (DREAM THEATER, LTE) and jazzy prog (KING CRIMSON)... give this band, and this record especially, a try, and you'll might be blown away as well.