FISSION

A great and unbelieveble complex musical offering from one of the most dangerous brothers tandem in music THE JOHANSSON BROTHERS!They are both famous worldwide,especially because their stunning work with the Swedish guitarrero YNGWIE MALMSTEEN,but also from collaborations with RONNIE JAMES DIO,STRATOVARIUS,BENNY JANSSON,HAMMERFALL and many others!They are very skilled in playing even pure metallic music,however their musical education offers them the most perfect possibility to express theis fantastic qualities in the fusion ,jazz rock fusion area!Even the album is under the name of JENS JOHANSSON brother edited-the keyboards wizzard,ANDERS -the mad drummer is dynamite here too!The album called FISSION can be called untre technical progressive fusion,some others call it even hardcore fusion!It's an avalanche of crypted and super sofisticated rhythms and over difficult music,purelly technical and sometimes really tough to get the musical dig to the limit! Very complex,and that's why this type of an album is a true candy for amateurs of unconventional fusion,extreme in the musical approach for ultra technical fusion!The true highlights of the album,among the other compositions ,which are all sensational-technically speaking-are those where SHAWN LANE pusjes some fabulous solos,which trully enlight the album-I speak here about ACROSTIC STIBBOLETH and the opening HOODED STRANGERS- 2 impressve and catchy tracks where LANE really smokes-as usual-we complete the information!MIKE STERN is another heavy name which is present here on 3 tracks and this is giving to the album another dimension!STERN's play is more aggressive than usual,some scarry technical chops are breathtaking even and it's 200% really spectacular too! In conclussion a very good album for fans of ultra technical fusion,for SHAWN LANE's fans a must have and for good music lovers a very valuabe piece in any serious collection! 4.5 STARS FOR PURE TECHNICAL FUSION MADNESS, A FORGOTTEN MUSICAL PEARL!

Jens Johansson is joined by, jams with, and fuses expertly alongside his brother, Anders, on serious drums, and guitar virtuosos, Shawn Lane and Mike "Sterno" Stern on this release. Sounds too hot, too frenetic, too "in-your-face" jazz-fusion? Not so. Jens structures it all just right. Let's say the backbeat funk keeps the fun upfront in this fusion-fission fest.

Out of nine tracks, Shawn Lane solos very "Holdsworthian", guesting only on tracks one and four. Mike Stern plays his trademark Telecaster tone in an "Is-What-It-Is" mode on track two, trades licks with Jens and Shawn on track four, and lastly on track six.

This album's gestalt is Jens Johansson flat-out getting down, laying out the grooves, and racing with his brother Anders on drums. Jens provides multi-styled, synth-bass lines like Jan Hammer did in his days with Jeff Beck. Anders tears it up on percussion like a monster rhythm dervish. Jens solos splendidly all over this structure whilst guitarists Lane and Stern add the "icing on the cake" served hot outta Jens' oven.

Fission is for folks who got into Jan Hammer's post-Mahavishnu, boogie-fuze-rock, dug early Chick Corea quirky changeups and tempo, and enjoy Adam Holzman's omnipresent synth-key grooves post-Miles Davis' demise. I liked the basic jazz fusion feel and the driving pulse in all the compositions. Being a guitarhead, I could've opted for at least 30-90 seconds more Stern or Lane in every track but hey, this is a keyboardist's album. I imagine after Jens' years of backing up neo-classsical shredmasterYngwie Malmsteen and playing in DIO, the guitar binge reached its limits. Jens deftly dances all the parts of keys, guitarish leads, cookin' bass heartbeats and comes away leaving an interesting stamp on the listener. "Hey, where was the guitar part? I missed it but that song was awesome without it!" This Jens dude is hot!"

The final bonus 10:45 track, "Beautiful Lung Dogs", is an electronic fever dream meander through alternate universes in the Walter/Wendy Carlos or Morton Subotonick/Varesé experimental daze. Good stuff for Haloween nite or a college music project but 'tis notta groove thang. Overall, I give this CD a strong 8.8 out of 10. Recommended.