AERIAL VIEW

In 1989 Gamalon collaborated with legendary American sax player Ernie Watts in the album ''Project: Activation Earth'', a relationship which continued further onto the band's third album ''Aerial view'', released again in triple format on MCA Records and Amherst in 1990.Watts appears as a guest musician in one track, same as with Tom Schuman, who plays mini-Moog synth in one track and guest violin player Geoffrey Fitzhugh Perry.For the first time the production of a Gamalon album will switch hands and guitarists Bruce Brucato and George Puleo with help in the process.

Standard US Jazz/Fusion with a clean, guitar-led sound is the offering of ''Aerial view'', which shows Gamalon at a fine form, creating music that can be both accesible and virtuosic with a nice sense of melody and a good amount of mascular guitar moves, always supported by a solid rhythm section.The music is all instrumental as expected with plenty of fiery rhythmic parts, impressive guitar solos and more laid-back deliveries with an emphasis on atmosphere than technique.With every style Gamalon proove to be among the leading acts of the Fusion scene at the time and their sound is often colored with surprising vibes, such as orchestral preludes, Heavy Rock pounds in the vein of RUSH, Ethnic orientation in ''Relapse'' or even some discreet funky lines in the bass work.The fact that the band could switch styles with comfort is amazing, even if the album has often a slightly annoying nuance, typical of the late-80's Fusion productions.

Confident, melodic and demanding Jazz/Fusion with a palette of different sounds.Fans of guitar-based Fusion will love this at first sight.Recommended.