I have to admit that although I’ve heard Brett Garsed’s name a thousand times I never really knew anything about him about a year ago when I was interviewing Michael Dolce and he cited him as one of his main influences and inspirations. I started checking out live video performances of Brett on YouTube like this one ‘Got The Horn‘ and was incredibly impressed by the Aussie Fusion guitarist so when I saw that he had a new album available recently I didn’t even preview a single track before buying the album, I knew it was going to be good but in fact it’s way better than that.

Brett Garsed definitely falls into the Fusion category, this album twists and turns between Jazz and Rock and you can hear how Brett has been influenced by players such as Jeff Beck and Alan Holdsworth and yet in the opening track which is also the title track ‘Dark Matter‘ there are sections that get really heavy too with great drumming from Virgil Donati. This opening track is like a Brett Garsed showreel showing off his virtuosity and versatility.

The second track ‘Android‘ is what I imagine Joe Satriani would sound like if he was to venture into the Jazzier side of guitar, in fact I thought the same thing about ‘Avoid The Void‘ another cool track that shows off Brett’s phrasing, melodic sensability. ‘If Only‘ is a slow paced ballad that reminded me of Chick Corea but the playing is more bluesy, think Andy Timmons rather than Frank Gambale. Brett has such a great tone on this track both for the clean parts and the overdriven tone which is really rich and thick.

‘James Bong (License to chill)‘, how can you not like a track with a name like that?! This is as the title suggests a fairly laid back funky track with a quirky melody but it does ramp up for the chorus sections with some heavier backing. There are some great dynamics in this track, well all of Brett’s music actually, he seamlessly shifts gears between heavy rock back to semi-clean melodic passages. The guitar solo in this track is a lesson in legato, something that is a signature sound of Brett.

Brett Garsed is really quite handy with a slide, his technique of using his second finger is a bit unconventional but it certainly doesn’t hinder him at all as you can hear in the track ‘Be Here Now‘ which has moments that made me think of Pink Floyd. This track is a lesson in how to build dynamics in a track, alternating between a slow clean section and the slide melody with a heavier backing, this pattern of building and then breaking down continues until it reaches a crescendo with Brett’s solo.

‘Poison Dwarf‘ seems quite familiar to me for some reason, the intro sounds like a throw back to Shrapnel days of shred where the guitars were drenched in reverb and delay while the guitarist pulled off an absurdly complex riff, this totally changes after a minute though when the main melody enters. The solo in this track is a lesson in how little gain you need to create a great sounding tone, he has a light overdrive and yet pulls off some of the most amazing legato lines that demand the strongest fingers, a flawless technique and a complete mastery of the fretboard.

The final track on the album is titled ‘Enigma‘ and features and extended keyboard solo intro by Phil Turcio before launching into a crazy jazzy melody that Brett plays in unison with Craig Newman on Bass, it also features a bass solo from Ric Fierabracci who plays on the other tracks on the album. This is an epic track, 10:44 in length that constantly morphs into new sections. It has a solo from Brett where he is either using an ebow or a sustainer not sure which but it sounds cool. At the halfway point in this track things there is a really cool section with a syncopated riff that comes out of nowhere and then just as quickly ends and yet it fits so well, I’d love to hear this riff extended out into an entire track.

Brett Garsed is a total master of the guitar, his playing is always inventive, interesting and never repetitive which is probably the hardest thing to achieve as a guitarist in my opinion it shows that you don’t rely or fall back on patterns but just play what you hear in your head. This album has something for everyone even though it leans more toward the Jazz Fusion side of things, try if you like Greg Howe, Andy Timmons, Joe Satriani… no actually just buy it, it’s awesome and you will love it.

To buy the album head over to www.brettgarsed.com.