Francesco Fareri - Secrets Within (2007)Lion Music

Aforesaid Italian 7-string guitar player was born in Rome and he is currently a teacher at a music school there. Aside from his two solo releases which have been recorded so far, he also published three instructional materials and cooperated with the likes of Vitalij Kuprij, Cyril Lepizzera, Kyle Honea, Jim Horne, Christian Pulkinen, Thomas Bressel, OSF Project, Citriniti and he has just formed KF Project.

The third act in his solo activity was recorded alongside an American bassist Kyle Honea and Italian drummer Lucrezio De Seta as the basic line-up. Francesco came up with an excellent idea to divide CD into two parts: "Into The Dark" and "Out Of The Dark". The first one is much more heavy and faster, however the second part is coming down a peg or two. Just listen to the title track on which Francesco plays together with an Ukrainian keyboard and piano virtuoso Vitalij Kuprij in order to encounter guitar pyrotechnics and key fireworks. They wage a kind of instrumental warfare where speed, precision and ideal performance are the characteristics. They easily juggle the tones, so I guess their scope are unlimited. There is also another guest keyboardist - Bob Katsionis (Imaginery, Firewind) who plays key solos on "Liquid World". His playing is more subdued in comparison to Kuprij's, but most significant is the fact it fits to Francesco's parts perfectly. I am sure that their artistic liaison is succeeded with a measureable advantage. An important role is also played by a bass virtuoso Kyle Honea whose fingering is comparable to Billy Sheehan's. Despite the high speed of Francesco's music, his instrumental concepts are sheer and don't pour together into an unrecognizable plastic, haha. All fluid chops and mad accelerations ensures us an abundance of rich solos at really fast tempo. On the second part of "Secrets Within", Francesco unleashes all emotions out of his mind showing an ability to express the artisitc anger and sensibility as well. It proves that Mr. Fareri is both a professional guitarist as well as a great keyboardist. Dividing the CD into two parts is perfect idea, since every listener can have a rest after shredding frenzy, haha. Italian's acoustic and delicate tones are as picturesque as Govi's soft works.

Anyway, it is necessary to mention this music is very melodic and well-arranged. A sonic waves can cause a goose bump, and neoclassical battering ram can shred you to pieces as well, haha. I think that classifying his style as instrumental progressive metal with shredding arpeggios and neoclassical overtone mirrors the contests best. Undoubtedly, he is one of the fastest and most adroit shredders on the globe. Generally, "Secrets Within" offers an insane music for sane people, haha, so I can heartedly recommend this CD to the fanbase of George Bellas and not only.