Guitarist Toby Knapp (Onward, Waxen) has posted a rundown of his solo albums, ranking each one. An excerpt from the list is available below.
Guitar Distortion (1993 - Shrapnel Records)
Knapp: "I was twenty years old and Mike Varney hooked me up with drummer Ray Luzier and producer/guitarist, Tony Fredianelli. At the time, this made some shred guitar traditionalists angry and I took a lot of criticism. Time has put this album into the proper perspective. It's great musicians working together creating some progressive instrumental thrash metal. The drumming and odd meter rhythms are the focal point. It's good. It's Shrapnel Records quality and still has a strong fanbase."
The Campaign (2010 - Shredguy Records)
Knapp: "This album is horrible and unlistenable. Stupid songs, bad riffs, unfocused, awful production, etc. There's a good guitar solo on 'Telekinesis', good riffs on 'Conspire' and a good song 'Reanimation' with Attila Csihar on vocals. This album is bad. Don't record an album drunk is the lesson here."
Blizzard Archer (2019 - Moribund Records)
Knapp: "I think this album sounds great. Most of the songs are good and the guitar playing is really fiery. The opening track 'All Hands Planted' came out excellent but the title track grates on my nerves. This was a moderately successful album and seems to have found a fanbase. It's more like a traditional metal album with guitar solos instead of vocals. It's good."
Read the complete rundown here.
Knapp recently completed work on a 3-song EP, with a bonus fourth track, a cover of UFO'S "Dance Your Life Away", originally released on a Michael Schenker-era UFO tribute album in the early 2000s.
States Knapp: "This is just fun instrumental heavy metal guitar music. It's got a raw sound and reminds me of how I played and wrote music in my teenage years. That feeling is back; just making music because you love it and you have to. It's dedicated to the memory of Jeff Beck because his guitar work was one of my earliest influences and I always followed what he was doing for inspiration. I couldn't help but emulate him more than a few times on this EP.
The Merciless Regime EP will be released via Shredguy Records in limited quantities.
Tracklisting:
"Delerium Hierarchy"
"The Law of Malice"
"No Raid at Dawn"
"Dance Your Life Away"
The EP release will coincide with the release of Onward's comeback album, Of Epoch And Inferno, on vinyl. Waxen's sixth album, Die Macht Von Hassen, will hit the streets shortly thereafter.
