The Rosary album definitely holds my attention better than any of Zappa's famous instrumental guitar albums. Most extended rock guitar instrumental music strikes me as lacking form and focus. Even Frank Zappa when he's in that guitar mode is mostly wandering aimlessly. Then there are the pure jack-off guitar shredders, like your Yngwie Malmsteem, and other such pointless athleticism.
Ampline, however, is working here in a fairly high-tone form. They are clearly playing compositions, not just jacking off on some blues scales. There are identifiable song structure elements, themes, and thoughtful composition.
Stylistically, this might best be described as some kind of prog rock tradition. I would start to place them somewhere between Rush and King Crimson - but I'm afraid it doesn't sound quite so good if I say it that way. Maybe more than sounding just like either of them, it's that they have a similar high-mindedness.
I don't know that any of these tracks will be long remembered as classics, but they mostly sound pretty good while you're listening to them. Probably my best pick is "Voltaire Hath Spake."
Actually, this song and a couple of others do have a few lines of lyric, but in the mix they're treated like another instrument rather than a lead vocal. It doesn't seem like they're supposed to get special attention. The effect is nearly subliminal enough that it was only after several casual listens to the album did it cross my threshold that there were human vocals.
I also appreciate the brevity of some of their statements. I especially like the opening "Your Tongue or Your Life," and in significant part because it makes its gently chiming point and done in 43 seconds. It's a complete, short musical thought.
Now, I'm not saying that Ampline will make you forget Jimi Hendrix, but if aggressive, ambitiously thoughtful rock guitar instrumental music sounds like your bag, Rosary might hit the spot for you.
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