LAWRENCE WALLACE – Journey Through Time

Welcome to the Shred Fest

Guitar virtuoso Lawrence Wallace has self-released his newest full-length album, Journey Through Time. The album features 9 tracks of instrumental Shred Metal in the vein of Yngwie Malmsteen and early Jason Becker, giving guitar fans an excellent album that harkens back to the days of Shrapnel Records, Paul Gilbert and Tony MacAlpine. Lawrence Wallace expertly plays all guitars, bass and synth, with Arnaud Krakowka kicking ass on the drums.

Haunting Metal Maniac

Lawrence Wallace is a guitar and music virtuoso from the Philadelphia PA area that plays in a style reminiscent of the top 80s shredders. Lawrence comments on Journey Through Time, “When I started writing songs for this album, I had sort of a mystical theme for it in mind, but decided to steer it into an album that focuses primarily on guitar tricks and shredding. And why not showcase that side of my playing? It is, after all, an instrumental record. I wanted to keep the energy of the music high, but with add a couple slower songs as well. Overall, I was aiming for a Michael Angelo-Batio tone with a Paul Gilbert/Dragonforce playing style.”

Top Tracks

If pure lightning licks and flying bass drums are your thing, you will love “Exuberance” and “Ambush” as they are quite relentless in drive and speed. For a different feel the “Haunted Cemetery” offers a break from the storm with it’s eerie minor chords that would feel right at home on any King Diamond album. Another stand out for this reviewer is “War in Heaven” with its killer riffs, sweet melodies and of course, more shredding.

Final Notes

Putting out a solo album as a guitar player can be very challenging in capturing enough diversity to make the songs stand out and stick with the audience without vocals. Lawrence Wallace is a very capable guitarist that has the licks, knowledge and skills to make it work. The one thing that may be missing from the album is a strong, crying guitar melody over some of the slower tempo songs. All in all, Journey Through Time is a solid instrumental album that is worth checking out. If you are a fan of super-shredding lead guitar instrumentals, this is a good one for your collection.

Lineup

Lawrence Wallace – guitars, bass, synth
Arnaud Krakowka – drums

Journey Through Time – Tracklist

1. Visions of a New World
2. Ambush
3. Exuberance
4. Haunted Cemetery
5. Escaping the Abyss
6. War in Heaven
7. Palace in the Sky
8. Journey Through Time
9. Graveyard Storm

Total Running time – 31:28