THORBJÖRN ENGLUND – Influences

Thorbjörn Englund is no slouch when it comes to technical chops and emotive playing in the modern guitar arena, and then some. In fact, fans inspired by Thorbjörn’s work with his Power Metal outfit, Winterlong, may be curious to hear a sampling of discrete musical pieces that more directly reflect the variety of musical styles that inspired Thorbjörn. Influences will treat fans and others to just that.

Counting up 16 tracks, 12 of which clock in at 1 to 2 1/2 minutes each, Influences is a musical amusement park with lots of fun but short rides, and no waiting in line. Each piece cuts to the chase and has some thrill or entertaining aspect to offer, albeit over rather quickly. Most tracks are nods to other players or styles familiar to most listeners in the Rock world. It’s a small world, after all.

Influences contains mostly Thorbjörn originals, some new, some old, all instrumentals. Many of the compositions are basically demonstrations or adaptations of one or more of Thorbjörn’s favorite musicians’ pieces or styles. Indeed they are compositions in the strict sense, not gross digressions of the Shred kind (thankfully). Since most of the tunes are short instrumental flights, development is minimal, with the central purpose of showcasing a short theme, catchy groove, or melodic line.

Two easily recognizable influences are Joe Satriani and Yngwie Malmsteen. As Winterlong fans know, a general Neo-Classical Rock feel is a staple of Thorbjörn’s, and it finds its way into many of the tunes more than any other single style. However, the styles performed range from Flamenco to Mozart. Thorbjörn reveals himself here as a musician’s musician, beyond what one might infer from his Winterlong project.

The Devil’s advocate will find the downside of the disc to be the derivative quality of those pieces that appear to mirror the style of a single player. Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but it is those pieces that flatter Thorbjörn the least. In addition, the production quality on the recordings is not quite up to professional standards and is more on the level of a high-quality demo, where sound (not performance) is concerned.

Thorbjörn clearly takes enjoyment in playing — that sense comes through in the music and rubs off on the listener. His performances here do sound truly inspired. Interestingly, the most meaningful pieces are the ones that have a less readily identifiable influence, the ones that are less homage to this player or that — the ones that most reflect Thorbjörn himself.

Alas, the brevity of the tunes does not do justice to Thorbjörn — whose individual style is entertaining in its own right and demands the breadth of an album of long instrumentals, which he is undoubtedly capable of creating. Nonetheless, Influences will be a bonus for those who are already Winterlong fans and following the career of Thorbjörn Englund; and for those who are not, the album might just influence them to sit up and take notice.