ZIRAS, THEODORE „Virtual Virtuosity”

The album pictured – VIRTUAL VIRTUOSITY – is from Theodore Ziras. This classically leaned instrumental work from the self-proclaimed neo-classical shredder was released in March of 2003 on the Greek label (The native country of Ziras) Secret Port Records. The 11-track recording flows effortlessly from piece to piece, showing his guitar techniques fully, which never venture into heavy metal pyrotechnics and distortion, but predominately remain in the classical realm. That is not to say the fretwork on display isn't fast, as it can be at times, and more often than not speed is present. Theodore also adds more than a fair share of keyboard and drum accents into the music to harmonize with the overall playing.

This instrumental release is a great outlet for Ziras, allowing him to express his influences and style as an individual musician, with no constraints. But I do feel the CD could stray from the classical theme at times, and I believe that would add some diversity into the flavor of things here. But one can't deny the proficiency of playing on display, and a stray from the classical realm would be a contradiction of Ziras' influences. There are probably faster guitarists in the music scene, but Ziras is very skilled at the music he is creating, and there are numerous bands that would embrace a guitar player as advanced as Theodore Ziras in their ranks. If you want something to fit alongside your Michael Harris or David T Chastain instrumental releases, here's another one for you. I've seen this CD listed at a few online rock and instrumental retailers, so it shouldn't be hard to get your hands on a copy. Or just check out the official homepage.

http://www.theodoreziras.com