If you’re a guitar junkie who gets off on guttural, passionate jamming and a taste of virtuosity, you need to check out the Trip To The Lost World, the debut album from singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and breathtakingly fantastic guitarist Maxsel. Based in Olso-Norway, Maxsel not only composed, arranged and played all instruments on Trip To The Lost World, he also mixed and mastered the record. Talk about a five-tool talent.
There is something so primal about Trip To The Lost World. It’s literally like going back in time to another welcome. Maxsel provides a welcome return to the heyday of virtuoso guitarists ruling the planet. Think Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and Yngwie Malmsteen. With his guitar, Maxsel wields the same type of power a Jedi does with a light saber. Maxsel effortlessly transitions from straight up rock, to funk, metal and even jazz.
The overall feel of Trip To The Lost World is a very welcome progressive. The grooves and rhythms change on a dime. Blink and you’ll miss them genre switch ups only serve to make the music more mysterious and exciting. If you could only take one song from the eight that make up Trip To The Lost World, you might just go with “Shy Landscape”. The wah-drenched lead guitar line is like a musical seductress. The bass is just funky enough underneath to rear its head just enough. But at the 1:30 mark is where the song goes to that place that all great songs go to. It’s hard to describe but easy to hear. And you hear it here in a big way!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJTV_RV_fYE
“Going Up” shows off the best guitar and bass interplay. It’s at this, the sixth track on the album you start to think that Maxsel’s bass playing might rival his wicked guitar work. And on album closer, “Consequentialism”, Maxsel takes us down a darker path with some wonderful acoustic guitar arpeggios and a minimalist approach to the leads. The track is a calm, peaceful ending is a nice juxtaposition to the wildly aggressive and fun ride MAxsel has taken us on.
Maxsel has all the makings of a modern day guitar here. His chops are insane. He possesses a self-awareness that not all axe-slingers do and that is that it doesn’t always have to be pushed to eleven at all times. Playing with dynamics and building atmospheric compositions is really what provides Maxsel the canvas to be able to really mystify with his great guitar work. Trip To The Lost World will really hit the spot for all you guitar maniacs out there! Check it out now!
