Knights, The - In Progression

Year of Release: 2003
Label: Lance Records
Catalog Number: L-2010
Format: CD
Total Time: 35:16:00

Surf Instrumental meets Progressive Metal . . . what is this all about? What kind of combination is that? It happens to be a unique and exciting new sound that nobody has ever come up with before. I do not use the word "unique" lightly; I mean it in the literal sense of the word. The Knights' newest family style collaboration In Progression is more than just a title. It defines what they are doing on all the tracks on this CD. If it sounds like I am gushing, I am. It is a first time family gathering of this sort as Dick Stewart and sons (Jason - Guitar) and (Ritch - bass) along with longtime percussionist Steve Hudgins, help Dad rock down the house. Dick goes back to '60s as one of the first innovators of the genre; his sons, who are excellent musicians, follow their father's example. Jason is a tech freak with the fast-as-lightning fingers, and brother Ritch plays bass as good as anyone I've heard in a rock unit. Dick is a legendary master of the surf-instrumental guitar with few peers, and Jason is a talented, six-string virtuoso who is still waiting for a shot at a major label deal.

Having the hindsight and vision of a true wise man, the elder Stewart has taken the old and the new to incredible new heights. While Dick plays traditional surf licks, Jason cuts loose with his whiz-bang, shredding hard-and-fast flourishes to answer the call of the past. It sounds like two different bands playing at once; I have never heard anything so wonderful before!

I have listened to my share of rehashed surf-instro tunes over the years and they sound great with a newly updated sound, but this is something entirely different. Just wait until you hear the classic tracks "Yellow Jacket" and "Pipeline." These songs will blow you away with their diversity and power. On one side of the tracks is Dick playing his clean and tasteful traditional surf and the other is Jason wailing away with progressive metal to give each song a rebirth that they have never enjoyed before. The entire package is impressive. The first thing that grabs you is the decidedly progressive artwork presented on the cover, and the liner notes are a terrific retrospective of this band and what they present on this CD. Every song sounds different. Besides the impressive covers, originals like "Shelbi With An 'i'," written especially for Dick's daughter, is a tropical breeze with beautiful Latin influences in the rhythm section and cool guitar lines to flesh it out with style. There is so much more too, I could go on forever. This is necessary requirement for any prog-instrumental-rock-guitar lover. Its time to feed your head with some instrumental music that is out of this world!

Tracklisting:
In Progression (3:52) / Ragtime Surf (2:38) / Torreon (4:21) / Yellow Jacket (3:04) / Awakening (3:36) / Surfin' The Badlands (4:12) / Pipeline (4:16) / Shelbi With An 'I' (4:08) / Aqua Loca (4:31) / Simple Wonders (1:58)

Musicians:
Jason Stewart - modern guitar
Dick Stewart - traditional guitar
Ritch Stewart ? bass
Steve Hudgins ?percussions

Discography:
Precision (1996) (comp. incl. 12 Knights tracks)
I Don't Need You (comp., 12'' vinyl)
Surfin' The Web (1999)
Jyck Monkey Time (1999) (comp., material rec. as Jyck Monkey Time)
We're The Mountain Riff-Raff (1999) (comp., material rec. as The Mountain Riff-Raff)
Lobo Power (2000) (comp., material rec. as Jyck Monkey)
Surfin' The Southwest, Santa Fe Style (2000)
El Papalote (2000)
Then And Now (2000)
In Progression (2003)

Genre: Other

Origin US

Added: February 23rd 2003
Reviewer: Keith "Muzikman" Hannaleck
Score:
Artist website: www.lancerecords.com/inprogression.htm
Hits: 2397
Language: english