Rondat, Patrick - On The Edge

Year of Release: 1999
Label: Limb Music Products
Catalog Number: LMP 9904-010 CD
Format: CD
Total Time: 59:03:00

In my review of Patrick Rondat's Amphibia, I believe I stated that some prog metal band should seriously consider grabbing onto Patrick and having be part of a band. Not that he isn't great on his own, but that he would surely make a great addition and focal point to any prog metal band in the world. His diverse styles would easily be adaptable to any band ? and a year or two later, Elegy found themselves employing the great talents of Patrick on their latest outing called Forbidden Fruit.

On Patrick's latest disc called On The Edge, Patrick takes us on a 13-song musical journey through a nice variety of his styles, including some basic metal structures, hard rock style melodies, prog metal songs, classically influenced pieces, and even some New Age-gone-metal styles. All of his music is laced with tons of melodies, never venturing away from the warmth that so many people crave in metal music. Sure, there are plenty of lead guitar passages in the music ? but it's a solo disc, right? The nice part about Patrick's playing is that he never seems bent on stealing the show and keeps the music interesting, allowing the listener to toe tap or head band depending on the frame of mind. Keep in mind that most guitarists who put out solo discs tend to bore most people just looking for some good music to listen to, rather than hear a million leads and chops ? most are reserved for budding or pro guitarists looking for pointers or who want to dissect the style to shreds. As good as Patrick is, you don?t get this constant barrage of "see how fast or good I can play", but you get a good mix of actual songs, melodic to the hilt, ones that if fronted with a singer, would surely make a bigger impact on the music world.

So, if you're looking for an instrumental disc that won't bore the hell out of you, and you love melodic metal played superbly, this disc will do the trick. However, if you get bored easily and you'd rather hear a singer out in front of a great guitarist, then grab Elegy's latest disc Forbidden Fruit. Either way it's Patrick Rondat doing what he does best - play superb guitar.

Also released by SPV (CD SPV 085-31512)

Tracklisting:
Destinies (4:25) / Cloudy Mountains (4:52) / Why Do You Do Things Like That? (9:14) / Into The Wild (4:30) / Duality Intro (0:37) / Duality Pt I (4:16) / Duality Pt II (1:31) / Duality Pt III (1:21) / Burn Out (acoustic Version) (5:40) / If Ever I Come Back (6:12) / On The Edge (5:57) / Across The Bridge (4:50) / Our Paths Crossed (5:38)

European Version Track Listing: Duality Intro (0:37) / Duality Part I (4:16) / Duality Part II (1:31) / Duality Part III (1:21) / Destinies (4:25) / Into The Wild (4:30) / If I Ever Come Back (6:12) / On The Edge (5:57) / Burn Out (acoustic version) (5:40) / Why Do You Do Things Like That? (9:14) / Cloudy Mountain (4:52) / Across The Bridge (4:50) / Our Paths Crossed (5:38)

Musicians:
Patrick Rondat - guitars
Michel Petrucciani - piano
Didier Lockwood - violin
Phil Woindrich - keyboards
Patrice Guers - bass
Tommy Aldridge - drums

Discography:
Time - The Element (1985)
Just For Fun (1989)
Rape Of The Earth (1991/93)
Amphibia (1996/98)
Amphibia Tour Album (1996)
On The Edge (1999)
An Ephemeral World (2004)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin FR

Added: December 1st 2000
Reviewer: Larry "LarryD" Daglieri

Artist website: www.rondat.com
Hits: 2283
Language: english