Little Brian - Thrash Funk. 2007 USA

Thrash Funk is one of the most interesting albums in my collection. If you read what's on the tin, the album promises to combine two great genres: Thrash metal and jazz funk. However, other than perhaps the title track (maybe), it doesn't really contain thrash metal. But there's definitely heavy metal parts - as added to a jazz rock album. Funk nor jazz in metal is hardly a new concept, but what separates Little Brian from the others is that the jazz is really more what was known in the late 60s and early 70s as horn rock. Now that I've not heard mixed with metal before. And it's all instrumental, making it just that much more unique. I really appreciate the tight horn charts juxtaposed against the heavy riffing of the guitars.

The album starts off with a head fake on 'Slow Greasy', which is a self defining title - that of a grimy blues jazz. Then 'T-1000' blasts from the speakers and offers up the album's highlight, sounding like a fine mix of early Chicago and a speedy Iron Maiden. From here on, Thrash Funk continues in this manner. It's a relative short album (around 33 minutes), spread across 11 tracks, which is the perfect length for music such as this. The album's closer 'Party' continues on (after what I consider the end of the album) into silence and then breaks into a lengthy experimental bit. Not sure why they appended this on as it has nothing to do with the album proper, and it's not particularly well done (annoying in fact). But you can stop the CD prior to it.

Little Brian were trailblazing a new path, and I for one would like to see other bands in pursuit of similar. It takes a lot of work to write in horn charts within the context of complex metal compositions. Unfortunately it appears this album was to be a one off. A very obscure one at that. See below.

Personal collection
CD: 2007 private

The CD comes in a digi-pak, and at one point was available from CD Baby, where I purchased mine. You can still get a download version, but the CD has gone extinct. But I'm not sure who bought it other than me. I added this album to Discogs over 2 years ago, and remain the only owner, with precisely zero people wanting it. On RYM, 2 of us own it (the other being a friend there) and has all of 3 ratings. Gnosis has 3 ratings as well including mine. A tragedy an album like this is so unknown.

Liquid Tension Experiment. 1998 USA

Liquid Tension Experiment is basically an instrumental group featuring current and future Dream Theater members. And they took active King Crimson and experienced jazz bassist Tony Levin along for the ride. Levin was doing a few of these Magna Carta collaborations back then, so guessing he was bankrolling it for eventual retirement. And the other guys were I'm sure thrilled to have such a legend among them.

Of course when you get a bunch of Dream Theater guys in a room, and they decide to eschew vocals, then you can expect one prominent feature: Wank. They have that reputation even on the DT albums, and it's absolutely fair. The trouble with wank is it's entirely unnecessary. It's a form of insecurity I think. "Look at how many notes I can play per second?" To me it's like a guitarist and keyboardist's version of the drum solo. Unless you are a budding musician learning how to play, the discerning listener is not going to be too impressed. When I first bought LTE 20 years ago, wankery was the lasting impression, and I quickly sold it off into the marketplace. Today a copy walks in the door - for about 10 cents - and hey let's give this one a serious listen since it's here.

The truth of the matter is Liquid Tension Experiment's debut is not just about instrumental show-off, but rather they did manage to write a few good tunes in the process. Which is pretty impressive considering the easy-out would have been to provide just the opposite. Perhaps Levin's influence looms large here, or the others had more to say than chromatic scale practice.

The reality is this album barely has any heavy metal at all, and is more rooted in jazz fusion and even jammy blues rock. The guitar solos - when not wanking - have an almost psychedelic feel to them.

The album could have stopped after 'Freedom of Speech', and would have scored a 4.0 in my book. The opener is excellent throughout, mixing the heavy with the melodic. 'Osmosis' sounds like an instrumental version of early 80s King Crimson - or even 80's Jade Warrior (bet you didn't see that coming!). 'Kindred Spirits' reminds me of the best of the 80's and 90's fusion albums, and again features some fine melodies.

Then they begin to run out of ideas and start to rely only on instrumental dexterity. 'Three Minute Warning' - and even the ensemble state it's self-indulgent - looks like a recipe for disaster. But it's not so bad really, especially the first 2 parts that are more like a good blues rock jam than a boring practice session. And then they lose it at the end... Pity that.

Overall much - much - better than I remembered, and well worth a concentrated listen. Should have been even better. But the insecurities got the best of them. I never did hear the second one. Maybe I'll pay double and get that one for 20 cents.

Ownership: CD: 1998 Magna Carta. Jewel case.

12/18/18 (new entry)

Spickle. 2000 USA-Louisiana

Spickle were a quartet from New Orleans, who play a type of instrumental metal, as performed by a late 1960's era garage psych band. Sure, one would call this math rock as well, I suppose. Whatever the genre warriors want to label it, this is one entertaining progressively slanted instrumental (heavy) rock album. It appears this is a band that fell entirely through the cracks. That's too bad. 

Sold the CD (2021)

2004; 9/6/15 (new entry); 10/12/21