Chris Poland

Chris Poland - Chasing the Sun - 2001 - Mascot Music

Dave Mustaine usually gets all the credit for creating Megadeth's fierce guitar attack on their classic early albums. But guitarist Chris Poland was an integral part of Megadeth's guitar tandem on what is considered by many to be two of thrash metal's first-wave classics (and an obvious influence on countless bands to follow), 1985's Killing Is My Business...And Business Is Good! and 1986's Peace Sells...But Who's Buying? Born on December 1, 1957, in Dunkirk, NY, Poland was more influenced by jazz-fusion bands than heavy metal acts early on, which resulted in a relocation to Los Angeles during the late '70s to play in a jazz-fusion band with fellow New York transplant/drummer Gar Samuelson. By 1984, Poland and Samuelson had crossed paths with Mustaine, which resulted in the formation of what many consider the definitive Megadeth lineup (which was rounded out by bassist Dave Ellefson). Along with Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax, Megadeth was one of the trailblazers of the thrash metal genre (which were heavily influenced by Motörhead and early Iron Maiden, and served as a reaction of sorts against the then-thriving hair metal scene). Judging from the aforementioned Megadeth releases, it appeared as though the Mustaine-Poland-Ellefson-Samuelson lineup would go on to become one of metal's all-time greats. This turned out to not be the case, however, as Poland and Samuelson would exit the band in 1987 under less than rosy circumstances (allegedly brought on by rampant drug abuse by all the bandmembers). Poland would resurface briefly as a bass player for punk rockers the Circle Jerks before launching a solo career, with the release of 1990's Return to Metalopolis. Poland would continue to issue sporadic solo albums over the years, as well as one-off releases with such bands as Damn the Machine and Mumbo's Brain, while also working with Megadeth in a sporadic, studio-only capacity (playing on demos for 1990's Rust in Peace, and on 2004's The System Has Failed). Poland continues to work with other acts, including OHM, and has appeared on a pair of releases by Lamb of God (2003's As the Palaces Burn and 2004's Ashes of the Wake). © Greg Prato © 2013 AllMusic, a division of All Media Network, LLC. | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/chris-poland-mn0000114427/biography

The second (and to date final) Chris Poland solo release is Chasing the Sun. Clearing the metal elements completely out of his sound, it’s a pure jazz fusion record, but might still be of interest to his fans. This is what I figured going into this album, but I’ve got to say I was a bit disappointed.Realistically, this should be a lot better than Return to Metalopolis. After all, this is Poland in his natural element. Jazz was his mainstay before Megadeth, so revisiting the style should only yield good results. And yet I find myself gravitating away from Chasing the Sun in favor of his debut. No doubt that Poland’s guitarwork is excellent, but with all of the metal elements stripped away his compositions come off as pretty bland. The main themes are quickly dismissed as if they were tedious necessities standing in the way of the solos, a presentation which is fundamentally opposed to compositional logic. It’s the thematic elements that remain with the listener long after the song is over, not the flurry of notes crammed into the bridge (however technical in execution). The only exception to this is for listeners that have never heard a good guitar player before, for whom every solo is a fresh passage of discovery. Basically, I feel the record is a bit too self-indulgent. Where as Return to Metalopolis had a lot of strong tracks on it (“Row of Crows” kicks ass), this is almost entirely mellow noodling. It’s a bit strange to say this (as the only real ties between them are that they both were former Megadeth axemen and I’ve reviewed their albums recently), but I’d recommend Marty Friedman’s solo material over this; at least he can show a little restraint. For Poland fans looking to hear his post-Megadeth highlights, you’d be wiser to start at his debut or Damn The Machine’s self-titled album. © DawnoftheShred, February 18th, 2009 © © 2002-2013 Encyclopaedia Metallum http://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/Chris_Poland/Chasing_the_Sun/19154/

It only took guitarist Chris Poland a full decade to follow up his 1990 solo debut, Return to Metalopolis, with the arrival of 2000's Chasing the Sun. While the album contains quite a few traces of Poland's metal past (after all, he was the guitar player in Megadeth on such classic albums as 1985's Killing Is My Business...and Business Is Good! and 1986's Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?), Chasing the Sun turns out to be a mixed bag of tricks. Picture one of Joe Satriani or Steve Vai's early instrumental solo albums with a focus on jazzier sounds, and you're not far off from Chasing the Sun. Poland's fusion leanings shouldn't come as a surprise, though, as he's been vocal for years about how he was a jazzhead before joining forces with Dave Mustaine and company during the early '80s. Right from the beginning, you know you're not in for your standard straight-ahead six-string shredfest, as the album-opening title title track takes an abrupt detour into trippy psychedelia. You'll also find funk sounds ("Hip Hop Karma"), fusion ("Robo Stomp"), King Crimson-like weirdness ("Straight Jacket"), and excursions into melodic territory ("Salvador"). Fans of early Megadeth expecting bone-crunching thrash metal may be let down, but for metalheads willing to open their minds a bit stylistically, Chasing the Sun will be a pleasant surprise -- and further proof that Chris Poland is one of hard rock's most underrated guitarists. © Greg Prato © 2013 AllMusic, a division of All Media Network, LLC. | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/chasing-the-sun-mw0000041837

This album has received mixed reviews. Most of the poorer reviews come from music critics who are expecting music of the type that Chris played with Megadeth and Damn the Machine. “Chasing the Sun” is a collection of high quality obscure demo tracks all recorded by Chris between 1994 and 1999. This solo stuff is not what a Megadeth fan would probably expect so naturally the album will receive some negative reviews. However, it may appeal to a wider audience of great instrumental guitar and progressive rock fans. It's really an excellent album and even in demo form, these tracks capture the essence and maturity of a very talented musician. Tracks like Robo Stomp , Salvador, Mercy , Song for Paul and Alexandria 99 are indicative of a transitional phase for Chris Poland, between his “Return to Metalopolis” debut album and his work with Ohm, his instrumental fusion power trio. To reiterate, if you’re a diehard Megadeth lover, this album probably won’t give you the explosive metal sound you might expect, but this is still great music. Listen to these brilliant instrumental tracks, and broaden your musical horizons! The album is HR by A.O.O.F.C. The European version of this album has 3 bonus tracks. Listen to OHMphrey’s s/t album featuring Chris and Jake Cinninger on guitars, and read a detailed bio of Chris Poland @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Poland [Tracks @ 171-320 Kbps: File size = 109 Mb]

TRACKS

1 Chasing The Sun (03:04)
2 Hip Hop Karma (03:42)
3 Wendell’s Place (03:08)
4 Robo Stomp (03:21)
5 Straight Jacket (03:16)
6 Cosmois Thumb (03:14)
7 Lu Lu’s Dream (03:30)
8 Salvador (03:15)
9 Interference Blues (02:28)
10 Alphabet City (02:42)
11 Mercy (01:39)
12 Song For Paul (03:39)
13 Alexandria 99 (04:15)
14 Terra Incognito (bonus) (03:50)
15 Da Vonci (bonus) (02:52)
16 Sand Castles (bonus - dedicated to Jimi Hendrix) (05:23)

Tracks 1,2,4,5,6,7,10,12 composed by Chris Poland, Mark Poland, & Francis DiCosmo: Track 3 composed by Chris Poland, Mark Poland, & Robertino Pagliari : Tracks 8,9,11,13 composed by Chris Poland

MUSICIANS

Chris Poland - guitar, bass
Francis DiCosmo - bass on tracks 1,2,4,5,6,7,10,12
Robertino Pagliari - bass on tracks 3,13,14,15,16
Mark Poland - drums on tracks 1,2,4,5,6,7,10,12
David Eagle - drums on track 13
Mac Hine - drums on tracks 8,9
Koko Bermejo - drums on tracks 14,15,16