Greg Rapaport

Greg Rapaport - Wyrd - 2001 - Splinterhead Productions Inc.

Greg is a seven-string guitarist whose musical focus is a combination of instrumental progressive-metal and jazz-fusion. Currently living in Cortland, New York (Northern Westchester County), he writes and records his own material in his project studio. © 1996-2013, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates http://www.amazon.com/Wyrd-Greg-Rapaport/dp/product-description/B000068ODQ/ref=dp_proddesc_0/184-5972484-4226027?ie=UTF8&n=5174&s=music

Full of great musical ideas and the technical skills to pull off the tricky twists and turns of his compositions. - Prognosis, 5/25/02

Greg has no problems taking jazzy chord progressions and soloing over them with ferocious, no-holds-barred metal/shred licks. - Dan McAvinchey , Guitar Nine Records, February, 2002

On "Wyrd" he most prominently displays his talent of mixing jazz and prog metal genres while at the same time using intense shred licks to provide his music with a sharp edge. Listen to the album opener, "11th Portal", for some very dense, multi-layered guitar work. "Mahdah" and "Bugjuice" are more straightforward jazzy tracks, with a clear guitar sound. "The Unconscience" is more groovy, quite excellent in fact. The album closer, "Darkmatter" is a more recognisable metal track. Greg Rapaport's limit is noticeable on the other half of the tracks. It is very difficult to write an album of instrumental guitar music, especially if the tracks are more than a few minutes long. Some of the themes get repeated a little too often, and not all of the tracks are equally memorable. Apart from that, my only minor gripe with "Wyrd" is that it could benefit a lot from a human drummer. “3 rating” © RK Written June 2002 © http://www.karsmakers.nl/metal-e-zine/gr_w.htm

From the ashes of his previous bands Nero and Spectrum, Greg Rapaport has set forth with his solo material in the form of nine instrumentals that more than adequately show his prowess on the guitar. "11th Portal," the first track, is reminiscent of Vinnie Moore's style and command of the guitar. The second track, "Madah," has a sort of prog-jazz sound that makes me realize what Steely Dan would sound like if they were shredders instead of mild urban jazz rockers. Rapaport's progressive influences are proudly displayed on "The Unconscience" when he zips through some ripping lead guitar lines over prog-like progressions. "Bugjuice" is a crisp number where the bass and drums play just as important a role in the song as the guitar. "Powderburn" ebbs and flows with heavy and quiet moments like a lot of songs out there these days in the instrumental realm, but it's Rapaport's sense of rhythm and timing that make this song stand out. The other four songs I haven't mentioned by name are as equally daring and interesting which is something that I can't say about a lot of bands or instrumental artists these days. Rapaport uses a seven-string guitar to really get a heavy, low sound on most of his tracks that emphasize funk rather than tried-and-true rock rhythms. Rapaport's lead and rhythm work are satisfying at all turns. I, for one, am very much looking forward to hearing more of Greg Rapaport's work. The rest of you who enjoy the work of Chris Poland, Confusion, Steve Vai, and Joe Satriani's heavier moments will all enjoy Greg Rapaport's impressive display of skills and songwriting chops. Greg Rapaport plays everything on "Wyrd" and produced the disc in his own home-studio. "Wyrd" has a bold, clear production that makes it a listening pleasure. For more information visit http://www.gregrapaport.com. Reviewed by & © Christopher J. Kelter © 2002 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights reserved. Revised: 13 Sep 2013 01:30:05 -0500. [Given a 3 guitar rating = “Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world” http://www.roughedge.com/cdreviews/r/gregrapaport.htm

An instrumental album of progressive heavy-metal and jazz-rock fusion and funk on which New York prog.rock/fusion guitarist Greg Rapaport mixes jazzy chord progressions with a some savage metal phrasing but also some good melodic lines. This is not a groundbreaking album. Technically, the musicianship is good, but the material could have been developed better. Nevertheless, Greg composed all the music, played all the instruments (7 String Guitars, Bass, Keyboards, & Drum Programming), and also produced and engineered the album. He is a very talented musician, and credit where credit is due. This album has a lot of merit. Check out his "Artifacts" album [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 110 Mb]

TRACKS

1. 11th Portal 5:57
2. Mahdah 4:32
3. The Unconscience 6:19
4. Bugjuice 4:32
5. Trust 5:06
6. Diminished Returns 4:19
7. Powderburn 5:32
8. Silk 3:56
9. Dark Matter 4:36