September 15, 2013 It isn’t easy describing the genre of music Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal creates. There’s a bit of everything mixed in — grunge, hard rock, pop rock, heavy metal, alternative. One thing I can say though is that the songs are catchy as hell. Ron Thal is the current lead guitarist for Guns N’ Roses and personally, I prefer him. For any of the songs in this album, try ignoring the lyrics and only pay attention to the music. Do that and you will realize that Ron Thal is the Pied Piper of our generation. His mesmerizing music will pull you along with it, have you clutching onto the melody, following the notes around every metaphorical street corner and down every narrow stone cobbled street till the very end. The album tells the story of Ron Thal’s journey as he takes pills to suppress his unstable (?) personality. The second track, “Real”, is a fast-paced short song. Ron is having an information overload and can’t tell what’s real. Remember this because some of the songs are a bit more on the fantasy side. In track three, “Another Pill Goes Down”, Ron realizes he’s sacrificed his talent for peace of mind. The feigned arrogance in “Rockstar for a Day” mixed with near-brutal honesty makes for unexpected chemistry and good humour. Nearing the end, we have “Awake”, a slow song from Bumblefoot that I actually like. The vocals compliment the music and not the other way around. Track 11 is a brilliant and hilarious song about a relationship with a give and take imbalance. And “Shadow” (track 12 out of 13) is the true end to this album. Ron is comparing the two choices before him and in the end he chooses. I have listened to this entire album over 30 times. I first heard it more than 7 months ago and I still can’t get over it. Forget gold or platinum, this stuff is uranium.
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