Bruce Bouillet – The Order of Control (2013)

Do you know that Paul Gilbert was not the only guitarist in Racer X? Well, his ex-partner was Bruce Bouillet. He recorded Racer X's Second Heat album, in which Scarified was there. That's make thing clearer about Bruce Bouillet capacity. Although lesser exposed, Bruce Bouillet is guitarist with same specification as Paul Gilbert. Virtuoso shredder on his own. On his belt is three solo albums (including The Order of Control), a works for Paul Gilbert and other band-based recordings. Just like what we heard in Paul Gilbert. Bruce's works also highlighted the potential of what you can get if you mastered the alternate picking technique in its finest. One different is that, unlike Paul Gilbert who put in many musical-jokes shreds, Bruce's got more serious, darker and heavier in tone.

All compositions come to remind us to the Shrapnel years school of shred. Blind as We Watched is melodic in writing, as well Seeing Through, Defiant and the climax of melodically playing in Akiko. While Deafening is dark harmonic minor, that oriental scale, works. It's a bit too long to be put on the second track. For slightly different style of feel, it is on Giving Up The Ghost, which is a hard rock in first place with lots of sliding notes. Bruce also put in some obscure techno experiment, as in Grand Reversal. On the Order Of Control, is ambitious composition that required some thinking, because the song built on bizzare chord progression that may sounds disOrder of Control for some part.

Being in the generation of '80s shred, Bruce Bouillet may a bit less productive in producing solo album, so grab this recording fast. The Order of Control is pure, not much offered anything else other than guitar shredding. The most contrast point is only in the final track Akiko. But if you like guitar in the vibes of Paul Gilbert, this is a valuable addition to your shelves.

Metal Harem class: ********* eight stars out of ten

Bruce Bouillet – The Order of Control (2013)
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01. Blind as We Watched
02. Deafening
03. Seeing Through
04. Giving Up The Ghost
05. Grand Reversal
06. Defiant
07. One Minute Warning
08. Order of Control
09. Crowd Control
10. Manipulators
11. Breaking the Barrier
12. Akiko

Dave Foreman (Bass)
Glen Sobel (Drums, ALICE COOPER)
Bruce Bouillet (Guitars)

Bruce Bouillet The Order of Control album review