Be Metalways: STEVE VAI Inviolate | Weekly Heavy Metal Album Review

Released by Mascot Label Group on January 28th, 2022

Quick Background

Steve Vai is an American guitarist, composer, singer, songwriter, and producer. A three-time Grammy Award winner and fifteen-time nominee. He started his recording career in 1980 with Frank Zappa. In 1983, Vai began his career as a solo artist with his release of Flex-Able, and solidified his place as a virtuoso rock guitarist with his acclaimed 1990 release of Passion and Warfare. His discography consisted of nine studio albums before Inviolate. The previous one being 2016's Modern Primitive.

Inviolate

Inviolate. is consequently Vai's tenth studio solo album. It features 9 songs in 47 minutes. The highlight of the album is his new gigantic, over the top Madmax inspired new guitar, the Hydra. I won't go into describing it here, but in the description below you can find a very interesting short interview only about this guitar. The opening track "Teeth of the Hydra" was written for and performed on the Hydra. It's a cool song with nice soundscapes a breakdown using the Hydras's harp that gives it a Indian music flavor. It mostly sounds like a 90's Vai or Satriani mid-tempo song. The single "Zeus in Chains" picks up on the tempo a little and is a nice groovy song. Overall sounds very similar to the opening track so they flow nice into each other. I do like the main riff a lot and its variations specially as it is being played with a drum break. It gives the song its special character. The video single "Little Pretty" is different, a jazzy song played on a Gretsch hollow body guitar and according to Vai features his best guitar solo ever. It's mesmerizing, do yourself a favor and check it out.

"Candlepower" reminds me of "Sisters" or Tender Surrender" but it's also quite unique, as Vai uses the technique of "joint shifting". The experiments and challenges in this song were the results of the lockdown. He uses use a very clean tone, no whammy bar, and no pick, just fingers. The result is fantastic and fascinating, you can also check this one out with the link below.

"Avalancha" and "Greenish Blues" is more traditional Vai style song very similar to something out of Passion & Warfare. The first being a rocker and the later a bluesy cousin of "For the Love of God".

"Knappsack" was written when Vai had his right arm immobilized due to recent surgery. At that time he received his beautiful Black Onyx PIA latest Ibanez signature model. So he wrote the song with this new guitar and only for the left hand fully relying on the legato technique. He also made it available on another impressive video with the link here as well. The album closes with "Sandman Cloud Mist" is a beautiful, slow tempo, emotional and melancholic also played in the new signature model.

The Picky Guy

I don't really have a lot to picky about this album. I mean if you are not into guitars and/or instrumental music, then it's not for you. But other than that the only thing I can say is that some songs are so different and innovative, that the more "traditional" ones in comparison sound "simple". But Vai's simple is a major challenge for 95% of guitar players.

Wrap Up Opinion

Vai continues to use his solo work to expand and explore. He has been continually challenging notions of traditional guitar playing and composition even at the age of 60 and having accomplished so much in his successful career. With Inviolate he has done it again. Not only he re-imagined the instrument itself with the Hydra, but also this time around, Vai quite literally invented a new guitar-playing technique. And those are just to highlights of the so many things we discussed he did and explored in this album. Besides all that, the music is fun and entertaining to listen. So I can only say it's a very good album and unless Satriani comes with something so impressive in the coming weeks, Inviolate is the guitar album of 2022.