Deluc: 8th Wonder

Deluc is Fred Leduc on guitars/keys, bass by Marcel Yammouni and Euripides Euripidou, keys courtesy of Phil Turcio and drumwork provided by Gino Saracino. Vox and wordtracks by Ken Auriant and others.

This release showcases Leduc’s strong songwriting and guitar playing. This is a mosaic of progressive rock, jazzy prog, melodic guitar instrumentalism, and plenty of time signatures to spare. Leduc does not waste time whanking or incessantly noodling. Each riff is a piece of the puzzle, part of the song, and not a dangling display of chops. He is very tight, expressive, and a pleasure to kick back to and just enjoy the riff-ride and myriad of guitar voicings. Nothing is absolutely incredible but all the fretwork is strong. Hats are off to expert drumming everywhere.

“Identity”, a track on a prog collection CD was my first exposure to Deluc and I was immediately impressed. This cut is one of the strongest on the disc. “Potent Dreams” is very, very Santana in his 1994 Brothers period, another great Deluc song. On “2+2=5" we hear Leduc really fire it up — watch for flying pick shards! The rockin’ it out drive continues on “Mass Co.” with shredding and wailing enough to satisfy any guitar lover. Mellow things happen later as well, in that Satriani-type ballad of soulful electrics.

I cease here to say here is plenty of variety and very little filler. Deluc has crafted a solid guitar-driven release. I’d give it an 8 outta 10, looking forward to more goodies from this Aussie riffer. Good job, Fred.

Contact info: Email: [email protected] Cyberhome: http://www.web.access.net.au/deluc

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