• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Usually, when I get a solo album from a guitarist, I roll my eyes in expectation of excessive noodling, mainly instrumentals and "songs" whose sole purpose is to make the guitar playing not sound like a YouTube clinic. Thankfully, that isn't the case with Leo Viridi's debut, LV1. Nope, this album is comprised of traditional metal songs with vocal lines that give Viridi's guests something to actually work with and only a couple of short, sweet instrumentals. Hell, Viridi doesn't even take all the leads himself, with former Megadeth guitarist Glen Drover contributing five. Drover's brother Shawn handles all the drums and a few different vocalists, including Henning Basse from Firewind, round out the album. I particularly enjoyed the songs with Dissention Rising singer Danni Carroll as her smooth voice meshed well with Viridi's compositions. I wouldn't mind a whole album with her at the mic and Viridi on guitar next time. LV1 is short, just over 32 minutes, but that also works in its favor as it never wears out its welcome or devolves into pointless fretwork. A nice debut effort from Leo Viridi.