Band : Kiko Loureiro
Album title : Fullblast
Label : Mascot records
Distributor : PIAS
Release date : January 2010
Release : CD

Following the recordings and release of his previous solo album Universo Inverso (review by yours truly posted 24/03/2007, but the album was actually already released in Japan in September 2006), Angra guitarist Kiko Loureiro collaborated with Tarja Turunen on her 2007 album My Winter Storm (and the ensuining 2008 EP The Seer), and continued the collaboration by being part of the backing group (alongside drummer Mike Terrana, bassist Doug Wimbish of Living Colour & Madonna fame, keyboardist Maria Ilmoniemi, cellists Max Lilja & Markus Hohti, and Tony Turunen on additional lead & backing vocals, additional electronic drums, and additional keyboards) on her first world tour [the European leg done in 2007 (same year as when the readers of Japanese top Heavy Metal magazine Burrn voted for Loureiro as “Best Guitarist”), the second leg in South-America in early 2008, and later in the year playing Europe again] since her dismissal from Nightwish (she continued to tour for MWS in 2009, but I ain’t sure whether Loureiro was still part of her backing band then – after all, during that year both Angra and Sepultura did their Brazilian Metal celebration tour in several of the country’s cities. Of course the one does not exclude the other, but apparently Loureiro also collaborated on a Fusion project with 2 Brazilian musicians for the 2009 release of the self-titled Neural Code album – still to be released outside Brazil, I guess).

Just like his previous solo album Fullblast is a completely instrumental album, and sees Loureiro goin’ through different motions (mostly Heavy, but occasionally more romantic and introvert, even acoustic) fusing Heavy Metal and Rock with elements of (easy-listening) Jazz (a bit less this time) and Samba (mostly in the percussion)…sometimes letting the one dominate the others. With the guitarist also handling some additional percussion, all the pogramming, and most of the keyboards, his recording band for this album includes drummer Mike Terrana and bassist Felipe Andreoli, with additional percussion from one DaLua, and guest keyboards by Yaniel Matos (already guested on Universo Inverso as well) on the track “Whispering”. What you get, is 12 tracks with a total length of 53 ½ minutes playing time or, in other words, almost an hour’s worth of delectable instrumental  guitar music! The kind of stuff that ends up in the year-lists of guitar music lovers! Check out some songs at myspace.com/kikoloureiro (alongside 2 tracks from Angra, there’s one song off each of Loureiro’s first 2 solo albums, and a delicious 3 off the new one)! One more track off Fullblast can be heard at Moureiro’s own website (www.) kikoloureiro.com.br.

With a new instructional DVD (the 2-disc set Creative Fusion, Beyond Pentatonics & Power Chord)coming up, Loureiro is currently doin’ some clinics. And apparently Angra will be kickin’ off a new tour, come May 16 (starting in Brazil).

98/100

Tony.