Album Review of
Resistance

Written by Robert Silverstein
June 16, 2020 - 4:20pm EDT
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Heavy metal and hard rock fans know guitar hero Chris Poland as an early member of the band Megadeth way back in the 1980's as well as more recent recordings with his band OHM and the band OHMphrey, the latter of which also included members of Umphrey's McGee. Chris gets back to his guitar instrumental rock roots, for the most part, on his 2020 solo album Resistance. On the 12 track Resistance, Chris teams with album co-producer / drummer Jim Gifford and a range of musicians, with the album being a co-written affair between Chris and Jim joined by Bill Dickens (bass) and David Taylor (guitars). Perhaps the coolest thing on Resistance is its sheer diversity and there's even a pair of vocal tracks that combines hard rock and a rap mash up but don't let that scare you off. As this quite colorful and primarily instrumental album unfolds, it's certain that the diversity Chris Poland brings to the 21st century fusion meets hard rock guitar world with Resistance manifests in a smorgasbord of music, with something that will appeal to most guitar lovers. Although instrumental hard rock is the artist's calling card, jazz-rock fusion is also a major aspect of this album, a sound which imparts a keen melodic edge to the arrangements, most noticeably on track four "Moonchild" and the album closer "Song For Brad". With a nod to jazz classic standards,  on the lone album cover track, Chris and company serves up a very credible guitar fusion remake of the Herbie Hancock classic "Maiden Voyage", written by Herbie way back in 1965. It seems like what ever genre of hard rock or fusion guitar music Chris Poland takes on, it's imbued with his own stamp of originality and excellence. With its diversity of sounds and styles, Chris Poland's Resistance is a sweeping, sonic joyride into electric guitar land.