Martin Miller – Maze Of My Mind
German guitarist Martin Miller has forged himself a notable career as an inspiring and knowledgeable guitar teacher and lecturer (Miller graduated with high marks from the prestigious Carl-Maria-Von-Weber College of Music in Dresden, majoring in music education and instrumental rock/pop/jazz).
However as a player (a passionate Ibanez endorser with his own MM1 Signature guitar; 2013's instrumental rock-jazz fusion album The Other End; numerous Session Band cover performances) he has garnered peer respect from six-string maestros such as John Petrucci, who described Miller as a "monster player."
That comment/ compliment is emphatically underlined by the incredible guitar technique to be heard on Miller’s new album Maze Of My Mind.
Seen and conceived by Martin Miller as "the start of a new chapter" in both his life (the journey to becoming a different person and bettering oneself) and career (his first set of original compositions after a five year writing break) Maze of My Mind is, at its heart, about positivity, as delivered through modern progressive rock and very high production values (Martin produced, mixed & mastered the album).
Opener 'Something New' is a "Toto-prog" tour de force that rises and falls across its nine minutes with some impressive dynamics. Martin Miller’s initial solo is an exercise in self-restraint but the outro solo, which builds to a crescendo backed by staccato rhythm and layered strings, is outstanding.
Indeed the guitar techniques on 'Something New' are dazzling, with every note played with precision and passion in equal measure. The melody of the song and Miller’s vocal delivery (Maze Of My Mind is his first album outing as a lead vocalist) are also very good, while his studio band (Marius Leicht - keys, Ben Jud - bass, Sebastian Lanser - drums) are also of the highest calibre.
However as a player (a passionate Ibanez endorser with his own MM1 Signature guitar; 2013's instrumental rock-jazz fusion album The Other End; numerous Session Band cover performances) he has garnered peer respect from six-string maestros such as John Petrucci, who described Miller as a "monster player."
That comment/ compliment is emphatically underlined by the incredible guitar technique to be heard on Miller’s new album Maze Of My Mind.
Seen and conceived by Martin Miller as "the start of a new chapter" in both his life (the journey to becoming a different person and bettering oneself) and career (his first set of original compositions after a five year writing break) Maze of My Mind is, at its heart, about positivity, as delivered through modern progressive rock and very high production values (Martin produced, mixed & mastered the album).
Opener 'Something New' is a "Toto-prog" tour de force that rises and falls across its nine minutes with some impressive dynamics. Martin Miller’s initial solo is an exercise in self-restraint but the outro solo, which builds to a crescendo backed by staccato rhythm and layered strings, is outstanding.
Indeed the guitar techniques on 'Something New' are dazzling, with every note played with precision and passion in equal measure. The melody of the song and Miller’s vocal delivery (Maze Of My Mind is his first album outing as a lead vocalist) are also very good, while his studio band (Marius Leicht - keys, Ben Jud - bass, Sebastian Lanser - drums) are also of the highest calibre.
Atmospheric ballad 'Fragments' reduces the intensity and straddles territory covered by, again, Toto and latter-era Genesis.
Sebastian Lanser shines on the second half of this six-minute piece with a series of fills and breaks that match the ability of Miller and, more importantly, suit the song perfectly.
'Left Inside' also references latter-era Genesis (but with more emphasis on guitar) and more noticeably Dream Theater, particularly in arrangement (there are some extraordinarily complex transitions across this seven-and-a-half minute number) and Martin Miller’s vocal delivery, which is very reminiscent of James LaBrie.
Miller’s guitar solo is very impressive, with flurries of impeccably played notes and expressive bends. Additionally, the end section with the odd time signature is something that wouldn’t be out of place on a Chick Corea Elektric Band album (Sebastian Lanser again impresses with his drum parts while Marius Leicht and Ben Jud prove themselves to be no slouches).
The rhythmic and melodically prog-rocking 'Web of Lies' could be from 90125-era YES and/or a Lukather solo album; it's also a song that emphasises the previously mentioned production values, with all instruments perfectly balanced.
Martin Miller once again impresses with an adept solo which employs use of the whammy bar and lightning fast, pristine arpeggios.
Ten minute album closer 'Compass (Beneath the Lights),' like opener 'Something New,' sits firmly in prog-rock "magnum opus" territory; it also displays the entire band's mastery of dynamics.
The studio effects used on the vocals are very effective here and actually contribute to the atmosphere, rather than try to mask any deficiencies (unlike insert almost any artist you hear on popular radio).
There’s another short, impressive solo from Martin Miller to link the chorus to the second verse before moving to the mid-section ostinato which builds (and includes a key change) before shifting down a gear for a truly epic outro section.
The melodic prog era Dream Theater are probably wondering how they didn’t come up with this song first.
If there are any quibbles, it’s that some of the Toto and Dream Theater influences are a little too on-the-nose homages, as opposed to "sounds a bit like,"
But while there are some heavily borrowed influences at play here this is a seriously impressive journey through the musical Maze of Martin MIller's Mind – the epitome of modern progressive heavy rock.
Nelson McFarlane & Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Maze of My Mind will be released on 31st March.
Purchase the CD and other Martin Miller merch at https://martinmillerstore.com/
Sebastian Lanser shines on the second half of this six-minute piece with a series of fills and breaks that match the ability of Miller and, more importantly, suit the song perfectly.
'Left Inside' also references latter-era Genesis (but with more emphasis on guitar) and more noticeably Dream Theater, particularly in arrangement (there are some extraordinarily complex transitions across this seven-and-a-half minute number) and Martin Miller’s vocal delivery, which is very reminiscent of James LaBrie.
Miller’s guitar solo is very impressive, with flurries of impeccably played notes and expressive bends. Additionally, the end section with the odd time signature is something that wouldn’t be out of place on a Chick Corea Elektric Band album (Sebastian Lanser again impresses with his drum parts while Marius Leicht and Ben Jud prove themselves to be no slouches).
The rhythmic and melodically prog-rocking 'Web of Lies' could be from 90125-era YES and/or a Lukather solo album; it's also a song that emphasises the previously mentioned production values, with all instruments perfectly balanced.
Martin Miller once again impresses with an adept solo which employs use of the whammy bar and lightning fast, pristine arpeggios.
Ten minute album closer 'Compass (Beneath the Lights),' like opener 'Something New,' sits firmly in prog-rock "magnum opus" territory; it also displays the entire band's mastery of dynamics.
The studio effects used on the vocals are very effective here and actually contribute to the atmosphere, rather than try to mask any deficiencies (unlike insert almost any artist you hear on popular radio).
There’s another short, impressive solo from Martin Miller to link the chorus to the second verse before moving to the mid-section ostinato which builds (and includes a key change) before shifting down a gear for a truly epic outro section.
The melodic prog era Dream Theater are probably wondering how they didn’t come up with this song first.
If there are any quibbles, it’s that some of the Toto and Dream Theater influences are a little too on-the-nose homages, as opposed to "sounds a bit like,"
But while there are some heavily borrowed influences at play here this is a seriously impressive journey through the musical Maze of Martin MIller's Mind – the epitome of modern progressive heavy rock.
Nelson McFarlane & Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Maze of My Mind will be released on 31st March.
Purchase the CD and other Martin Miller merch at https://martinmillerstore.com/