BHP 2026
& HEAVY FRIENDS –
Tyranny Of Tone
Fighting fire with ire and nuance, Floridian performer calls his friends and family for another flaming communion.
Flamboyance may play a major part in what many a guitarist does, yet Brian Tarquin seemed to cease caring about showing off a long time ago, focusing instead on substance and camaraderie and generously sharing disc space with fellow creators who are able to elevate his music that more often than not serves a high purpose. But while 2023’s "Brothers In Arms" and "Beyond The Warrior's Eyes" from the following year honored veterans and channeled proceeds to the relevant charities, the eight pieces on “Tyranny Of Tone” benefit the California Fire Foundation. Such a choice defined Tarquin’s current selection of tune-troopers – some returning to his fold, others visiting for the first time – and Brian’s reliance on his son Liam as a sole composer, which also fueled this record’s faux-symphonic warmth.
If the shift is not apparent from the techno-tinged “IG-NITE” that features Steve Hackett, whose cosmic flights defy the piece’s arpeggiated gravity and contrast the host’s frenetic, albeit finely chiseled solo, there’s Mozart-esque grandeur in the proudly rocking “Dead Reckoning” – in which Gus G’s licks embroider Tarquin’s sequined heavy metal – to ram the point home. And though the titular opener that finds Joe Satriani raging in style indeed concentrates on the sonic beauty of his and Brian’s bellicose delivery and comes across as a triumphant statement of intent, Joe Deninzon’s violin lines on “Out Of The Ashes” – where Gary Hoey and Hal Lindes also appear – evoke orchestral tragedy to stun the listener. This is why Tarquin’s organ-bolstered lyricism and Carl Verheyen’s romantic figures are required for “Phoenix Rising” to bring about a perfect finale to the inflammatory platter and pacify the often-scorching approach to arrangement, as suggested by “Intergalactic Burn” that sees Bruce Kulick reach for jazzy joviality and the main man go for funk and engage a talk box for further fun.
Of course, one can’t talk of fire and avoid hellish images, even in purely instrumental terms, yet Stu Hamm’s frontal rumble and Bumblefoot’s stinging harmonies turn “Atom Smasher” into a dynamic battlefield, leaving it to “Übermensch” – and Doug Rappoport’s shredding complementing Brian’s own – to run wild and save the day. Ostensibly unfettered but well-controlled, with guests never overshadowing Tarquin’s command of the genres he’s deployed, “Tyranny Of Tone” is a storm of sounds bent on triumph.
*****
