Dan Mumm-A Glimpse Beyond

A classically tinged shredfest from a young guitarist who has all sorts of ridiculous ideas about how true shred works? YES PLEASE. Dan Mumm is the latest in a long line of triumphant shred guitarists and his new record A Glimpse Beyond is a testament to the enduring power of Bach, Malmsteen, and Paganini. A blazing masterpiece filled with tasty solos, explosive riffs and songwriting that is often simply to die for A Glimpse Beyond is a lot of fun to listen to and its crazed yet strangely controlled solos are a wonderful way to kick off your day.

One of the first things that will strike you about this record is that in an era where almost everything is done by studio manipulation Dan Mumm is doing it for real. Furthermore, the way he fuses old school Shrapnel records style shred and classical music, with some more contemporary influences (Dare I say I hear touches of Periphery) is really cool. His understanding of baroque and classical is also impressive. Two of my favorite songs on the record are Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 and Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. Both reinterpretations of ancient songs that have sunk into the blood of the people. Yet it is important to note that while A Glimpse Beyond may be fun it is never overblown. Instead it stands tall and triumphant in the face of adversity, giving the listener courage to fight on.

In conclusion, Dan Mumm's latest release is a promising and powerful one. Fun, yet also filled with technical chops that are to die for A Glimpse Beyond provides a look into the heart of what could end up being one of the early twenty first centuries greatest composers. A man who knows how to write a stellar classically inspired metal song Dan Mumm brings in ideas that I've never really heard before in this context. One might even say that with this record Mumm is giving us, the listeners, a glimpse beyond, into the future of neoclassical music. I certainly hope he is.

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