I have always hovered around the fringe of the musical world. I love listening to music, talking about music, and reading about music, yet when it comes to actually applying myself to the art of learning an instrument or attempting to sing, well… I got other things going on compounded by a lack of focus. So often times when I am listening to a sweet riff or a great vocalist I feel a bit of disappointment in myself that I will probably never be able to match such a feat, even though in the back of my mind there is always that thought of “maybe one day”.

Well in the department of the electric guitar, any such hopes were smashed with cruel efficiency and left for dead on the side of the road upon listening to Orbital Attempt, courtesy of Ioannis Anastassakis. I mean, the pedigree alone of this guy is jaw dropping. Want to be a world class guitarist with few if any equals? Graduate from a world renowned college (Musicians Institute) in the top 1% of your class. Get hired to be a teacher of the same school. Perform with virtually every style of musician known to man (look up his bio and see the names he appears with). Study and master various styles of guitar. Seriously, that is the tip of the ice burg for this guy. He has devoted his life to the mastery of this instrument in every style, limited by none, and on Orbital Attempt the payoff is huge.

First and foremost, this is an instrumental album. Before you roll your eyes and make for the exit, let me assure you that at no point during the duration was I the least bit bored or disinterested. On the contrary, there is so much going on in this album that I struggled to digest it all. Who needs a vocalist when one guitar can say so much? The various flourishes, countless riffs, and numerous solos just seamlessly flow from one to the next in a fashion where it never actually felt like the guitar was separate from its support, which is often the case on solo/instrumental albums (Yngwie Malmsteen comes to mind). No song sounds alike, with various styles such as Neo-Classical, Progressive, Flamenco, Classic Rock, and so on all being represented in turn (or in the case of Progressive Minds, in one song). It is also very cool to note that many of the fine supporting musicians on the album come from Ioannis’s Greek Guitar Power school.

The individual songs themselves range from great to mind blowing. First and foremost is Progressive Minds, which is a tribute to various styles and musicians. At nearly 12 minutes in length, this track runs the gauntlet of paying homage to such guitarists as Yngwie Malmsteen, Vinnie Moore, John Petrucci, Eric Johnson, and more. Astrochicken’s Victorious Atta (either the greatest or worst song title I have ever heard) is more straight forward in its approach, with a sharp metal edge that will find a welcome home amongst fans of Power Metal. Abort Horizon is a Neo-Classical affair, with a strong resemblance to early Symphony X. It holds true with most tracks on Orbital Attempt that you will be reminded of various bands or guitarists, but at no point does it feel like they are being imitated. Ioannis instead masterfully pays homage to all of them while keeping the music singular and unique. I find it massively impressive that he is able to replicate their styles at all, which should illustrate just how great this guy is at guitar.

In truth I could go on and on in great detail/worship of each track, because each stands its ground against the others in sheer awesomeness, but the bottom line is this: For fans in any shape, form, or fashion of the electric guitar Orbital Attempt is a must own album. The skill on display here by Ioannis Anastassakis is only overshadowed by the obvious joy he has in doing it, and those are the artists we need to be supporting. A fantastic album that doesn’t say a word, yet speaks volumes to those lucky enough to listen. Order it today! Unless you live in Greece, in which case go support your local record store cause they be dying.