If you’re familiar with the amazing Black Label Society, you would definitely know the insane talent of guitarist Dario Lorina. Lorina’s solo album ‘Death Grip Tribulations’ is a shred epic and nothing short of that. ‘Death Grip Tribulations’ is a walk down nostalgia and is very reminiscent of the good ol’ days of shred metal.
The record opens up with “Echoes of a Stone Heart”. The song opens up with a mellow and catchy introduction. The song is melodic before sliding into Lorina’s lead sections. With a strong and consistent rhythm section, the leads on the song give a voice of sorts to the music. There’s a lot of trade-offs between mellow and warm rhythm sections and the leads then coming into play. Nothing new conceptually, but, it is something enjoyable. “Rituals” takes off where the previous song left and brings in a lot more tension in the music. It carries over the same spirit in which the album started with. The title track “Death Grip Tribulations” is an absolutely maniacal shred fest. There is the essence of the older shred era songs. The sheer intensity of the music is nothing short of amazing.
“Waves of Nostalgia” brings down the pace of the album. This song is very melodic and tasteful and does have a very ‘rockstar’ vibe. The album ends with “Same Dice” which is pretty much the topping on the cake in this record. This song is a sudden deviation from where I thought the album would progress. The song had a fancy jazz-esque arrangement. Apart from the hugely enjoyable guitar and drum sections, the work on the bass is absolutely brilliant. Well, this song may not be the ‘ heaviest’ song, but the arrangements are simply magnificent.
All in all, ‘Death Grip Tribulations’ is a fine example of exemplary musical prowess. The album is full of some very interesting ideas in regard to the sound and melody. The ripping guitar solos and a strong and consistent rhythm section worked beautifully with each other. At quite a young age, Lorina displays a great sense of musical direction and a ear for good sound. There’s a fine blend between vintage sounds and recent tastes in modern metal. The line up who made this record possible include John DeServio (bass), Jeff Fabb (drums), Phil Campbell (guitar) and Marten Andersson (bass). And much like the sounds and melodic arrangements on the album, the production too sounds vintage and crisp. Perhaps, this style of production may not necessarily be a a great first time inspiration among the newer metal crowds. But, this sound grows on you.