Band:	Michael Harris
Album:	Ego Decimation Profile
Style:	Neoclassical, Progressive metal
Release date:	1993

01. Forewarning
02. Vicious Uppercut
03. Stratus-Fear
04. Julius Seizure
05. Pawn to King IV
06. Grandscape
07. Hair On the E String
08. Freudian Trip
09. Brainwarp
10. Terminus Epic

"Ego Decimation File" is a re-master of the 1996 Michael Harris release to sound newer, fuller and more modern in line with the class and quality of production of releases these days. This album is an entirely instrumental album with very good musicianship right the way through. The music is particularly progressive with lots of twists and turns in places you do not anticipate. Grand symphonies are seemingly ever present in the background with a constant barrage of guitar work in the foreground.

As we travel past the opening introduction track that sets the scene of an album surely destined to be one capable of intriguing the listener throughout we bump into the first full, solid track of the album. A real heavy metal feel comes over and a flurry of double bass drumming fills the track in a rather power metal sounding way. Generally the album leans mostly towards the area of progressive metal though, but still without it's obvious classical influences.

Lion Music have a whole catalogue of talented musicians who choose to make their albums the instrumental way with no vocals at all, and most of the time it works very well, but with Michael Harris the album, although musically good and a lot of effort has gone into the musicianship side of it, constantly feels dehydrated of vocals. There are a lot of places in this album that you could easily imagine some sublime soaring vocals coming in and elevating the music to a higher level, and because this album is a completely instrumental one for numerous passages we are left with more and more guitar.

"Ego Decimation File" is a good example of having too much of a good thing, guitar playing on this album is superb as well as the groovy bass lines that follow along and the odd jazzy tangents they shoot off in; but when guitar, bass and drums is all we have to focus on, it unfortunately becomes somewhat monotonous after a while. Some musicians and guitarists have a magical ability to be able to tell a story through their instruments, but on "Ego Decimation File" we do not feel as though we are being told a story; just that we are listening to some talented musicians that like to show off what they can do.

If instrumental progressive and slightly funky and jazzy music is something you like to swing towards then this album will be perfect for you, but otherwise over all the talent, "Ego Decimation File" still feels although a certain element is missing; an emotional element.