Band:	Jorge Salan
Album:	From Now On
Style:	Neoclassical Metal
Release date:	2004

01. Apprehension
02. The Endless Battle
03. I'll Be Waiting
04. Interlude
05. Back In Time
06. Pathways To Death
07. Doors Made Of Rye
08. Brand New Day
09. Train Of Hopes

JS, for? Jorge Salán! Those who thought of Joe Satriani weren't so wrong because Jorge also belongs to the world of guitar heroes. This guy is just as young as I am (23 at the moment) but he has already reached the status of best Spanish electric guitarist and has now joined Mägo De Oz. Some more facts: He studied at the prestigious Berklee College Of Music, played the guitars on José Andrea's solo album (Mägo's singer) and has already published an official debut album called "The Utopian Sea of Clouds".

But to my surprise, "From Now On" is far from being one of those excessively complicated instrumental album that we often expect from shredders. Not at all. It would be best described as a mix of heavy metal instrumentals and pop rock songs, really easy and pleasant to listen to.

Let's first review the instrumentals on this album: "Apprehension", "Pathways to Death" and "Train Of Hopes" are nothing surrealistic when it comes to guitar playing but they just sound good. They're filled with good guitar leads on standard chord rhythms, lively drum beats. Those tracks are the heaviest of the album.
The other instrumental is "The Endless Battle". It features a violin, a whistle and a bagpipe, making the song more diverse and distinct from the others. Note that this folky touch is more in the vein of a band like The Corrs than like Mägo De Oz.

Now, the songs. Some are sung by Pau Sastre ("I'll Be Waiting", "Doors Made Of Rye" and "Brand New Day") whose voice is a bit lighter than the other singer, Tony Guerrero ("Interlude", "Back In Time"). They are basically ballads about love and hope, a la Bon Jovi. Some heavy breaks may introduce the soloing section, but basically, that sounds like the typical radio song: Nice music but lacking conviction.

A really pleasant album, yet nothing more than that. It's good to see a guitar hero giving priority to the melody. It's a good album but definitely not something that sounds unique. I personally prefer listening to the bands I've been mentioning in that review, but you can have a bit of them all in "From Now On". But for sure, Jorge Salán does know what music is, and the guy will keep on surprising us all in the coming years.