Daddo
The Other Side
8
The Other Side is the debut disc from Bosnian shredder Daddo Oreskovich. According to the bio on his webpage Daddo spent most of his teen years in his basement practicing guitar by candlelight while war ravaged his country. It seems those years in the basement have not gone to waste as Daddo delivers more tasty licks than a Tootsie Pop. However, this is MetalReview.com not Shredreview.com, and while Daddo does flirt with some metallic riffs on occasion, The Other Side is no Screaming for Vengeance. Those of you looking for music to induce some head-banging fury can stop reading now; this record is not for you. If instrumental guitar albums are your thing, then by all means read on.
If I were to describe Daddo’s sound in one word, it would be majestic. Daddo’s bell like tone and heavy classical influence brings to mind the master of the Sky Guitar, and god father of shred Uli Jon Roth, while his ear for a catchy melody is reminiscent of Joe Satriani. Daddo is no slouch in the speed department to be sure, but his focus seems to be on making music rather than showing off and this makes The Other Side far more listenable than your average wank-fest.
Daddo works with a fairly diverse palette of musical styles: The title track utilizes some metallic chugging coupled with some choir vocals. “Red Line Express” is a Satriani like rocker. “Ermina” features some acoustic guitar with a flamenco vibe. “Blistreak” is an eastern flavored track featuring some sitar work. Gentle closer “Boston in the Rain” features some jazzy clean guitar.
Daddo recorded The Other Side in his home studio and he did a fine job as it is on the whole a great sounding record. However, it is quite obvious from the sparse and rudimentary rhythms on this record that Daddo is using a drum machine. Also, Daddo relies heavily on keyboards for his backing tracks which makes the record sound a bit like new age music at times. I think a real backing band would put more vitality into his tracks and better compliment his fiery fret work.
The diversity of styles on The Other Side coupled with Daddo’s passionate and tasteful playing make for an engaging listen. As a guitar player, I have purchased my share of shred albums; sadly, most of them are gathering dust. However, I feel I may revisit The Other Side from time to time.
