A collection of well-crafted, melodic pieces built around a blistering guitar sound.

When interviewed, many musicians praise the benefits of team work which leads them towards reaching collective goals. If one's musical resume is dominated with band work, however, what it usually means in practice is that many a compromise was introduced in the process. Consequently, a chance to step out solo is often an opportunity to wander off the beaten track and experiment; rarely will a musician's solo release overlap stylistically with his previous recordings. That said, it does happen sometimes, a fact proven by Swedish guitarist Lars Boquist with his first, largely instrumental, solo effort 'Larser Than Life', released this year.

Boquist's name should ring a bell with at least two specific group of listeners, those familiar with his work in nineties Melodic Hard Rock outfit Pole Position, and those who encountered Reptilian at some point during their Power Metal quest. Surprisingly or not, '...Life' skilfully blends his experience in both genres. A handful of songs on the album ('iSong', 'The Rebel', 'WCIS') could in fact have been a couple of lost demos shelved around the time the first PP album was to be released.

Other tracks, such as 'Pounder' or 'Shoot For A Falling Star' – the latter embroidered with an epic, powerful guitar riff – are a nod and a wink to Boquist's prowess in the Power Metal craft. The elaborate structure of each song allows for a certain showcase of guitar skill, particularly within the album's heavier tracks ('Tombola Wheel', 'Diver'), but it's far from a flashy shredding extravaganza. From the opening track of '...Life' to the very last one, it's nothing but the melody that is kept in the forefront.

If you have at least a little familiarity with Lars Boquist's previous recordings, his solo offering may not be much of a surprise genre-wise. Beyond this, despite the not-so-brilliant paraphrase in the album title, 'Larser Than Life' remains a collection of well-crafted, melodic pieces built around a blistering guitar sound.

Alexandra Mrozowska