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Chris Brooks puts his master plan into action:
"... one of the strongest works I've heard in
years!!!! The playing was really strong throughout. I
love the tone, but the writing just blew my socks clean
off!"
- Guitarist, Teacher and Mel Bay Publications Author
Jon Finn (on "The Master Plan")
"not just an extremely talented
songwriter/guitar-player and multi-instrumentalist, but
also someone who knows how to record, produce, and
arrange songs of the highest standards"
- Peter Fundeis, Melbourne Radio DJ and ProgPower
contributor
"Brooks is the kind of guitar player who we
should all strive to be like. He puts melody first and
shred second. Chris never compromises the integrity of a
song to show off how fast he can speed-pick or play
arpeggios. His goal is to suck you and squeeze the juice
right out of you."
- Nick Martinelli, The Shred Zone
Sure, Chris Brooks plays the guitar. He plays
well enough for reviewers at Chaos Music to describe
Brooks' 6-string talents as having "Devastating
technique, melodic sensibility and a high command of
phrasing". But guitar work aside, Chris
Brooks communicates on his instrument.
"Chris definitely has something to say!" is
how respected Swedish rock journalist Janne Stark
described Brooks' penchant for melodic themes and
creative songwriting, and say something he does.
In the
last three years, Chris Brooks has recorded and
released a well-received solo album ("The Master
Plan", sold to fans in over 25 countries), written
and recorded with former Yngwie Malmsteen vocalist
Mark
Boals (for the "Edge Of The World" album also
featuring Steve Vai band member Tony MacAlpine),
performed clinics and live shows in Sydney Australia,
played live with the band Feeding The Addiction, become the highest selling artist in the
'progressive rock' and 'metal' categories at American CD
retailer Guitar Nine Records, and commenced writing
guitar instructional material for future publication.
Coming from the country that produced internationally
acclaimed guitarists Frank Gambale, Brett Garsed and
Tommy Emmanuel, it was pretty obvious to a 10 year old
Chris Brooks that he if wanted to play the guitar, he'd
better be good at it. Initially inspired by the wave of
revolutionary fretwork in the 1980s, Brooks learned
whatever he could, without imitating his early heroes,
taking on the challenges without being intimidated.
The son of drummer Ken Brooks (who backed local and
international acts touring on the Sydney club circuit
including Aussie megastar John Farnham in 1973), Chris
developed a fascination with the guitar that kept him
practicing for hours with material he picked up from
instructional videos and guitar magazines. After leaving
high school, Brooks slaved over his instrument, making
it through to the second heats of the Ibanez-sponsored /
MTV-televised "Rebel Yell Guitar Challenges"
in 1991 and 1992. Brooks then enrolled at Sydney's
Australian Institute of Music, where he benefited from
the teachings guitar players like Dieter Kleemann
(Sydney session player) and the late jazz legend Ike
Isaacs, working throughout the remainder of the nineties
playing in various clubs on the Sydney circuit, on local
bands' demo recordings, and teaching up to 50 students a
week.
In 2000, Brooks took a self-imposed hiatus from
performing and teaching whilst he wrote and recorded the
music for what would become his debut solo album
"The Master Plan" (released on March 8, 2002).
The album was "something I had to do",
according to Brooks, who noted that "I lived,
breathed, ate and slept every part of this CD until it
was done. I had a hard time focusing on anything but
this music because the drive to make a statement was so
strong".
On "The Master Plan", Chris Brooks
showcased his instrumental and compositional prowess
with style and taste. Through the melodic grace of
tracks like 'Blue Sky Odyssey' and 'Inner Light', the
creative modern prog-rock excursions of 'Kryptica',
'Crack In The Hourglass' and the three-part title track,
the energetic fusion overtones of 'Funksion', to the
soulful fret-melting of 'Tales From A Distant Sky',
Brooks shows that there's plenty on offer for guitar
freaks, prog-rockers and metal fans alike. The guitar is
Brooks' voice, whether he's using it to whisper or
scream. The crying guitars of "Only Time" and
the reckless abandon of "Kryptica" illustrate
the extremes at work. And despite his skills on the
guitar, Brooks' first priorities are the songs, melodies
and messages conveyed to the listener. "I love to
build themes and melodies that people will remember, as
well as conjure up the best guitar performance I
can", says Brooks. "The songs are the heart of
the art for me, and keeping that balance of memorable
compositions and great musicianship is my own Master
Plan".
After getting the album released in Japan through the
Disk Union retail chain and receiving a 4-star (out of
5) review in Japan's metal bible BURRN! Magazine, Brooks
was contacted by Yngwie Malmsteen / Ring Of Fire
vocalist Mark Boals with an offer to appear on Boals'
solo album "Edge of the World" (released in
Japan by Marquee Inc and in the rest of the world by
Frontiers Records). The album was almost complete before
the invitation was made, but the Brooks/Boals
collaboration "Fly" turned out so well that it
was used to open the album, and was also snapped up for
Frontiers Records' 2002 compilation CD "Rock the
Bones". Other musicians on "Edge of the
World" include drummers Vinny Appice and Virgil
Donati, keyboardist Erik Norlander, and guitarists Tony
MacAlpine, Jeff Kollman, and Neil Citron. In an
interview to promote his solo album, Boals said of
Brooks "his first solo was a self-produced
masterpiece! I knew he was a really talented guy then,
and he proved it again when I asked if he would like to
join in my solo album. Everyone should watch out for
this guy!".
Brooks joined the commercial rock band Feeding The
Addiction in 2004 and has been spending 2005 recording
and playing live with the band. Feeding... are
scheduled to play at Australia's first ProgPower
festival in February 2006.
Chris Brooks is keen to build on the reputation and
respect he has accumulated in the last couple of years,
planning a number of projects for 2006, including a
second solo album, a possible major-label album with "Feeding the Addiction",
more guest appearances and touring within Australia and
possibly internationally. The "mystical listening
experience", as one critic described it, is just
getting started.
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