March 3, 1998 - Crystal Planet

Happy New Year! Two and a half months after my last release and two and a half years since "Joe Satriani", Joe Satriani released his seventh album "Crystal Planet" on March 3, 1998. Joe plays his usual instrumental rock style, but the rhythm guitarist, bassist and drummer from his self-titled album are all gone! Jeff Campitelli, who has played with Joe on several other albums, returns on drums and Stuart Hamm joins as the new bassist. Joe does all the guitars himself, as well some keyboards, bass and even harmonica! Let's check out Satriani's latest!

The album opens with "Up In The Sky" and Joe leads the way with a pretty cool main riff. The chorus is a little simpler, but still alright, and the verse is classic Joe with some pretty good guitar. The solo is pretty short and not all that memorable, but this was still a decent, upbeat way to kick things off. Up next is "House Full Of Bullets" and Hamm plays a groovy bass line while Joe does his typical job of setting things up with a cool rhythm guitar riff before playing lead guitar overtop. The solo on this one is much longer and it's got some sweet, faster parts for sure. Cool tune! Track 3 is the title track "Crystal Planet" and it alternates between a pretty sweet faster riff and a slower but still cool riff with some solid bass by Hamm as well. The faster part is pretty awesome for a main riff and the solo is pretty sweet as well with some nice shredding. Early favourite, another pretty cool song. The next track is "Love Thing" and like the name sounds, it's a much slower and sappier song. The main riff is very made-for-radio and simple and not that exciting, but Joe does a great job of spicing things up with a solo that is not just really cool in parts, but it fits the slow mood perfectly while also sounding nice and epic. Track 5 is called "Trundrumbalind" and Hamm plays some more solid bass to back Joe as he plays some slow but epic guitar to lead the way. The solo is unsurprisingly pretty awesome and there's a few moments that just make your jaw drop, he is just so good! The main riff drags a little as the song goes on, but Joe closes things out with another cool solo. Up next is "Lights Of Heaven" and it seems at first like it's gonna be another slow song, but the pace does pick up a bit even though it's still a fairly simple main riff. Joe's lead guitar fits the mood bit is also pretty bland by his lofty standards. The solo is a pretty sweet one though and it definitely spices things up. Hamm plays some more solid bass as well, and for a more made-for-radio Satriani song, this one is pretty good. Track 7 is "Raspberry Jam Delta-V" and it's got a nice, funky and upbeat main riff with Joe playing some pretty cool lead guitar overtop. Everything sounds pretty good until a quiet middle section that kinda kills the mood a bit. But then it's back to the cool main riff and lots more nice guitar. The next track is the only single off the album and it's called "Ceremony". It's got a smooth rhythm section that sets the stage nicely for an upbeat and fairly catchy main riff. The solo isn't his flashiest, but it's also pretty catchy and it's easy to see why this was the single as it's pretty accessible. Track 9 is "With Jupiter In Mind" and it's got a kind of heavy main riff with some cool bass and Joe plays some slow epic guitar nicely overtop. It could almost be a Dream Theater riff! It's a little repetitive, but Joe's lead guitar is anything but as he predictably plays some cool stuff throughout the song. Up next is "Secret Prayer" and it's got a slow and fairly simple main riff that doesn't sound bad, but it is pretty tame for Joe. When he starts soloing overtop though, that's a different story as he plays some really fast and pretty sweet stuff in the solo. Overall it's a solid song for sure. Track 11 is "A Train Of Angels" and it has a nice upbeat and pretty catchy main riff that's hard not to tap your foot along to. Joe's lead guitar is epic and fits the mood well and the solo is short, but pretty good and also fits the catchy mood. Another solid tune! The next track is "A Piece Of Liquid" and it has a pretty quiet main riff, but the bass sounds decent and the lighter rhythm guitar sets the stage nicely for Joe to do some epic lead stuff overtop. There's no solo on this shorter song, and it's interesting for sure, but not very provocative and pretty light. Track 13 is "Psycho Monkey" and it has some cool bass that keeps things moving while Joe comes in and out with bits of of lead guitar. It's a decent track, but I found it dragged as it went on and wasn't ultimately all that exciting. Up next is "Time" and it's got an interesting stop-and-start rhythm riff and Joe plays some epic lead guitar overtop in a pretty good main riff. The solo in this one is long and it has some moments that are just jaw-dropping, man can this guy just unleash a long shred that just seems to keep going and going! This one ends a little unexcitedly, but it was still a pretty good song. The final track on the album is "Z.Z.'s Song" and it's just Joe and his guitar as he plays some slow but decent stuff. Three minutes might be a tad long since not a whole lot is going on and this seems more like a mid-album interlude, not a way to end an album.

That is the end of "Crystal Planet" and I thought for the most part it was a pretty good album. The title track is a pretty awesome song and there is unsurprisingly a lot of good guitar by Joe Satriani throughout the album. There were a few slower, softer tracks, but it was largely a solid album and definitely a step up from recent albums as I think it's easily better than his last three albums. "Not Of This Earth" was also a good album, but I think this latest one is slightly better. It definitely doesn't touch "Flying In A Blue Dream" at 2nd, but 3rd is not a bad place to be. Keep it coming bald Joe!