Victor Gann: Victor Gann
Instrumental Guitar
Rating: 5.0/5.0

www.victorgann.com
Independent: self financed and produced
www.myspace.com/victorgannmusic

Texas guitar virtuoso Victor Gann is flying under your radar. Gann is an extremely gifted guitar instrumentalist that should not go unnoticed. How did I discover him? Actually, he discovered dangerdog.com thanks to guitarist Rusty Cooley of Outworld who recommended the site for review (by the way, Outworld is working on a new release). Though he released this self-produced and self-financed EP in 2006, it deserves significant consideration. Therefore, I want all my loyal 'dogs' to check out Mr. Gann.

Gann describes his guitar work in the vein of Joe Satriani. With all due credit to the Satriani's of this world, Gann excels and pleases with his fret work for two simple reasons, talent and passion. With one spin of his self-titled debut you can tell that he worked long and hard on his compositions. Mr. Gann is smooth and proficient as he fingers the fret board. There is no squiggly or wiggly work here; this is pure shredding with style and control. Gann never becomes bombastic or extravagant. He merely moves with precision and clarity as 'Four On The Floor' and 'Not Now' demonstrate. But the most moving track on the work is 'Shannon With Child' which was composed while his beloved wife was with child. Mr. Gann's work on this track is both personal and passionate. I hope he played this for his unborn child while still in his/her mother's womb (at least the acoustic version or at a low volume) for this child. From this music you can tell that his wife and their child are truly loved.

Victor Gann's self-titled release is a truly wonderful work. It's brief, but enough to display his passion and talent. He's currently working on a follow up album and I can't wait for its release. Unfortunately, instrumental work is not considered economically viable by labels these days. That's a damn shame because Victor Gann (and many others like Daddo Oreskovich) have a definite place in the realm of melodic rock and metal. Check out his web site and buy his album. Highly recommended!

In Short

Victor Gann is a great guitarist, plain and simple. Unnoticed and unrecognized is his current status. This should not be. Everything about his self-released work is positive, exciting, and passionate. The music is moving and compelling. Do not overlook Victor Gann.