H R H - R E V I E W S

Gary Schutt
Sentimetal Independent

Comments: Gary Schutt is widely associated these days with his long time friend and musical companion, Jeff Scott Soto. Schutt’s looks capture the “third times a charm” feeling with his rerelease of his remastered solo CD from 1994, Sentimetal. 2005’s CD package includes bonus track demos and it should come as no surprise that the aforementioned Soto handles the vocal duties as Schutt provides all the instrumentation on Sentimetal.

Three releases you say; isn’t two enough? Maybe for fans who have been treated to Schutt’s superior work in the past, but for the rest of us who may have missed out, the answer is “no.” Besides, you get the additional bonus tracks on top of the original 11 songs. And again, the CD has been remastered for your listening pleasure. OK, enough of the sales pitch … let’s move on.

Schutt is Vai-kind-of-guitarist, who demonstrates his virtuosity and keen playing ability throughout Sentimetal. Who would have thought? Only knowing the bass playing side of Schutt, your ears will be amazed by the complete musician.

Being a fan of Soto, who is probably one of rock’s most versatile vocalists and one of the genre’s best, Schutt is instantly on solid ground with most rock fans. Does the music match the voice? It does. The music is a heavy dose of melodic rock, featuring catchy hooks, brilliant solos with solid drumming and bass playing holding the songs together.

Listeners will be treated to over 78 minutes of music — by far greater than what today’s metal heads are releasing to the public. Be prepared for the vocal majesty of Soto and the musical inspirations of Schutt to draw into their well orchestrated musical world. Schutt demonstrates his musical genius or flat out wackiness by recreating John Williams, “The Imperial March,” from the Star Wars films. And you know what; it works well in the guitar-drums-bass setting.

The bonus tracks include songs "Highway" and "Sympathy," which were originally demoed for Schutt’s Playthings CD release, while "Mental Ward" was a demo for the CD Slam.

Sentimetal was originally released on Zero Corp. (Japan 1994) and Long Island Records (Europe 1995).

Line-up:
Gary Schutt - all instruments.
Jeff Scott Soto - all vocals.

Track Listing:
1. Warpaint
2. In Some Other Lifetime
3. The Imperial March
4. No Man's Land
5. I Guess I'm Still In Love
6. Dangerous Horseplay
7. Stranded
8. Should Have Been Me
9. She's Letting Go
10. Your Friend
11. Faultline

bonus tracks:
12. Highway To Nowhere (demo)
13. Mental Ward (demo)
14. Act Of Sympathy (demo)

HRH Rating: 7.5/10

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