{"id":44477,"date":"2014-08-30T06:49:16","date_gmt":"2014-08-30T11:49:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=44477"},"modified":"2014-08-30T06:56:52","modified_gmt":"2014-08-30T11:56:52","slug":"nick-miller-parallel-universe-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2014\/nick-miller-parallel-universe-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Nick Miller | Parallel Universe<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Joe Mis<\/span>
\n– Senior Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"NickIf you were a guitar player with solid chops and were looking to release an album that let you display them all, you’d want to put together something like Nick Miller’s debut release \u2013 Parallel Universe<\/em>. This six-track EP gives the Aussie native a chance to stretch a little, and to explore styles different from those he delivers as part of his regular band, Longreef. This one is a treat for fans of guitar rock.<\/p>\n

Nick doesn’t totally break from his band, as he is joined by Longreef’s current rhythm section \u2013 drummer Tristan Davies and bassist Jim Wark. It is obvious that the three know each other well, and they play together as a team while allowing Miller’s guitars and keys to step to the fore. They seem to roll in almost every guitar rock style \u2013 shred, metal, blues, acoustic, grunge, hard rock, etc. – and they handle all of them well. Miller has also produced the release, and enlisted the well-respected Mike Fraser to handle the mix \u2013 so you know this one will simply sound good.<\/p>\n

The opening heavy riffs of the very metal \u201cPipeline\u201d set the bar high for both the song and the album. Thick guitars and spiraling solos call to mind the best work of Vinnie Moore, and Nick Miller’s guitar is ably backed by a simple and effective drum line and solid bass work. \u201cParallel Universe\u201d comes next, a softer, more flowing rocker built around mellow guitar fills. The very crisp notes recall some of Joe Satriani’s rhythms, although the solos are much more bluesy that one expects from Joe. \u201cSnowstorm\u201d is a refreshingly simple slow rocker with some nice strings added by the violin of Retaw Boyce \u2013 giving it an almost Dixie Dregs feel. Miller’s solos seem particularly emotional on this track.<\/p>\n

\u201cGhosts of New Orleans\u201d is a toe-tap inducing acoustic track with a great mellow groove. Neatly layered keys and a simple rhythm line make this a memorable song, while the solo comes across on the ethereal side without being over-the-top. \u201cGame Change\u201d opens with an intense, twangy riff, but the gritty tone disappears quickly as the song flows into uptempo rock territory. The fluid closing solo laid down here is almost beyond belief, rising from gentle to almost enraged. \u201cBourbon Street\u201d is bluesy and a bit funky \u2013 kudos to bass and drums on this one.<\/p>\n

In a nutshell, Parallel Universe<\/em> is a winner. These six melodic tracks were created by a guitarist who is not only comfortable with his skills, but one who is also conscious of melody and composition. These are truly songs, not just collections of riffs and fills built around barrages of solo notes \u2013 a release reminiscent of many of Joe Satriani’s or Vinnie Moore’s instrumental albums. Nick Miller pulls out all the stops and delivers great rock without overstepping his limits or getting full of himself. Recommended for all fans of guitar rock.<\/p>\n

Genre: Instrumental Metal, Rock<\/p>\n

Band:
\nNick Miller (guitars, keyboards)
\nTristan Davies (drums)
\nJim Wark (bass)
\nRetaw Boyce (violin on Snowstorm)<\/p>\n

Track Listing:
\n1.\tPipeline
\n2.\tParallel Universe
\n3.\tSnowstorm
\n4.\tGhosts of New Orleans
\n5.\tGame Change
\n6.\tBourbon Street<\/p>\n

Label: Independent<\/p>\n

Website: http:\/\/www.elnicomiller.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 9\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Joe Mis – Senior Columnist — If you were a guitar player with solid chops and were looking to release an album that let you display them all, you’d want to put together something […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":44478,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10848],"tags":[2317,9919,9920,9917,9918,2387],"class_list":{"0":"post-44477","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2014","8":"tag-cd-review","9":"tag-instrumental-metal","10":"tag-longreef","11":"tag-nick-miller","12":"tag-parallel-universe","13":"tag-rock"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44477"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44477\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}