A USA-based solo guitarist, Jonathan Badger gives a fascinating description on his website of exactly how his uniquely abstract sound is created – something about analogue and digital signals from the guitar being processed and triggering synth modules containing samples of orchestral instruments, stuff like that. There may very well have been mention of Jedi Knights and lightsabers, I’m not sure, my head had started to pound before I could reach the bottom of the page. Whatever the explanation, it soon becomes evident that Metasonic (literally meaning ‘a change of sound’) is aptly named indeed.

With twelve tracks clocking in at just under thirty minutes in length, Metasonic seldom strays from ambient territory. It should be noted that in Jonathan Badger’s case, ‘solo project’ means exactly that – there is not the merest hint of a keyboard or drums, just the weird and (occasionally) wonderful sounds emanating from JB’s guitar. To give him his due, he does have talent as far as creating a variety of effects are concerned, ranging from the pizzicato violins of ‘Old Spiders,’ through the organ-like sounds of ‘Vault’ to the screeching violins of ‘Egret.’ My problem, however, lies with the music itself. While occasional songs take the form of ambient soundscapes, at times showing a marked Brian Eno influence, the album as a whole has a distinctly disjointed feel to it, seemingly lurching from track to track rather than flowing smoothly.

I can see why people would like this album, particularly fans of experimental ambient music. Unfortunately, I’m not one of them. While I applaudJonathan Badger for his effort and ingenuity, and would gladly give him 10/10 if marks were allocated on this basis, the actual music is, in my opinion, a bit unsatisfying.

-Richard White