For many shredders, pushing your axe and your strings to the absolute limit is serious business. But, come on, you don’t have to be all business! You can shred until your fingers bleed and have fun doing it as well! Paris, France-based axeman KB is a virtuoso who can sling a mean guitar and tickle your funny bone at the same time. KB picked up the guitar at age 14 and after a few lessons started playing in several Parisian combos and recorded a few demos. His first instrumental projects were Fact & Fiction in 1996 and Result Of Dysfunction in 1997. He appeared on the album Crisis by Symbosis in 1999, and he also collaborated with Ardag on his debut album in 2003. KB also has worked with DJ Shalom, who is the bassist and DJ for M. There is more to this talented Frenchman than meets the eye, however, as he is also a very talented digital effects artist and director. He has directed and created numerous video clips and soundtracks for French television, and in 2007 he directed his first season of Face Academy, an animated paper cut out cartoon series for kids which is shown in over ten European countries.

In 2009, KB released Twelve Ways To WARm Up Your Days. Take one look at the sleeve for this album and you will see that this project was the merging of his two loves: his animation work and his distinctive style of guitar. The two worlds have collided with monumental proportions to create what I feel could be one of the must-have instrumental guitar albums in recent memory. KB intends to use his recordings to deliver the complete package, both audio and visual.

On the album, KB proves himself to be multi-talented on the instrumental front as well. Not only does he play the guitar, he also handles the bass guitar and keyboard duties as well as the drum programming. His stylings on the axe are punctuated by thick, heavy yet melodic chords that provide a perfect background to his whimsical and fleet-fingered soloing, punctuated by extensive use of the whammy bar and the wah-wah to add a cartoony and lighthearted touch to it all. You could call his style “Shredimation” as it is very lively, upbeat and humorous, just like your favorite Saturday morning cartoon. Watch the video clip for the opening track “Sunny Day” (you can find it on YouTube) to get the full picture of KB’s musical genius at work. Another thing I love about his playing is that it’s not too fast. It’s very easy to sit back and relax while this album is on the stereo. Most of the tracks are mid-paced numbers, not million-mile-a-minute fret scorchers. Does that mean that KB can’t scorch the board? No way! On tracks like “As Far As The Eye Can See” he lights up the boards with his tasteful, melodic and cheerful fretwork. It’s shred with a purpose, and it’s purpose is to entertain as well as impress.

Speaking of entertainment, I have to single out a few tracks that sum up the groundbreaking approach to guitar that KB champions. Yes, every single track on the album is a guitar fan’s delight, and you will finish the album with a huge grin on your face. But there are a few tracks that really stand out among the crowd.

The first time I heard “Rosco’s New Boots,” I said to myself, “This guy’s a freakin’ genius.” Fueled by an infectious distorted chugger of a backing riff and DJ scratch sound effects (courtesy of his friend and collaborator DJ Shalom), it is a deliciously and ferociously funny bone tickling journey onto the fretboard and into the mind of KB. The soloing is fantastic, the riffs are heavy, and the scratching just adds to the fun. Sure, Tom Morello was the first to mimic DJ scratches with his guitar, but while Morello’s work is angry, KB’s is passionate and carefree, without a hint of hostility.

Techno riffing and electro-voice effects on “Electronics For Dog” are another ingenious touch that KB has brought to the world of instrumental guitar. 90s house techno, meet modern shred! I must say, the partnership works pretty damn well. Maybe more house DJs should have a guitarist stand next to them and solo over top while the DJ mixes his favorite tracks…this track proves it would work! Freakin’ awesome!

“Engine Room” really lives up to its name with the steely piston churning riff, and adding the petrol to the mix is some handsome soloing. I can’t get enough of the chunky background foundation riffs that KB fashions this song on top of. The engine’s gonna blow!

Is that tumbleweed blowing by? Must be. “West Wham” is country-flavored picking that will transport you to the old West in the days of Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp. A heavy storm of a riff blows across the prairie while the lightning is provided courtesy of KB’s fingers with some more awesome soloing. Time to head off into the sunset, partner! Hi Ho Silver, AWAY!

Vocals do make an appearance on this album, courtesy of Renaud Hantson, on the distinctively sublime number “Breathing.” His vocals add a nice touch to this bizarre yet enjoyable track, with an echo drenched riff and percussion paving the way for an awesome jazzy solo break.

“La Folie Des Grandeurs” is a loving tribute to the music of comic films of the 60s and 70s, which were a huge influence on the musical style of KB. This cover tune is a very fitting tribute to one of his heroes.

Well, after listening to this album many times in preparation for this review, I must say it is almost completely without fault. This is one of the most innovative instrumental guitar albums to come out in a long, long time! This is a genre populated with many sound-alikes and copycats all striving to be the next Steve Vai, Joe Satriani or Yngwie Malmsteen. KB does not aim to be the next Satriani, but the first and only KB. His work on the axe is epic, complex, heavy, melodic, and fluid, but also loads of fun and at times laugh-out-loud funny! It is truly a musical cartoon…Shredimation!

With his new album, KB has truly given guitar and virtuoso fans everywhere twelve surefire ways to warm up their days!

Review written by: Matt B.    
Date: January 5, 2010
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5