JASON BLAKE, A Confusion Sequence

While the influential tastemaker Rock Times is quoted at the top of Warr Guitar maestro Jason Blake’s bio page as saying he’s “really a master of his craft,” they could probably go on and on not only about his technical genius, innovative way of blending blistering riffs with infectious melodies and – judging from his relentless release schedule these past three years – just how wildly prolific he is.

In addition to the release of The Ironic Divide, the latest (2021) album by his techno-prog instrumental metal band Aziola Cry, Blake has dropped five solo albums on Wayfarer Records and Subsequent Ruins (2023) on 7d Media, the indie label launched by former Judas Priest guitarist (and fellow Warr player) Trey Gunn.

A fascinating powerhouse fusion of fury/percussive intensity and meditative/introspective melodicism, Blake’s latest masterful collection A Confusion Sequence is designed as a follow up to Subsequent Ruins, also a dynamic, deeply intuitive collaboration with drummer Marco Minnemann (The Aristocrats, Steve Wilson, Joe Satriani). This one finds them locking in with even deeper intensity to explore other sonic territories and imaginative possibilities. For those unfamiliar with the majestic diversity of the Warr Guitar, these six compelling, wildly adventurous and boisterous tracks are as good a primer as any. Essentially, it’s a 12-string instrument incorporating the range of a guitar and bass, played by tapping the strings – a technique known as touch-style guitar, a technique jazz heads may connect back to the great Stanley Jordan.

Since Blake’s stated mission was to give the album “more of an acoustic, more natural feel,” his fans will enjoy the challenge of locating that vibe amidst the glorious hops from slow burning passages to harsher bursts of energy and back down to contemplative (as on the opener “Awakening to Questions”), the hypnotic, high toned riffing sizzling above the booming drums of “Memory Variations” and the raucous, soaring funk/rock excitement and slow-burning down time coloring “Dormant Visions.”  

One track where the gentler slightly melodicism is the most prevalent is “Pretending to Breathe,” where the blistering and propulsive drums give way to gentler, seductive moods for an extended moment time before the funk picks up. The final tracks, the emphatic, polyrhythmic whirlwind “Lucent Eyes” and the expansive, nearly 10-minute closing romp “A Prophecy of Recollections” offer even more envelope busting madness that perfectly reflects every bit of intricate and explosive Warring magic that Blake is about. If this is the first time you’ve had your ears caressed, wonderfully tickled and whimsically assaulted by his playing, do yourself a favor and dig deeper into his earlier foundational discography.