Well, Carlos Soto has been busy this year. He started off with "Too Late...Damage is Done", and now before the end of the year he releases his second instrumental album entitled "Mega Shred". Once again the talented Carlos has released another instrumental album. However, the title seems a little misleading to me. I hear very little shredding at all on this album, at least not what I would consider shredding. It would definitely not be classified under "Mega". Being a bass guitar player, Carlos Soto has basically crafted this album around the bass guitar. Mr. Soto plays about 3 different kinds of basses on this album and he does quite a fine job. There are drums and guitars as well, but the bass takes center stage mostly. In a recent interview I read that Carlos doesn't play the regular guitar, so I'm assuming that Alex Llorens helped out on this album as well although no other players were listed. The album has a few "heavier" parts, but overall this release sounds more mellow and atmospheric than "Too Late.." was. No matter though cause the mellower songs on "Too Late.." were better than the heavier ones anyway. Best songs here would be "Excess Force" and "Maximum Risk". I also kinda like the closing track "Latin Rican Night", a real mellow one that sounds about like Phil Keaggy's speed. The acoustic guitar sounds really good on this one. Production wise, it seems to be a small step down from his last release, but still allows for an enjoyable listen.
Overall, a decent release by Tribus, but nothing that will garner tons of fans. To get ordering info, e-mail Carlos Soto at tribustheband@aol.com (Review by Matt)
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