New Video + FREE CD for JCF Members!!!

[SausageofPower]

How about a rundown of the gear (guitars/amps/recording equip) that you used

I was gonna ask this too for my writeup, so...seconded!

-Corey

[fullmetalguitar]

OK, I'll get something up by tomorrow with some pics.


** UPDATE ** OK guys, I think I'm going to end my free CD offer at this point. I've gotten a really good response with a lot of requests. Everyone who asked for one will be receiving it in the mail soon. Thanks.

[powermacho]

I would like to have one cd. hey bro are you signed with any company? You can to to this site, heartofmetal.niceboard.com there are some guys from bands that are signed to independent record. Maybe you could get a start talking there. I am not much help but there is a push. That is a normal forum like this one, talk about metal, but the guys from that forum could talk with the owners of Retroactive records to do a deal with you

[fullmetalguitar]

powermacho, thanks for the suggestion. I will check out that message board. No, not signed to any label yet. I'm sending it to a few labels in the U.S., and definitely as many as I can find in Japan. We'll see what happens.

OK, a couple of you asked about the recording process, so I'll give you a quick rundown of how the CD was recorded.

First up, all the guitars I used for recording the songs. Here is a pic:



If you have any questions about the guitars, go ahead and ask.

Everything was recorded direct into my computer. No microphones at all. I used the Line 6 Toneport USB interface with their POD Farm software for all of the amp sounds and effects like delay and reverb. The one I have is the cheapest one, retails for about $99.

For the actual multi-track recording, I used Guitar Tracks Pro Version 3 from Cakewalk. This also retails for about $99. It's an awesome program. I can do so much with this that I could never do with traditional recording on tape like I used to do with my old Tascam 8 track.

For the drums, I used my Alesis SR-16 drum machine. I've had this for many years and really like it. I know there are other ways of getting drums, like samples or whatever, but I like to stick with this machine.

I have a cheap pair of Audix powered monitors hooked up to my computer for listening. And that's pretty much it.

Considering the setup that I used for recording these songs, I'm very proud of how good they sound. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to ask. I'm happy to explain any part of the process if anyone is curious.

After you get the CD and have had a chance to listen to it, please write your comments in this thread. Write as much as you want. I promise I will read every word. It means a lot to me to hear what other people think, even if it's not all positive.

OK, I'm going to be pretty busy over the next week, so if I don't respond to your questions or comments right away it's just because I'm away from the computer. But I'll be back in full force within a week. And a big thank you for those of you that had enough interest to request the CD. I hope you enjoy it.

Richard

[m2pmd70]

Wow, is Jackson making kid's guitars now?

[dg]

Got the CD today! Thanks, Richard! It's great from start to finish, and my early favorites are the title track, Sponge Cake, and Tempted by Fire.

[Trussrod]

The CD came today and after a first listen I'm extremely impressed. I wasn't sure from the title track if it would suite my tastes but I really enjoyed it! You have a great sense of melody and I'm looking forward to playing this in my car...

[micha]

damnit!! too late again!!
but great stuff it is! I like the preview!

[6string40]

Am I the first??? Well…here we go!!! Please excuse the cheesiness...

Richard James’ debut album “Breaking Point” is filled with catchy melodies and smart rhythms. While you will find a heavy Lynch influence throughout, you’ll also catch a whiff of some other influential virtuosos such as Satriani, Yngwie and Vai, but with quite a bit of Adrian Smith thrown in for good measure! By no means do I mean to mislead that this is an album full of stolen riffs and licks—it’s just a measure of how good Richard really is in comparison to the styles of some of the masters.

The album starts off with a brief spacey melody, then kicks in with a cool Lynch-like rhythm in the aptly titled “Brief Encounter.” Expecting to hear Lynch-style leads as well? Sorry, you’re outta luck here on this one…they actually very much remind me of classic Iron Maiden!

We next move into a melodic theme reminiscent of a beautiful Vai-scaped and structured tune. About halfway through “Desert Sun,” a nice staccato interlude really breaks up the tune then pulls you right back in where you left off.

“Sponge Cake” is one of those ‘fun’ Satch-like tunes where, while listening, you see yourself cruising around in your car with the windows or top down a la “Summer Song.” Good song structure here. I like how it slows you down a bit at times and then throws you right back into the fast lane.

The next two songs are probably two of my favorites. As a huge Lynch fan myself, “Tempted By Fire” has Dokken-era rhythms and killer George licks throughout. The rhythm guitar is very in-your-face and raw, which I like. “Journey Through Space” is exactly that—a fantastic journey that begins with a cool riff and melodic lead that again reminds me of classic Maiden. I dig the guitar, sans bass and drums.

The album moves “Into the Unknown” by throwing in some classical flavor with flash and flair before switching over to another of my favorites with “By Your Command.” Over the proggy Petrucci-like riff, Richard’s leads remind me again of his heavy Uncle George influences.

Next is the title track, “Breaking Point,” which will make your mind travel back in time a bit. This track has classic 1980’s written all over it with the Lynch and DeMartini flair.

“October Night" is the lone all-acoustic track on the album. I have nothing more to say about this song except…simply beautiful.

Okay…so I listened to the final track several times before I got it. “Tear It Up” is a cool mix of Satriani and Vai songwriting, but with one really strange, but cool thing. There is a line mixed in this song that I knew that I knew, but wasn’t catching it right away. All I can say is Jenny, you’ve got my number!

Now, I really do like this entire album, but there are a few spots where I have to lay down some criticism…not a whole helluvalot though!

There are some spots where the drums are somewhat weak and detract the listener from how good the song could be—the human drumming element is just missing from time to time.

I found that there were a few ‘dead spots’ I guess you could call them where the songs could have used better bass fills to move from one idea to the next. I realize Richard is a guitarist, not a bassist, but I’m trying to be constructive here!

Lastly, a few spots lacked the in-your-face rhythm that others had. While the leads typically tell the story, they rhythm is a very important part as well. I just thought there were areas where it kind of got lost in the mix.

Overall, this album has great song composition, fantastic playing and is a dream to listen to! Thank you for sharing Mr. James!

[fullmetalguitar]

Thanks for the comments guys. Glad you're enjoying it.

6string40, thank you for your well thought out review. I appreciate your effort in doing that. Just like you said, this CD could have greatly benefited from a real drummer and real bassist, but I work with the tools that I have. I always love to read what others get from listening to my songs. For instance, you mentioned Adrian Smith and Maiden a few times. I would never list them as one of my influences. Now of course I've heard tons of Maiden tunes, I just wouldn't consider them an influence. So I love reading your comments! Thanks dude!!!

[6string40]

My pleasure...thanks for sharing your gift with us!

Let's be honest, you're a guitarist, not a bassist or a drum track programmer...so with those being the only real flaws to me means that the guitar parts (your main focus) were perfect!

[jdr94]

since theres no more free cd's are there free mp3's zipped and emailed?

[The_Tonemonster]

Just watched you U tube vid....Nice work Richard.

[fullmetalguitar]

jdr94, sorry no free mp3s.

Thanks Tonemonster.

Anyone else get their CD yet? I really want to read your opinion about it. Give me the good, the bad, and the ugly!

[ulijdavid]

Hey Richard,
Received the CD on Friday. I have been listening to it quite a bit. Let me start by saying how impressive the sound quality is for the tools you have used - recording has come a far way since the 4 track recorders using cassette tapes and condenser mikes.

Right away the CD took me back to 1987 - this is a good thing for me. The songs and style could have easily been the latest release from Shrapnel records. There are a lot of the elements from that period. That being precisely executed fast guitar riffs with nice guitar harmonies. And I do have to point out that I believe your tone and sound is much better than many of the releases in that era of Shrapnel.

I was surprised with some of the songs. From the couple of years on the JCF and seeing and hearing your George Lynch interpretations, I was expecting a lot of rehashed Lynch type licks. I could hear some signature type influences but not over the top like I was expecting. In some instances, I could hear some traces of John Norum's soloing themes. I actually found many of the songs to be very upbeat and "happy". I think someone else related one of the songs to Satriani's "Summer Song". To my ears, much of Lynch's stuff has a darker feel to it.

The overall playing is very reminiscent of many of the Shrapnel players from the day. For me this is the good and bad part. The good part is I find your sense of melody to be excellent. I admired Tony Macalpine's abilities, but found him lacking in creating many different melodic themes within each song. I find your songs to be very melodic and constantly switching themes. (I will get blasted here, but....) Iron Maiden is very good at changing themes, but they also beat you over the head with their melodies over and over and over within the song. I did not get that with your songs. You have a great sense of when to change, move on, come back and end. Hope that kind of makes sense.
One problem I had was that many of songs had a formula for the intro - chorusy clean sound then jumps in. The first time through, I though my CD was on repeat. Not a big problem when you take each track as its own entity, but it screwed with the flow for me.
For what I consider the bad part, is that you are definitely an expert in the Shrapnel era. Many listeners may dismiss your CD as being an 80's retro CD. I don't really consider it a bad thing FOR ME. It may be a problem for getting signed. I could care less what style the or era the music is from as long as it has melody.
This CD would definitely sit well in the Shrapnel catalog. In my opinion, it is as good, if not better than some of the releases from that time. You have all of the chops and great melodic sense. The only thing I could add is to try to retain these elements and then create that distinct style and tone that only a few have been able to do - Schenker, Lynch, Vinnie Moore, Yngwie. Yeah - great advice right!!!
All in all, one of the recent CD's that I have purchased that will actually be listened to more than once a year. Thanks for allowing everyone to listen and use you as a guitar dart board. Everyone knows that guitarists are not opinionated and don't cut down every other guitarist.
Great playing great sound, and great melody. Let me know when the next release comes.