Artist: Simic – Shime, Damir
Label: Croatia Records
Release: 2006
Damir Simic – Shime! How homey that name sounds! We’re talking about a guitar virtuoso who has lived in the USA for 16 years and in that time has earned himself serious renown and respect from established musicians who sit right at the very top, both technically and in the power of their own musical expression. And as such, they welcomed Damir into the fold with open arms! You know how it is, abroad always rewards the hard-working and the promising. Tradition, culture, ah, where does that leave us…
This is the guy’s second solo album, following “The Quest” – an album produced for Damir by none other than the one and only Tony McAlpine (guitar, Steve Vai), who also contributed the keyboard sounds on “The Quest”. “Demonstratus” came out in the USA on Damir’s own label Camel Toe Records back in 2004, and for the Balkans and Europe it has now finally been released through Croatia Records as well.
“Demonstratus” is a kind of hybrid of old and new. The old stuff is the songs from “The Quest”, played again. There are five of them: Going Home, Joker, Never Say Never (with an intro that has a late-Whitesnake flavor – no wonder, since its co-writer was Frankie Sullivan – vocals, ex-Survivor), Sometimes I Feel and Welcome To My Noise. This time Damir moved away, as he puts it himself, from the fat, sharp sound of “The Quest”. He wanted the new record to sound more natural, to bring the classic Stratocaster sound back to it. He put the line-up together with that in mind, too: a power trio. So the record has no synthesizing and no beauty filter whatsoever. No keyboards, no excessive knob-twiddling in the studio. And of course 11 pure instrumentals. Somewhat restructured and refined solos in the newly recorded songs. Add the fresh ideas of the remaining six tracks and we arrive at the conclusion that “Deomonstratus” is quite a different album from its predecessor.
Behind the drums sits Mike “The Troll” Teranna (Masterplan, Axell Rudi Pell, ex-Rage), a drumming brute without equal, but let’s be honest here! A colossus like Shime, who looks like he’s laying a baby in a cradle when he takes the Fender Stratocaster “into his lap”, doesn’t exactly need some blues-jazz brush-sweeping drummer. The friendly giant has Malmsteen’s supersonic speed and precision, and the destructive power and masculine muscle of the hot-headed skin-basher Teranna is just the right address for this kind of thing! Bass duties went to Shime’s countryman Tiho Borošak – Kmica, likewise an excellent virtuoso and also the album’s producer. Tiho played in the Jake E. Lee band, and Jake E. Lee is Ozzy Osbourne’s former guitarist.
The special guest this time is the devilish wizard Steve Stevens (guitar, Billy Idol), who adds his magic touch to the track Little’s Boy Dream. By now you’re probably all panicking that this is just a naked show of force. Don’t worry. Damir is on point the whole way through, following his own personal voice. You could call him the “Croatian Malmsteen” now. So: pure classicism on guitar, yet still recognizable, different, fresh. The man hasn’t forgotten to veer off “Balkan-style” now and then, and yet you can only pick it up in the music in mere traces. Add the superior “jamming” touch of the power trio, which gives the otherwise very natural-sounding record that little extra bit of liveliness, and the picture is complete. The trio clearly didn’t overthink it – you can feel they played the material “first go”. Mike did record his drums in Germany, which is a minus, but the puzzle still fits together extremely well. The songs are varied in their motifs and Damir comes across as compact and listenable. So no falling apart into motifs à la Vai, no fragmentation; the songs follow the basic riff as one piece, which is of course sensibly dressed up in fitting doses by all three virtuosos, with the absolute figure of guitar expression, Damir Shimic, front and center. In that respect he’s closer to Satriani’s approach, with the obvious difference that Shime isn’t burdened by textbook rules and knows how, and dares, to twist things his own way.
An album for all you guitar gourmets who get fired up by a demonstration of speed, precision and more! Those of you who are looking first and foremost for atmosphere, for the artist’s own unique stamp, will be surprised by how accessible “Demonstratus” is. It sounds simple and complex at the same time, with a strong, recognizable personal touch. With that, Damir hit the very essence of “Demonstratus”. He’s brought the album closer to the wider masses. Now it all depends on distribution in Europe.
Line-up
Damir Simic – Shime – guitar
Tiho Borošak – Kmica – bass guitar
Mike “The Troll” Teranna – drums
GUEST MUSICIAN:
Steve Stevens – guitar on #2
Production
Tiho Borosak – Kmica
Track list
01. Freedom
02. Little Boy’s Dream
03. Camel Toe Boogie
04. Joker (2004)
05. Hit And Run
06. Fly High
07. Never Say Never (2004)
08. Too Much Coffee
09. Going Home (2004)
10. Welcome To My Noise (2004)
11. Sometimes I Feel(2004)
Album length:
