Gordian Knot CD

In early 1998 The Laser's Edge signed Sean Malone, a former member of the avant-garde metal band Cynic, for the release of his upcoming instrumental solo album Gordian Knot.

Gordian Knot was conceived as a project to demonstrate Malone's abilities as both composer and performer. Malone's ground-breaking performance on Cynic's 1994 release Focus brought him worldwide acclaim for his bass work and his mastery of the 12-string Chapman Stick. On Gordian Knot, he pushes the instrument to its limits - whether he is playing percussive bass lines, flowing glissandos, or pure shredding leads that would wither most guitarists.

Only musicians of the highest caliber could perform music of such complexity. Drawing from the genres of progressive rock and metal, Malone invited an all-star lineup to participate:

Trey Gunn (Warr Guitar) - A member of the current incarnation of the legendary progressive ensemble King Crimson. In addition to contributing ear-bending W

Gordian Knot: Ron Jarzombek, Glenn Snelwar (guitar); Trey Gunn (touch guitar); Sean Malone (keyboards, bass, Chapman stick); John Myung (Chapman stick); Sean Reinert (drums).
Engineers include: Sean Malone, Trey Gunn, Bill Mason.
Personnel: Trey Gunn (guitar); Sean Malone (keyboards).
Audio Mixers: Mark Prator; Trey Gunn.
Recording information: Hampton Green Studio, TX; Hitmakers Studio, Enigma Studio; Subliminal Studio, WA.
Star-studded projects often add up to very little, but Gordian Knot's eponymous debut turns out to be one of the best progressive rock albums released in the last years of the second millennium. And that's thanks to the fact that Sean Malone held on to the reins, guiding the project to its goal of finely crafted guitar-driven instrumental songs. Malone has a prog metal background, so do most of his guests (Cynic drummer Sean Reinert, King Crimson guitarist Trey Gunn, Dream Theater bassist John Myung, along with Ron Jarzombek and Glenn Snelwar). And yet the album only has a couple of tracks that can be qualified as "metal" ("Rivers Dancing," "Singularity"). Everything else falls into the guitar craft of the likes of David Torn and Robert Fripp. "Galois" opens the set with a seductive soundscape. "Code/Anticode" is the album's main showcase, an intelligent prog rocker with a solid rhythm section and a catchy modal melody. "Reflections" manages to make a menacing metal verse and a classical guitar chorus walk hand in hand like two lovers. "Srikara Tal" and "Redemption's Way" work as a soloing frame over a slightly North African percussion backdrop. They feel a bit overstretched, but the guitar work adorning them is worth the extended durations. The album ends with "Grace," a delicate ballad played on the Chapman stick that dissolves into soundscapes to take listeners back to where they started. If it weren't for a couple of overlong or self-indulgent tracks, this album would be a masterpiece. As it is, it still deserves the attention of any guitar fan. ~ François Couture
Gordian Knot was a short-lived band from southern California, by way of Mississippi. They released only one album, a terrific soft rock/harmony pop effort produced by Clark Burroughs of the Hi-Los. Original pressings are considered highly collectible and valuable. The group formed at the University of Mississippi and was led by ex-Mississippi all-American quarterback/guitarist/lead vocalist Jim Weatherly, a native of Pontotoc, MI. The group caught their biggest break after they appeared at a party thrown by Nancy Sinatra, who apparently liked them so much that she asked them to accompany her on a USO trip to Vietnam. According to their liner notes, they were "one of the few groups since the Beatles to possess genuine charm...not a phony showbiz glucose charm, but the real thing." The bulk of the songs for their album were written by Weatherly, and have a edgier, husky country-rock vibe compared with those written by Leland Russell, whose beautiful tunes