Mike Milan Dedic - Take Me To Technodrome Shredder

Since being fortunate enough to listen to the sublime Gravel Drag, I have been on a bit of an instrumental binge. So I was very pleased when Mike Milan Dedic contacted me to see if I'd like to hear his completely self composed and performed self titled EP.

The Artist

Mike is from Toronto, Canada. He is a self taught, (yes self taught, not classically trained, not Van Halen's evil twin, and believe me when I say, when you hear him you might call me a liar!)

He started playing guitar at the age of 12 and his influences are far and wide but include Randy Rhodes, Van Halen and Ritchie Blackmore, elements of all can be heard here.

Style

Put simply, the guy is a shredder and I mean this in a guitar sense not a super villain fighting mutants turtles, but I bet he could.

He incorporates melody, more speed and attack than Usain Bolt on steroids, technical excellence and moments of relative simplicity underlining the skill, and as my step dad always told me "when writing songs, sometimes less is more".

The E.P - Mike Milan Dedic

The 5 track E.P opens with Energy, a grandiose opening that develops into a tune with speed and melody that would suit an Iron Maiden album nicely. This leads into Zoom, a more laid back affair, still with elements of speed but an easy listening rhythm line that keeps it plodding along nicely.

Run has a machine gun intro and quickly becomes a comfortable melody driven sound and Launch is my favourite track with it's epic soundscape. Both include stunning solos but Epic has changing timings that really peak the interest, a great track.

The last song, Shall We Dance, warmingly reminds me of Gary Moore's "Still Got The Blues" era with it's bluesy tones and solo work. It's a lovely way to finish this release. He doesn't site Gary Moore as an influence but it is impossible not to draw these comparisons on this song.

The album is a grower,  it improves with every listen and I feel the quality of compositions improve as the album goes on with the last two being standout. It is a thoroughly enjoyable listen for fans of technical guitar work, shredding and or a classic metal sound. Some of the guitar work is simply draw dropping.

The album is available from most outlets including Google Play, iTunes and Amazon ans it's only a few quid.

If you would like to follow Mike then check out his Facebook page.

I'll leave you with a little taster of what you will experience on this release....