Ahmet Sönmezler - The Hope
Rock, Progressive Rock, Instrumental Rock
Nicosia, Cyprus
Overall Impression: Wow, just wow! Being an avid lover of progressive rock and having grown up listening to the genre, this was an absolute delight to get lost in. "The Hope" is a virtuosic masterclass in instrumental songwriting, containing great complexity in its melodic and harmonic ideas and concepts, and wonderfully arranged into both a cohesive and thematically strong piece of music. Ahmet Sönmezler dazzles with his endlessly creative and stylistic flair, crafting a wonderfully mature track that twists, turns, and provides ample surprises from start to finish, there are plenty of riffs to go round so take your pick, excellent!
Strongest Point(s): Where to begin? Beginning with a bombastic intro containing a unique combination of heavily distorted guitars doubled with jazz tinted brass, this acts as a perfect way to introduce the upcoming ride the audience is in for, this is a track that isn't afraid to play with convention, and this a perfect example of this fact. This inspired opening leads into a catchy and melodic lead guitar line backed by gritty palm-muted chords and the texturally rich sound of synth outlining the harmony beautifully. Harmonies are put to excellent use throughout and help to really strengthen the track's many well-thought-out melodies, helping to add a great amount of extra depth to the tune's many diverse melodic concepts. When it comes to instrumentals, I believe that one of the hardest parts to make work, is the general flow of the track, when there are no vocals to attach to, the arrangement needs to be even stronger to ensure sections transition seamlessly in both a natural and elegant manner, and it's safe to say that this is accomplished remarkably well in this case, ideas weave and out of one another flawlessly and at no point does any element of the track feel disjointed. I think it's fair to say this is a showpiece for the guitar and Ahmet Sönmezler boasts great chops in this department, the songs many well-constructed solos are excellent, combining blistering legato, precise alternate picking, and great vibrato, this is a guitar lovers dream. Ahmet Sönmezler clearly knows his stuff, and I look forward to hearing what he does next as it will undoubtedly be another fascinating listen!
Target Audience Appeal: This will no doubt appeal to fans of progressive rock and metal, and targeting these genres specifically is certainly the right way to go.
Artist target suggestions: Dream Theater, Scale The Summit, Animals As Leaders, Plini, Chimp Spanner, Intervals, Joe Satriani, Guthrie Govan, Devin Townsend, Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen, Flying Colors, Tool, Steven Wilson, Klone, Leprous, Cacophony, Michael Romeo
Interested in having your Song Reviewed by our Professional Staff? Head to your RadioAirplay.com dash and click Song Reviews under the Special Offers menu!
About the Reviewer:
Andre is a freelance session musician, composer, and sound engineer based in the U.K. Having studied music production and composition at degree level, he has taken his passion for all things audio-related to a level that has allowed him to become both a competent musician and performer. Being a self-confessed "Guitar Nerd" Andre has been continually studying the guitar, as well as teaching it, helping students both learn the instrument, develop their songwriting, and how to become proficient in home recording.