THE TAZ TAYLOR BAND

REVIEWS OF TAZ TAYLOR'S DEBUT ALBUM

THE SOLO INSTRUMENTAL
CAFFEINE RACER

"Taz Taylor is Steve Vai and Joe Satriani without hair, and that makes him leagues cooler than both of them. (Instrumental guitar shredding isn't the easiest pill to swallow, but Taylor's streamlined head somehow makes it go down easier.) Caffeine Racer's sound might not have been updated since the early '90s, but at least Taylor's look has.
Taylor is one of those guitarists who has become so remarkably talented that he cannot play his instrument without shredding it. Like the old wives' tale that you'll go blind from too much masturbation, if you practice soloing too much, you'll eventually go instrumental.

Not even the metal bands of the '80s had enough musical space for the guitar wailing Taylor unleashes on Caffeine Racer. These tunes are lean and mean: only drums and Taz. Taylor fills in some space playing keys, bass and rhythm guitars, but these elements are only around to hold down the bottom while Taylor shreds mercilessly above them.

His guitar playing is ultra clean and astonishingly fast -- along the same lines as Michael Schenker or Randy Rhoads. "Major Minority" initially sounds like it could be a Van Halen tune, but instead of David Lee Roth, Taylor howls into the mix with mirrored guitar-tapping solo. Taylor's fingers move at breakneck speed for the slow jams, too: "George's Song" sounds like it might be a piano ballad, but the McCartney-esque "Hey Jude" beginning is only a decoy, because a blitzkrieg of guitar solos await just around the corner.

Few people can do what Taylor does with a guitar -- and perhaps that's a good thing; the thing about guys like Taylor and Steve Vai is that their music is always more technically impressive than it is fun."

Review by Philip Stone for www.splendidzine.com

"Taz Taylor is a self-proclaimed Michael Schenker nut. And one hears quite a bit of Schenker's influence on this all-instrumental disc. And Satriani. Lots of Satriani, but without the wang bar. Add a touch of Maiden and Wishbone Ash and you have 'Caffeine Racer'.
Much of the album was recorded with a 5150 head through a Marshall 4x12. Great tone-especially on the rhythm tracks. Flying Vs and Les Pauls are the main axes used here. This recording would have been ground-breaking in 1982. In 2004, it's merely excellent.
I enjoy this Dino ride immensely."

Dinosaur Rock Guitar review by Steve "Axe" Bluemlein

"The twelve tracks on the all-instrumental “Caffeine Racer” don’t really stretch the boundaries of guitar instrumentals ... nor did I expect it to. Sometimes it’s enough to hear an artist pour every ounce of emotion into their music and that’s exactly what happens with Taz Taylor’s first disc.
One of my greatest fears when listening to a guitar instrumental is that it will sound too much like Joe Satriani. There are no such problems with “Caffeine Racer” I can assure you. To be sure, the Satriani influences are easy to spot on occasion due to some of the more technical aspects of a few songs, but it’s really the heavy influence of guitarist Michael Schenker that gives “Caffeine Racer” its base and support. I also hear a lot of Vinnie Moore circa the “Meltdown” CD as tracks like “Major Minority” and “On The Edge” will attest to.
“Caffeine Racer” doesn’t overstay its welcome either. The album’s twelve tracks clock in a memorable 35 minutes with zero wasted notes. It’s almost perfect in the senses that it is nearly completely satisfying with just that little hint that leaves you wanting more.
Melody is the bottom line in nearly every single guitar-oriented song and the challenge to come up with twelve memorable songs is no easy trick. Taz Taylor handles the challenge well. The bottom line is that “Caffeine Racer” is chock-full of heartfelt music and I can’t argue with that.
“Caffeine Racer” was produced by Taz Taylor and Richard Livoni; engineering conducted by Livoni. There is a clarity to the production that allows the melodies and tones to shine through like beacons.
On “Caffeine Racer” Taz Taylor plays all guitars, bass, and keyboards; Calvin Lakin plays drums."

Christopher J Kelter for Rough Edge

"An amazing guitar player who plays with soul, passion and the songs just rocked. No vocals, but I still enjoyed this a lot. This is pure rock/metal sort of like the Scorpions, UFO, etc. Taz does everything but the drums and I tell you this is an amazing piece of work. Just wicked riffs and the playing and emotion this guy gets from is instrument is beyond words. Worth checking out. Info: http://www.taztaylor.com"

Chris Forbes for Ear Damage at www.ballbusterhardmusic.com

"Instrumental guitar records to most are a thing of the past as the genre is no longer center stage as it once was. In the 80’s and early 90’s it seems they were everywhere and labels like Shrapnel were dishing them out by the truckload. Then the mid 90s came along and other forms of music gave it all but an early grave. Very few artists remain from that era and only the “names” remain. Now we have as good of a replacement as any to take this genre back to a higher place. Taz Taylor has released upon us a great instrumental record that has skill, emotion and finesse. It has been a long time since I have heard a truly original sounding instrumental record because after so long with most artists pigeonholed in a genre, the music gets stale and repetitive. The skill and song writing that Taz displays on this CD breaks away from all of that and goes further. The tracks recorded here range from fierce with the title track to baring the emotional bone with George’s Song all the while playing some of the best guitar I have heard in ages in this genre. What I like best here is that many of the tunes are written to support lyrics and at the same time be instrumental gems. Sometimes they are written one way or the other but here it is different. This also is bordering on a metal discs with some heavy, edgy riffs helping the disc to travel at a fierce clip. I also commend him for implementing keys to support the music, to fill in and not take over as sometimes happens. I commend Taz for taking this genre back to where it should be, making great instrumental guitar discs that can be enjoyed from one end to the other. If you are into amazing guitar work that is uplifting all the way through, may I suggest this disc for your listening amazement. Visit his website at www.taztaylor.com for more info and to get the cd. "
10/10

Jeffrey Easton for Metal Exiles

"TAZ TAYLOR is a Californian guitar hero who knows how to play the guitar. The 12 titles of "Caffeine Racer" are pretty cool to hear, reminding me of FAST EDDIE CLARKE's solo project a bit, that is hard rock full of melodies, but without any singer here. Maybe not as technical as a SATRIANI or a VAI, TAYLOR's game is absolutely skilled and very melodic. What's cool is the fact that he stands in a more melodic hard rock playground than the other instrumental guitar hearoes. It's full of feelings and the 35 minutes of the album are too short to me... even if I'm still thinking that some rock'n'roll singer could bring even more deepness to the whole stuff... A very pleasing record, that's sure! So good that I'm gonna listen to it again as soon as... now!"

Heavy Metal Universe review by Séb

The era of the guitar hero is coming back to rock & roll and this critic says that it's about damn time! From Children of Bodom's Alexi Laiho to 45-year old Steve Vai, technical virtuosity and deep-cutting riffs have become the rule of thumb in today's new rock aesthetic. With the reintroduction of good old-fashioned six-string wizardry into rock music's vocabulary, it's a great time for the emergence of Taz Taylor as the newest member of the guitar god fraternity. With the release of his self-produced Caffeine Racer, Taylor introduces himself to the world and delivers a red-hot and smoking debut disc at the same time.

As the story goes, the UK-born Taylor was entranced by the music he heard as a young man, Rainbow's Ritchie Blackmore and UFO's Michael Schenker inspiring him to pick up the guitar.After playing in a number of local British bands, Taylor became disillusioned by the biz and bought a one-way ticket to California. He landed a job driving an eighteen-wheeler, and continued to hone his playing in the berth of his cab while on long haul deliveries (no doubt the inspiration for the album title). Heavily influenced by guitar technicians like Steve Vai and Joe Satriani as well as the melodic, guitar-heavy metal he grew up on, Taylor has nevertheless developed a style all his own.

Although some critics have likened Taylor's style, as displayed by Caffeine Racer, to that of his obvious influences, these ears hear a tone and clarity that remind me of Thin Lizzy's twin monsters of guitar, Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson, especially with the trembling opening chords of "Major Minority." Taylor also provides bass and keyboards alongside his dense, overdubbed guitars while drummer Calvin Lakin creates some damn fine noise in his own right.

Over the course of these dozen instrumentals, Taylor displays mighty impressive chops. The material ranges from the jazz-inflected, Satriani-influenced noodling of "Loose And Unscrewed" and the spacey vibe of "Pot Of Gold" to the melodic metal grandeur of "Through The Turns" and the bone-breaking fretwork runs of "Lightning Strikes." Throughout it all, Taylor forges a style distinctly his own, incorporating his influences while taking the music he loves to new heights. If you enjoy instrumental proficiency and wildly imaginative flights of fancy in your rock & roll, look no further than Caffeine Racer -- Taz Taylor might be the guitar hero for you. Expect to hear more from this gifted player in the future.

"High Octane instrumental fusion played with skill and pizzazz, Caffeine Racer, by U.K. born / San Diego based guitarist Taz Taylor hits hard and fast with some mighty impressive fretboard maneuvers. Taylor handles all the guitars — and assisted by drummer Calvin Lakin—also tackles the bass and keyboards while sharing production chores with Richard Livoni. Recorded in his adopted home of San Diego, Taylor combines his love for the Euro-tinged pomp and circumstance of Yngwie Malmsteen and the jazzy compositional mastery of Joe Satriani while injecting his own fluid guitar style and ideas into the mix. Also influenced by metal rock pioneers Richie Blackmore and Michael Schenker, Taylor’s Caffeine Racer is an excellent first step from a rising guitar talent."

20th Century Guitar Magazine

"Is this guy the new Joe Satriani? Quite possibly. An instrumental guitar rock album on which Taz plays all guitars, bass and keyboards (Calvin Lakin covers the Drums), and the guitars are well layered, smoothly done and a range of rhythms and styles neatly incorporated. With `Caffeine Racer' and `Major Minority' the song titles give you a good idea of what you're gonna get. The guy is amazingly technically proficient without being as anal as many the guitar gods out there. Apparently there have been some exciting reviews in the amps'n'valves fraternity, and quite rightly too. There are elements of Ace Frehley in `Loose And Unscrewed', and touches of Dave Murray elsewhere. The closer is the beautiful and more acoustic `George's Song', dedicated to his father.
Overall a great album, but for the non technical whiz like me some vocals and more progressive arrangements would help break it up a little."

Review by Joe Geesin of Record Collector magazine

"To utter guitar virtuoso while listening to Taz Taylor is like saying that a bear poops in the wood - it just goes without saying. So would you be surprised that he really perfected his art at plucking and tapping his guitar strings while in the back of his big eighteen wheeler? Yes, this is one metal guitar god who used to drive a big rig. Perhaps it was due to the solitude that he is so superb at soloing. Maybe it's the fact that he was surrounded by meth-heads and caffeine junkies made up of his fellow truckers that he has daunting stamina and a true need for speed. Regardless of the cause, the effect is a true guitar masterpiece and this is one Briton that will do more than just pen great music for WB television shows."

Review from the smother.net website

Click on the links for more reviews from

and

and

STRAIGHT UP
REVIEWS

"The English born guitar player Taz Taylor got heavily influenced
by the sound of RAINBOW and MSG, so it wasn't that much of a surprise that the first release of the Taz Taylor Band
Welcome To America (2006) sounded like a mixture
between those two classic hard rock outfits.
Taz had the pleasure to work with the legendary MSG/RAINBOW
vocalist Graham Bonnet on WTA. With the follow up, Straight Up instead of Graham Bonnet, Keith Slack (STEELHOUSE LANE/MSG)
has taken over the vocal duties and he does an excellent job.
Classic hard rock straight out of the MSG (Assault Attack era) is
the name of the game and the Taz Taylor Band does it with class!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The debut Taz Taylor Band CD featured the always interesting
vocals of Graham Bonnet. It was well received and featured a mix
of classic blues hard rock in the vein of Rainbow, UFO and MSG.
Same applies for album number two, except this time around
vocalist Keith Slack (Steelhouse Lane, MSG) is up front.
The name Keith Slack immediately reminds me
and I'm sure many others, of the iconic Steelhouse Lane records.
On Straight Up, Keith is in his fully fledged raspy, blues drenched, screaming, angst mode. This is a hard driving blues inspired
hard rock record with vocals to match. Loose, raw rock n roll
with plenty of solos, plenty of MSG inspired riffs and plenty of
in your face moments.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Bringing Back The Glory Days Of Hard Rock, TTB Come At You
With Guns A Blazing. Taz, Keith And Val Have Created A Sound
And Style That Will Leave (you) Begging For More."
Heavy Metal Mayhem Radio Show

DVD REVIEW

REVIEWS FROM THE UK TOUR - SUMMER 2007

Sheffield review

Another review from Sheffield - HERE

PLANET ROCK FORUM

A write-up on the Milton Keynes show from Rob McKenzie

REVIEWS OF THE ALBUM
WELCOME TO AMERICA

Anytime an album featuring Graham Bonnet is released, I have to buy it. One of my favorite Hard Rock singers of all time, I can’t find an album where Bonnet doesn’t shine at the mic. But who is Taz Taylor? I had no idea. A quick search and I found an excellent musician from Birmingham, England that plays guitar along the lines of Michael Schenker. If you close your eyes come solo time, it’s very close to the master while holding on to his own style.

You can hear the influences right away: Schenker, UFO, Gary Moore, Ritchie Blackmore, Van Halen…..not a bad combination to draw from and form a personal flavor. You hear it right away, this is a guitar album, plain and simple.

WECOME TO AMERICA! offers an album laden with melodic hooks and superb guitar. Right from the start ‘Fighter’s Fist’ and ‘Radio Luxembourg’ (my favorite song on this album) get you singing along, tapping your feet, and doing your best air guitar. Close your eyes during the Gary Moore instrumental ‘Parisienne Walkways’…..it’s slow, it sounds sad, you can feel the emotion. It feels as if you were walking alone down the street after a long night and this is the soundtrack.

There’s full on Hard Rock with ‘Happy Hour’, ‘Wall Of Sound’, and the title track. A couple of ”softer” ballads in ‘Haunted’ and ‘Silent Fall’. ‘Silent Fall’ is especially striking in the calm opening intro of guitar and piano, swiftly building to a blazing guitar solo, before finding a mid-tempo groove.

I find the last two tracks intriguing: ‘The Reprise’ an upbeat instrumental that reminds gives off a UFO/MSG vibe. ‘Goodbye Mr. C’ is an interesting cover of Ozzy Osbourne’s ‘Goodbye To Romance’ and ‘Mr. Crowley’ taking half of each song. The first half (Goodbye) is superbly done on acoustic guitar while Graham lends a wonderful vocal. Second half (Mr. C) kicks in and provides the punch. To someone unfamiliar with the Ozzy versions, they would think it’s the same song. Very well done.

Bottom Line:
Melodic Hard Rock with enough hooks and solos to make this one of the best albums of the year. The songs are well written, full of melody. Nothing overdone, nothing too excessive. The band provides excellent music while Bonnet (almost 60 yrs old) provides great vocals that singers half his age cannot master. This album will easily be in my Top 10 of 2006 and I will be watching for more Taz Taylor in the future. Taz Taylor also has one previous album to check out, CAFFEINE RACER (2004), which is a 12 song instrumental album.

Guitarist Taz Taylor was born and raised outside of Birmingham, England, and one of his earliest musical memories was, ironically, “Since You’ve Been Gone” by Rainbow. Taz took to playing guitar in the 80’s and had a whole plethora of guitar inspirations to choose from, including Michael Schenker, Gary Moore, Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, etc.

Taz became disillusioned with the music scene in the 90’s, as so many Metalheadz did (especially in the USA), and more or less gave up on playing … until 1995. Suddenly, he became self-motivated, inspired, and turned himself into somewhat of a modern day musical hermit, literally locked up in a Californian practice room until 1997. The fruits of this reclusion was his highly acclaimed instrumental album Caffeine Racer.

In order to promote the album he needed, well … a band. Taz came across Bob Miller, keyboards, and Dirk Krause on bass, and a whole load of drummers. When it came time to record again, the band knew they wanted vocals this time. Taz started at the top and put a call into Graham Bonnet (Rainbow, MSG, Alcatrazz, Impellitteri), who just so happens to be “instrumental” in Taz’s early musical development. The result is Welcome To America, which ends up being ten tracks of memorable Rock that seems to end oh so quickly.

Graham Bonnet is the type of vocalist that falls into that “love/hate” category. There isn’t a music fan that seems to think he is just “okay.” One either likes his singing style or doesn’t care for it at all. Bonnet fans will be thrilled to hear that Graham sounds better then ever on this release. The whole album has that sort of “Bonnet-era MSG feel,” a’la Assault Attack, without the “Schenker-esque” guitar, not that Taz Taylor is a slouch; he’s just an ever so slightly different type of player.

“Fighter’s Fist” opens the Rock-fest with a cool, full, Gibson Explorer riff and a heavy drumbeat, with Graham adding that melodic touch on vocals. “Radio Luxembourg” opens with an almost UFO-like harmony that is very appealing and is capped off by a nice lead by Taz. Both of these tunes could do well as singles. Top highlights are “Happy Hour” with its very melodic, classic MSG feel and several Taz fills, and the title track with its nice Rock tempo stomp and Bonnet “growls.” An easily memorable moment is the instrumental lead-in of the slightly somber “Silent Fall” where Taz “breaks loose” (be it for a very short time) ... you might believe that this guy could be able to truly give Michael a run for his money.

There are two covers, sort of, on this album. The first is Gary Moore’s “Parisienne Walkways” (another early childhood memory from Taz’s past). The second is a medley of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Goodbye To Romance” and “Mr. Crowley” that end the release, aptly entitled “Goodbye To Mr C.” As strange as it sounds, it works very well, even with Graham’s vocal range.

Bottom line, this one is a great album with plenty of accessible Rock music for everyone. Don’t be turned off by the MSG and UFO references and similarities. Some of this was bound to happen since Bonnet is involved in the writing. The release is certainly a nice change of pace, and quite frankly there isn’t anything new on the market quite like this one. It has to be said, to justify how good this release is, that Welcome To America is the type of release Schenker fans have been hopelessly clamoring for out of the MSG camp for years!

Understandably, as he was raised on a regular intake of Rainbow, UFO and MSG, Taz Taylor couldn’t help growing up a guitar hero. He’s perhaps not quite reached god status yet, but an upward trajectory is guaranteed by ‘Welcome To America’. And this is without unveiling his secret weapon . . . Graham Bonnet. For yes, it is he . . . the voice of Rainbow and MSG in the late seventies / early eighties.

In each case it was for one album only (‘Down To Earth’ & ‘Assault Attack’), but arguably he was the voice that lifted both bands from cult status hell into mainstream hard rock heaven. (who among us cannot sing along to ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ without giving it a second thought?).

Apparently, Taylor relocated from the UK to California some years ago. Inevitably, in search of F&F. As a virtual unknown, he registers huge surprise that Bonnet accepted his invitation to sing on ‘Welcome To America’. PR has it that they hit it off immediately and quickly gelled as songwriting collaborators. For once this is no hyperbole, and judging by the songs here, they share some kind of musical DNA.

They set out their stall on opener ‘Fighter’s Fist’. Taylor’s heavily melodic but fantastically fierce riff is syncopated by a series of pounding percussive thumps that sound like incoming artillery shells. They need to to compete with Taylor’s inventively bombastic guitar sound and Bonnet’s primal howl.

Like all good rock music, The Taz Taylor Band’s is liberally sprinkled with memorable melodies and sturdy hooks.
Wisely, they keep it simple. Bass guitar and drums are for creating headbanging rhythms. Keyboards are for underlining the riffs and the occasional short solo excursion. Guitars and vocals are for bruising us black and blue with hard hitting delivery.

‘Radio Luxembourg’ and ‘Silent Fall’ are absolute beacons of light on an album that illuminates the genre with songs that sparkle and shine. Hulking yet nimble hard rock songs that easily standout among much of the dross that passes for melodic rock nowadays.

Unquestionably, this is one of Escape’s best releases of the last few years.

Rating: 8/10

Who is Neil Taz Taylor? Well, this guitarist was born in Walsall, England, but moved to San Diego, California in 1997. Influenced by Gary Moore, Michael Schenker, Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen, he recorded a solo album, called “Caffeine Racer”, in 2004. To promote that debut album, he put together a band that included Dirk Krause on bass and Bob Miller on keyboards.

When the time was ripe to record album number two, Taz knew that he wanted vocals. On top of his want list was none other than Graham Bonnet, an Englishman who is now also living in Southern California, and much to his surprise, Bonnet got in touch. Originally, Graham was set to appear as a guest vocalist on four songs, but the co-writing of the material (music: Taylor, lyrics: Bonnet) went so smoothly that they co-operated on eight of the ten songs. The other two - “Parisienne Walkways” (Gary Moore/Phil Lynott) and “The Reprise” are instrumentals.

Being a bit of an old rocker myself, I have to admit that I’m charmed by the outcome. “Welcome To America!” reminds me of the good old 70s, with bands like Rainbow, not coincidentally one of Taz’s favourite acts from that decade. Don’t think the songs sound corny though! They are indeed inspired by classic rock bands, but sound really fresh thanks to the excellent production work of one Richard Livoni. Bonnet sings like in his best days and Taz’s guitar playing is always in function of the songs. How great to hear an axeman who doesn’t suffer from ego tripping! Not a weak moment is to be found on “Welcome To America!”. Among the best tracks are opener “Fighter’s Fist”, the title song “Welcome To America” (two Englishmen in California …), “Silent Fall” (great structure) and “Goodbye Mr. C”, which contains replayed elements from “Goodbye To Romance”, that we all know from ‘uncle double O’ (Ozzy Osbourne). Listening to the cover “Parisienne Walkways”, it’s hardly to believe that it isn’t Gary Moore you’re listening to. Boy, did Taz listen well to one of his forefathers!

Conclusion: a damn fine release from Escape Music and surely one for the old rockers among us! (CL)