Michael Harris is one of the most acclaimed instrumental guitarists going thanks to a number of solo releases over the last 2 decades and his current prog metal band Thought Chamber.  His 2006 Lion Music release “Orchestrate” received scorching reviews from media worldwide, so why has Michael decided to re-release his 1996 work “Ego Decimation Profile”

 

First of all, this release is a remixed, re-mastered, and repackaged version.  Michael remixed and re-mastered the CD himself. On the remix and remastering Michael states, “EDP originally came out in the 90s, when a drier mix was in vogue, so one of my goals in remixing the record was to get a more ambient sound overall, (especially on the lead guitars and drums). My goals were also to get a better drum tone, to get a “rounder” sound overall, and to use the stereo field a bit more with things like stereo delays and panning”.

 

Stylistically, “EDP” is a combination of metal, prog, funk, groove, and jazz fusion and is considered Harris’ heaviest instrumental disc to date, as there is a running “metal” influence in all of the songs, although it does contain 3 of Michael’s personal favourite slower numbers in “Grandscape”, “Pawn to King IV”, and “Terminus Epic”. Melody and composition was Michael’s primary focus on the CD. As progressive as it gets at times, Harris tried to never go too over the top with flashy solos or intricate parts. The album was also an open invitation to great musicianship from the other players and to achieve that many of the tracks were purposely composed with sections that had trade-offs.