A well-distinguished French musician, writer, painter and podcaster, Xavier Boscher is again in the spotlight of instrumental, guitar-oriented metal music, with his new album, “Starseeds IV”. It is the first time I come in such a close contact with an album of Boscher and I can say that I am truly amazed. Boscher, a renowned guitarist, keyboardist and bassist, had done something very difficult – he has composed instrumental metal music, which is very catchy and straightforward! Give a serious listen to the album and all songs will stick to your brain with all their fantastic ideas – we are talking about true earworms! There is no filler, only ten awesome compositions, centered around explosive riffs, roaring solos and complex, progressive arrangements. Of course, you will find various jazz rock fusion and new age elements, merged with the main metal corpus, and for sure, the result will blow your mind. It is a must-listen for all the fans of instrumental, guitar rock/metal music, for all progressive rock/metal fans, for everyone, who wants to listen to some good music, which speaks to the brain and then to your heart! Some say that instrumental albums are boring and without feeling … that is not the case of the “Starseeds IV” album, which is, first of all, interesting and so emotional – it really deserves your full attention. Xavier Boscher is offering us a prog rock/metal masterpiece, which will be in my playlist for a long time. That’s how an instrumental, guitar-focused album should sound!
♦ 9/10
Dimitris Zacharopoulos