Oz Noy & Andrew Synowiec: Recreational Substance

Rating: ★★★

Record and Artist Details

Musicians:

Marvin Smith (d)
Andrew Synowiec (g)
Hadrien Feraud (b)
Oz Noy (g)

Label:

House of Syn Records/Bandcamp

March/2025

Media Format:

CD, DL

RecordDate:

Rec. date not stated

Devotees of prog and jazz-infused rock will salivate at the prospect of these arch shredders slamming along together, especially given that power-house rhythm section behind them. From the dirty funk of the title track, to the even filthier ‘I Don’t Why’, Noy and Synowiec plough an unabashed two-way street of distorted speed king antics that will leave fans exulted and others, well, they won’t have turned up in the first place.

You look for contrasts in their performances: Noy’s Strat versus Synowiec’s Les Paul, Noy’s New York tough against Synowiec’s LA strut, one’s got hair, one, um, don’t: but it’s the synergy rather than differences that impel the recording. Of course there are moments of calm: ‘Brothers’ is a principally acoustic meditation, replete with a glowing fretless solo from Feraud, who’s time with McLaughlin more than arms him to hold his own in such company.

‘101 Blues’, one of Noy’s three out of eight tunes donated here, also takes it down into a smokey blues with some classic twinned trade-offs. But it’s Synowiec’s funkers, like the appropriately monickered ‘Burn that Bridge’, that catch the ear, with a master class from Smith holding it all down. If this is your bag, then fill your boots.

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