James Murphy

Breeding the Machine (Shrapnel)
by Scott Hefflon

Despite all his credentials (being a columnist for Guitar Player, having played in Testament, Death, Obituary, Disencarnate) and having “bandmates” like bassist Steve DiGiorgio (Sadus, Death) and drummer Deen Castronova (Ozzy, Vai, GZR), not to mention guests like Chuck Billy (Testament), Clark Brown (Geezer), and Stu Hamm, James Murphy just released a useless record. And seeing as it’s his second solo outing, it’d be a shame if he’s out of ideas already. There are snippets of guts’n’glory here, but most of the wild riffery is lost amidst bad New Age jazz, and the while-my-guitar-gently-weeps beauty is more likely to inspire a yawn than a tear. While I won’t turn my back on Murphy just yet, I’ll chalk this one up to his being rushed or pressured, and forgive a fine guitarist for a momentary lapse in judgment.
(PO Box P Novato, CA 94948)