Artist: 7 For Fore Album: Diffusion Label: MGI Records Website: http://www.7for4.de Reviewer: Chris Piccirillo

Track List: 1. Diffusion 2. Indigo Dunes 3. Emoctify 4. The Winding Path 5. Silent Flow 6. Cyclotron 7. Spiral Dance 8. Hidden Depths 9. Mystic Mouse 7 for 4 is a project of Sieges Even’s guitarist, and musician’s institute lecturer Wolfgang Zenk. This project takes some of germany’s best musicans and throws them together in a wonderful mix of metal, jazz , country and everything in between. “Diffusion” is 7 for 4’s 3rd CD and contains 9 tracks of instrumental goodness. The cd starts with some classic clean jazz lines, something wes Montgomery-esque and shifts rapidly into an almost techno meets rock vibe. This is the overarching theme of the cd; shifts in style and how they can seamlessly interplay with each other. Jazz solos over double bass drums, funky slap bass under metallic guitar solos and latin feels…Diffusion is an extraordinary display of musical knowledge and instrumental proficiency. While usual guitar dominated sections abound on this disc, it’s not strictly Wolfgang’s show. The other members add significant parts to the songs, and definitely show their strengths while still maintaining an overall band feeling. While the guys are really shredding, the word “overplaying” never really comes to mind. They know how to hold back and support the lead instrument at that moment in the song, whether it’s a pulsing bass line, or a simple drum part, the pieces fit quite well. The production is stellar; each instrument sparkles in your speakers and the mix is perfect. The guitars shine through, the bass is punchy and clearly audible while the drums are alive and bright. The keyboards manage to stay away from bad patch territory, using a healthy dose of piano, organ and some more “out there” synth sounds, but they’re never in the way or stick out. My favorites from this disc are “The Winding Path”, who’s name is evident once you listen to the track. It indeed winds around, shifting not only in style but in tempo and emotion, going from soft grooving piano lead moments to a driving hard rock section to a very edgy and emotional section which builds upon tom fills and clean guitar and unexpectedly winds up at a great progressive metal solo. Other favorites include the blazingly quick and metal inspired “Cyclotron”, the quirky and experimental “Emoctify” and the rhythmically challenging closing track “Mystic Mouse”. This cd is excellent and traverses enough musical ground to keep it interesting for the entire listen. From hard rock to jazz and everywhere in between this CD is filled with great music played by incredible musicians. Highly recommended to fans of instrumental rock and to fans of good music alike. 7 for 4’s “Diffusion” is a definite gem in the wide-open world of instrumental fusion. Band Members: Wolfgang Zenk – Guitar Markus Grutzner – Bass Klaus Engl – Drums Markus Froschmeier – Keyboards