[CD Review] Mood Swings, Recorded in New Jersey, by Steve Bello

Seven-string Guitar Hero Steve Bello—from Ramsey in Bergen County—hits home hard on Mood Swings. Dedicated to Neil Peart of Rush, the CD rocks like a bitch, is just the right amount of heavy, and features Bello’s searing, slashing electric leads and chugging rhythms juxtaposed against drummer/producer Mike Sabatini’s all-out bombast (he of metal band Attacker). No screaming vocals to ruin it. It’s pure aggression, like those early Yngwie efforts on Shrapnel Records but instead of just showing off, there’s melody in there somewhere and even some harmonic structures that please the ear as it pummels the brain. This dude can play! Recorded and mastered in Jersey City, Mood Swings is accessible, entertaining and—if played loud enough—bound to piss off your neighbors. Work has begun on his ninth album—due in September—with Plasmatics drummer TC Tolliver.