Passion and Warfare

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I bought the CD not long after it was first released. I only knew Steve Vai from his work with David Lee Roth and Whitesnake. I was utterly amazed with his technical and compositional brilliance. You do not have to be a guitar aficionado to appreciate this collection, just have an appreciation of outstanding talent. Worth buying!

Must have!

This album has so many flavors. It's delicious. The sound Vai creates here is so varying and unique, and there really is something to be said about an album that can hold it's own in popular music while being purely instrumental. Any guitarist should listen to this album. They are the ones who will gain the most from listening to it. It is truly inspiring. The thing I appreciate about Vai is his ability to stay creative while still displaying his technicality. Let's be honest, shredders can get boring after awhile, but Vai's pieces keep things fresh, and actually have memorable moments (of course I am talking about "For The Love of God"s main riff). If you are a guitarist, buy this album. If you're not, you may not appreciate it as much, but I guarentee you will still enjoy "The Audience is Listening"!

Best instrumental album I've ever listened to. Buy it now!

Utter Guitar Masterpiece

Passion and Warfare set new standards for "instrumental-rock" records. It's much more than that. Everything seems to have come together for Steve Vai here: 1 - Prodigious technique (alternate-picking, legato, tapping, wild whammy bar manipulations and rich phrasing with slides/slurs, etc... 2 - Great compositions: There's a ton of musical riches in these compositions. Beautiful melodies, that conjure different moods and images from tune to tune (I'm sure his experience @ Berklee as a Film Scoring student contributed to that). The musical language is pretty unique and advanced (even on the disguised "simpler" tunes). 3 - Production/Arranging: Steve took advantage of all his studio experience with previous bands/acts, and used it on his own studio to great effect: a multitude of tones are heard throughout the album (Steve's own presets for Eventide's Harmonizer got the whole guitar world scratching their heads - "WHERE DOES HE GETS ALL THESE TOYS?"). At times, it truly sounds like orchestral music, only done with GUITARS! Every sound is carefully placed in the mix, enhancing the listeners experience. The sequencing is brilliant, every tune segues into the other naturally, creating a larger picture. The band also deserve credit (Stu Hamm, Chris Frazier, David Rosenthal), for performing the written notes with great sensibility. It's clear that this wasn't just another session to these studio cats. This album announced a new era for rock guitarists everywhere and created a huge expectation as to what Steve Vai would do next. His road was wide open. While he occasionally reached similar heights and kept evolving as an artist and pushing the envelope, Passion and Warfare is without any doubt his true masterpiece.

I picked up this album when it was first released after seeing a video on MTV(back when they used to play music videos) and ever since have been absolutely addicted to this album. I've since bought a guitar and been learning how to play because of musician's like Steve, Joe Satriani, and all the other great 80's metal guitarist. If you like guitar instrumental albums you will love every song on this album. And if you play guitar, this is an absolute must own album. IMO, Steve's best work to date.

wow this guy blows guitar players into a new dimension i personaly think satch overthrows him but i still think he is amazing

This is another amazing album from Steve. His guitar work is magnificent. I've never heard anything like it. BUY THIS ALBUM AND YOU WON'T REGRET IT.