AN NCS PREMIERE: MENDEL — “DISCOVER”

(TheMadIsraeli introduces our premiere of a song from the new album by Mendel, the solo project of Aborted guitarist Mendel Bij de Leij.)

Mendel, as some of you may be aware, is Aborted’s current lead guitarist.  For a while now, he’s also been doing guitar-centric instrumental solo material that is quite good, and for me has been elevating him into the ranks of players like Jeff Loomis and Paul Wardingham.  He plays a purely neoclassical style of metal drenched entirely in modern aesthetic, which puts a new spin on this approach to guitar exhibitionism.

The guy not only has chops, he has phrasing, borderline poetic, and knows how to write a central motif unlike many others I’ve ever heard.  His new album Oblivion will be released May 17th, and we’ll be streaming it on or before that date.  Today, I’m presenting the first single, the album’s opener “Discover”.

Oblivion delves quite a bit into longer-song territory, and “Discover” is one of those examples.  Clocking in at nearly nine minutes, the song is a sprawling cascade of dancing riffs, flying leads, and emotive, neo-classical, traditionalist themes with a lot of twists and turns that keep them from feeling like old hat.  I hope you enjoy.

You can pre-order Oblivion here: https://mendelian.bandcamp.com/album/oblivion

https://www.facebook.com/Mendelian