Freak Guitar cover

Freak Guitar

Mattias Eklundh · 1999

65 min · 21 tracks · progressive metal

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Elevation

Our rating, out of 100 — and why.

AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.

Instrumental
78 /100
Alpine
Higher than 87% of albums we've rated

Eklundh’s guitar-led writing is inventive and sharply executed, though the short-piece sequencing favors a succession of ideas over a strong album-length arc.

What we noticed

  • The guitar remains the lead voice across the record, with tapping, harmonics and abrupt shifts in tone carrying material that a vocal melody would usually organize.
  • Recognizable covers of “La Bamba” and “Detroit Rock City” sit among the original pieces, making familiar melodies part of the album’s instrumental-guitar framework.
  • The 21-track sequence includes many compact, individually titled pieces, so it moves by quick changes of idea rather than sustaining a few long-form suites.
Composition 25% of the score
7/10

the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics

Craft 20% of the score
8/10

production, performance, arrangement

Durability 25% of the score
7/10

whether it rewards returning to it

Distinctiveness 18% of the score
8/10

whether it sounds like itself

Sequencing 12% of the score
6/10

running order, pacing, length

Influence 3/10

Known within its scene. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.

Tracklist

Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.

  • 1 Apparatus 3:38
  • 2 God - The Mechanic 2:26
  • 3 The Grey Hat of Compromise 3:45
  • 4 Lisa's Passion for Heavy Metal 2:04
  • 5 La Bamba 2:33
  • 6 Evil Shower 3:08
  • 7 When Sam Played It Again... 0:59
  • 8 Midsummer Night in Hell 2:01
  • 9 Numb 2:52
  • 10 (Friday Afternoon) in a Galaxy Far Away... 0:47
  • 11 The Satanic Moonwalk 3:03
  • 12 Cornholed 3:09
  • 13 Detroit Rock City 3:24
  • 14 The Territorial Thing 2:45
  • 15 Time to Breathe 10:34
  • 16 Mumbo Jumbo 3:53
  • 17 The Mud Man 2:05
  • 18 Dr Pangloss Goes to Lisbon 3:12
  • 19 Faith in Chaos 2:13
  • 20 Revenge of the Bambi Loving Terrorist 2:53
  • 21 Squirrel 3:29

What to play next

Freak Guitar – The Road Less Traveled
Listen next

Freak Guitar – The Road Less Traveled

2004
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Sensually Primitive

1996
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progressive metal

Reference: MusicBrainz · Wikidata