Continuing his path of instrumental guitar showcase albums, Leslie Ripp unleashes his latest solo album project There Goes The Neighborhood. The veteran guitar virtuoso has put together another collection of his best guitar work and musicianship in a world of genera touching on the boundaries of rock, metal, and blues.

Although being more known and branded as a metal guitarist, Leslie is actually a big fan of blues styles, which can be heard manifesting throughout the album. By no means is this album just another guitar shred fest and you do not have to be a guitar player or musician to fall in love with this album. Leslie composes the tracks in a way that will appeal to all. And if you happen to be a guitar enthusiast, there’s just the right amount of shred to give you your daily fix.

Leslie is also classically trained in piano and drums, and plays all the other instruments on the album. Leslie also produces all his albums start to end, including recording, mixing and mastering, at his home studio in Hawaii, dubbed “Witchazel 2 Studios”.

Track by track:
The opening track, Event Horizon, is a testament to Leslie’s deep rooted passion not only for metal but for rhythm and blues as well. Spontaneous and sometimes reckless, Leslie takes it out of the box, almost into the realm of punk, with a flurry of blues runs. Leslie also incorporates a cosmic synth part which was the inspiration for the title.

From cosmic to fantasy, Tiger Lily is a fantasy rock ballad paying homage to the fictional character in the “Peter Pan” novels created by J. M. Barrie. With Leslie’s signature guitar sound and style leading the way, you may actually find yourself in Neverland.

Next on the list, House Of Cards, was originally featured as a bonus track on the discontinued Aftermath album. A catchy melodic rock ballad that has been re-recorded with new guitar leads and now holds the third spot on the new album.

Fourth comes a song inspired by Leslie’s home town, Hawaii, often referred to as an island paradise. Lost In Paradise is a riff based rock ballad with a catchy recurring riff and hard driving beat.

Bad Blood is a dark power rock ballad featuring that classic drum/bass/organ/guitar quartet made popular by jazz guitarists.

And now we come to the title track, There Goes The Neighborhood, another bonus track from the Aftermath album which has been re-recorded. A fast driving rock/blues ballad, featuring chaotic, wall to wall guitar riffs, shred. You name it and it’s got it.

Candle In The Dark is a dynamic rock ballad with a sound and style straight out of the eighties.

Snake Eyes, number eight on the list, is a biker rock ballad featuring recurring riffs and thundering drums. This is definitely something you want blasting in your ears while cruising down the road on your Harley.

Big Bad Blues as the title suggests, is classic R&B from start to finish.

Changing the mood and bringing the album to a close, Broken Carousel, is a haunting mid-tempo melodic metal ballad featuring a catchy recurring guitar melody and dual harmony guitars. This track was originally released on the discontinued Double Exposure album and now re-recorded with a major face lift.

There Goes The Neighborhood | Released May 18th, 2021 via Sliptrick Records

Track Listing:
01. Event Horizon | 02. Tiger Lily | 03. House Of Cards | 04. Lost In Paradise | 05. Bad Blood | 06. There Goes The Neighborhood | 07. Candle In The Dark | 08. Snake Eyes | 09. Big Bad Blues | 10. Broken Carousel

Leslie Ripp is:
Leslie Ripp – Guitar/Drums/Percussion/Bass/Keyboard/Piano

Band links: Official Website | Facebook | Youtube | On Sliptrick