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BUMBLEFOOT
Bumblefoot...Returns!
Bumblefoot Music

Don't let the album title completely deceive you. Despite its heralding tone of a comeback into the rock/metal scene, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal has kept himself busy in the spotlight. His 30+ year playing career has made a trajectory from teaching music at high schools to touring/recording with the likes of GUNS 'N ROSES, LITA FORD and ASIA and forming three successful supergroups in the course of four years, including ART OF ANARCHY - in which he'd somehow accomplished the impossible in briefly making its frontman Scott Stappnot sound like a cartoon character when he sings - SONS OF APOLLO (the latter whom he'd been two albums deep in before the pandemic struck) and WHOM GODS DESTROY (their debut album came out last March). And somewhere in between, he also joined the aforementioned ASIA at the behest of the band and completed a couple of world tours with them in the span of a good four years.

In short, Bumblefoot probably has about as many public musical projects as Dave Grohl has at this point in his career. So, what, exactly, would he be implying in the title of his ninth studio album about his return, since he never really went away? One would guess that he was referring to his own solo career as well as his decade-long followup to 2015's Little Brother Is Watching and they'd most likely be right. But it's also more of a return for him in not just creating but also curating entirely his first solo album in 30 years if one were to harken back to his debut work in the form of The Adventures Of Bumblefoot. With Returns!, Bumblefoot revisits his own prog-based musical roots and approach to his playing, placing his guitar talents in the role of the album's voice.

And judging by the djent-like opening romp of the 8-minute blistering "Simon In Space" (named after his cat), apparently the initial voice in mind for the album must've been Jens Kidman of MESHUGGAH (though not literally, as this is an instrumental album). By the song's 45-second mark, the listener can practically sing the infectious yet well-crafted melodic riffs. The follow-up track "Planetary Lockdown" provides a more tamer-sounding template where the riffs are more centered and focused, while the lighthearted-sounding "Moonshine Hootenanny", with its rustic, bluesey twang, is almost the musical equivalent of cousin Eddie and his family showing up in his beat-up RV on Clark Griswold's driveway on Christmas Eve: Out of place and perhaps even unplanned, but immediately provides such an important counter piece that, after a while, you couldn't imagine what it would be like to not have it. Even thanks to its addictive bouncy riff that's practically the sonic equivalent of crystal meth, comparing the song to a suspicious-looking RV lurking around a residential neighborhood suddenly makes sense now.

Speaking of gatherings, Bumblefoot has not only comprised a stellar group of backing musicians including drummer Kyle Hughes, but he's attracted some A-list players on Returns. Steve Vai's appearance and stellar performance on "Monstruoso" lifts the tone of the song to unforeseen heights. And Brian May, who's probably been yearning to break out his rustic blues influences since "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", finally brings those same influences to the table on his contribution to the soulful number "Once Is Forever", which also features the drumwork of Jerry Gaskill of KING'S X and the ivory talents of one Derek Sherinian. Even lesser-known musicians make their indelible marks through their individual contributions throughout the album: Guthrie Govan (THE ARISTOCRATS) - something of a similar-sounding eclectic axeman himself in the UK who has worked with Ron in the past - flexes his fine arpeggios on "Anveshana" while accomplished violinist Ben Karas (THANK YOU SCIENTIST) brings forward the well-timed classically inspired maudlin tone on "Funeral March" aka the best David Lynch-sounding movie score never written.

Summarizing Bumblefoot...Returns! overall? Don't call it a comeback; Bumblefoot's actually been here for years come five-year old global pandemic or high water. And his own returns on Returns! mostly come from being able to literally play by his own rules, especially after 3 decades of constantly keeping in step with an ever-changing musical climate. Returns! is Bumblefoot's own official footprint bringing his legacy to a comfortable and well-deserved heel in his own sensible shoes.

4.5 Out Of 5.0

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