Dan Sugarman is most known as the lead guitarist of Los Angeles based deathcore band As Blood Runs Black, but after this debut instrumental album, Centersun, I am sure that’s about to change. Now I’m not saying that Dan is breaking any new ground here or reinventing the way that guitar is played. I am simply saying this: Dan has released the right album at the right time.
Instrumental shred guitar albums come in waves of popularity. Sometimes they feel fresh, and sometimes they are saturated to death. Dan is using his knowledge and experience of technical death metal to create a very groovy and jazzy album. The way that metal fans that are not musicians can enjoy Animals as Leaders or Jeff Loomis’s solo albums is exactly what Dan has accomplished here. Not to mention, Dan has some of metal’s current best guitarists for guest solos, such as Francesco Artusato, Scott Carstairs, and Angel Vivaldi.
Throughout this album, traces of different bands can definitely be heard such as the groove of As Blood Runs Black and the technicality of The Faceless. It also reminds me a lot of Within the Ruins, Fallujah, and After the Burial. That is the beauty of the album. Dan is going to appeal to a lot of fans of music because he is able to go in and out of many different styles in a short amount of time.
Dan has also been very smart in his promotion of the album. His funny music videos and attention to detail has allowed this album to make immediate waves. That kind of forward thinking is going to take him far in this music business, and I am positive that it is only going to progress more and more as time goes on. I applaud Dan for having the courage to take the spotlight. I wish him all the best.
View of the Sunrise 