Ahoy there!

I was wondering if anyone on this forum could help me out with something that has been bugging me for years!

Back when I was at school in the 90s, me and my mates used to swap alot of tapes of music that were into. One of my mates lent me a a tape of some neoclassical instrumental music, but he did't know the name of the band. The music was really cool - it consisted of two electric guitars playing Bach-like rock music with drums and bass. There were only a couple of tracks on the tape. The music sounded almost like it was from the 1970s ie no mega fast fret burning which would generally indicate 1980s.

Unfortunately I didn't copy the tape and never found out who the band was! I have fond memories of that music as it got me into neoclasical metal.

Has anyone got any ideas on what this could be? I know its a real long shot but this has been bugging me for the past 15 years!

it may have been Cacophony, which featured the two up and coming neo-classical virtuosos Jason Becker and Marty Friedman.

heres some info on them

http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searc...a9fixqq5ld0e~T0

heres a video of them

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAzZ0GVlmwM

thats what I was thinking, Cacophony... but it doesn't sound like it, because they are definitely not 70s... they are most clearly 80s mad shredders with modern tone.

I am thinking that it is possible that it could be Chastain? He did an album of classical covers with more of a classic guitar tone.

Other than that idk. Good luck though, and I would be very interested in hearing if you fin out who it is?

That's gotta be Cacophony for me. The only other band I can think of with twin guitars in that style would be Racer X. I take it the tape was a copy and the songs were wholly instrumental? Also was the tape a copy with only a few tracks on it? I'm asking this because both Cacophony albums do feature a vocalist so I assume that your mate has recorded the instrumental tracks from either one or both of these albums.

Anyway you can check these out online:

Cacophony: Speed metal Symphony. Title track and Concerto are the two instrumentals.

Cacophony: Go Off. Title track and Images are instrumentals.

Anyway let us know how you get on. :)

Sorry alikid I skimmed through your post too quick to begin with. If there's no fast playing it's definitely not Cacophony. I'm stumped as to who that could be. Can anyone else shed some light on this. I'm racking my brain but to no avail as yet. :(

Hi there, thanks for all your help so far.... unfortunately Cacophony, Racer X and David Chastain aren't quite right. The music that I heard was not as fast or technical as Cacophony/Racer X, and the guitar sound was more akin to Led Zeppelin/Deep Purple, so that's why I think it could have been from the 70s.

The mystery continues!

very peculiar... I would love to hear this, w/e it is.

Hmmm.....I cannot find anything that sounds like what you mean....the only guy that pops up is George Bellas and I don't think he was active in the 70's.......if only you had the tape ;)

it may have been some early scorpions, with Uli Jon Roth

oh true! but than again... they don't have anything that is really pure neo-classical like Bach as he said.

it could also be a a band that was amazing that just never even got anywhere.

Yeah or Uli Jon Roth's solo stuff. His tone is kinda 60's sounding. I think it is Uli Jon Roth.