*** Joe Satriani

CRYSTAL PLANET

(Epic)

Of all the current inhabitants of the shred-guitar subgenre, Satriani's the most consistently rewarding, probably because his music is conceived as music, not just as a platform for fretboard heroics. Crystal Planet is another fine collection of instrumentals, and considerably heavier than his last album, 1995's comparatively laid-back Joe Satriani.

Things get off to a powerful start with "Up in the Sky," as the urgent pace and energy of Satch and his band (Stu Hamm on bass and Jeff Campitelli on drums) prove more important than the inevitable yet gratifyingly short solo. And just in case you were concerned Joe didn't get enough blowing time on that one, "House Full of Bullets" follows up with some fluid, bluesy breaks. Over the course of 15 tracks, there are a few departures from the basic formula: the lovely sound painting "A Piece of Liquid," the solo rumination "Z.Z.'s Song," the experiment in 5/4 time "Trundrumbalind." But in general the goal is to lay down some mighty rock, and then rock some more.

-- Mac Randall