With CD’s dating back to the early ‘90s, guitarist Paul Speer released his long awaited comeback album in 2008. A master of combining sounds and vision for some breathtaking musical scenery, Speer returns in top form with Oculus. Released separately as both DVD and CD, Oculus is a modern instrumental soundtrack. Backed up by the CD soundtrack, the DVD puts sound to video footage of the most scenic places in Italy including Rome, Florence, the Italian Riviera and Sicily. Speer’s photogenic guitar music is the perfect fit as the backdrop for the majestic video footage here. This concept is not new for Speer but clearly he’s hit a new height with Oculus. Video buffs will want to see the imaginative combination of sound and vision but there’s much great music here in its own right, making the CD a fine choice for audiophiles. Oculus features Speer handling all the guitars, bass guitars and keyboards with some fine drumming by Steve Hill adding much to the overall effect. www.rainstormrecords.com

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