With his debut album, Kingdom of the Sun, Sammy Boller established himself as one of the electric guitar's most promising names. While all instrumental, the LP showcases the Detroit virtuoso's impressively vocal playing, and plays host to an abundance of silky leads and cleverly crafted arrangements.
Yes, Boller's back catalogue is brief – with one album and two standalone singles: Path of the Heart and the uplifting Ritual Lights – but, listening to his masterful guitar playing, you'd be forgiven for believing he has 10 albums to his name.
In this Guitar World premiere, Boller plays through Dark Night of the Soul, one of the standout cuts from his 2020 debut.
Wielding a Gibson Les Paul Axcess – which runs through a Friedman BE-100 amp and 1960s Marshall cab – the guitarist rips through the track's two-hand-tapping passages and ultra-melodic leads with considerable ease, engaging his TC Electronic Flashback and MXR Carbon Coby delay pedals for a truly enviable guitar tone.
“Dark Night of the Soul was one of my favorite songs to play live before the pandemic,” Boller explains. “The song really came to life when we jammed it live at shows, and I can't wait to play it with the guys again.
“I tried to capture the live energy in this playthrough and it ended up turning out heavier than the studio version of the song. One of my favorite things is to see how songs come to life and evolve over time.”
- Sammy Boller's Kingdom of the Sun is out now via Candyrat Records.
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