In terms of pure technique, Sarah Longfield’s a hell of a seven- and eight-string guitarist. Her new LP, Disparity, buttresses that thesis and then some. But can she write a song? Well, sorta. The new record, out Nov. 30 on Seasons of Mist, features nine songs that coalesce between glassy textures and rapid-tapping rock/metal shreddage. But there’s a kind of sonic wallpapering that overshadows much of the record, the sense that one song, unfortunately, blurs unknowingly into the next. There are songs on the disc, like “Cataclysm,” that are real gems but, all too often, it’s so much writing on the wall. The technique can be utterly amazing and prog-philes will drool, for good reason, over some of these passages. Verdict: it would have made an incredible EP. – Justin Vellucci, Swordfish, Dec. 6, 2018
