new music: kenyan guitar virtuoso hybrid actuary releases debut album ‘the way of the hybrid’ #soundcheck

After getting his start as the guitarist for Nairobi’s Dove Slimme, George Gachiri aka Hybrid Actuary has since branched out on his own, releasing increasingly complex solo guitar compositions. He’s finally dropped his first proper record, and for fans of instrumental guitar work, The Way Of The Hybrid is a feast of hard rock and metal riffage.

Leading off with an “Homage” to “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” and a George RR Martin inspired instrumental in “Jon Snow & The White Walkers,” Hybrid Actuary introduces the electronic flourishes on “NuNairobi”that tend to serve as the albums highlights. Often, his songs follow a traditional hard rock arrangement minus the vocals, but on the more electronic-leaning cuts, particularly the Saint Evo The Myth featuring “EQ Funk” and “Afrofuturism,” Hybrid Actuary’s impressive guitar work benefits from an equal compelling pedestal to stand on. The record closes with the epic “Raha na Furaha,” which pushes the sound further into industrial metal territory to everyone’s benefit. The glitched out drums that kick 3 minutes in, matches the intensity of his guitar in a way that elevates both. There’s a subtle, but key, difference between a great song that happens to have some badass guitar heroics and a lead showcase. The Way Of The Hybrid shows Hybrid Actuary as a talented and versatile instrumentalist. Fans of instrumental metal and hard rock should definitely check this out.

http://hybridactuary.bandcamp.com