Hi-Res Downloads

96kHz/24-bit FLAC*, Legacy 88875102452 (supplied by www.highresaudio.com)

Satriani’s latest outing fair shoots out of the traps with the explosive opening of the title-track, placed at the beginning of the album as if to say ‘yup, this is what you’re in for – business as usual’. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, at least provided you’re into the highly distinctive Satriani sound, but this 15th studio album is more like a small ensemble jazz outing, just rocked up a bit. Accompanied by Bryan Beller on drums, bassist Marco Minneman and Mike Keneally on keyboards, this of course is a showcase for Satriani’s guitar playing. Shockwave Supernova ranges from blues to more lyrical pieces, all mixed and mastered by long-time collaborator John Cuniberti, who has delivered a dense, somewhat retro sound. Over an hour of rock guitar may be a bit indigestible at one sitting, but in small portions there’s much to like here. AE

Sound Quality: 75%

Hi-Fi News Lab Report

A mixed bag with some upsampled ~20kHz synth content (trk 4), some 96kHz rendering of (possibly analogue) content filtered to 30kHz, and 96kHz digital upsamples with apparent aliasing distortion above 24kHz [trk 6, Graph]. PM