Chris Brooks (guitarist)
| Chris Brooks | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Born | Sydney, Australia |
| Origin | New South Wales, Australia |
| Genres | Rock, instrumental, progressive metal, fusion |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Associated acts |
Mark Boals LORD |
| Website | chrisbrooks |
| Members | solo |
Chris Brooks is an Australian rock, metal and fusion guitarist most noted for his debut instrumental album The Master Plan and his subsequent work with members of Yngwie Malmsteen, Black Sabbath, Lana Lane, and fellow Australians LORD.
Growing up as one of two sons of a career musician (drummer Ken Brooks), it was not really til he was 11 or 12 that Brooks realised that being a musician could be a career. He knew his father played the drums and that he was "bloody good at it" and that he did it a lot, but it was not until his own life-altering experiences with music that Brooks realised he could make a living and a lifelong pursuit out of music.
In 1986 John Farnham made a comeback, and Farnham's new band featured Brett Garsed on guitar. A concert for the "Whispering Jack" album was broadcast on Australian prime-time TV and featured a tune called "Let Me Out", the extended Garsed guitar solo of which Brooks credits as a major turning point in his inspiration to resume playing the guitar. Brooks cites other early influences as Kee Marcello of the band Europe, Vinnie Moore and Yngwie Malmsteen.
Brooks attended the Australian Institute of Music for a certificate course in contemporary music. During his short time there Brooks was exposed to jazz fusion and began listening to guitar instrumentalists like Frank Gambale, Allan Holdsworth, Pat Metheny and Richie Kotzen.
Demo tapes recorded in the 90s on four-track tapes have since shown up on YouTube, including a cover of the Yngwie Malmsteen track "Black Star", and the original track "I Wonder Why".
On 9 March 2002, Brooks released his debut album The Master Plan, which showcased his guitar chops in dynamic and sometimes complex progressive metal / rock fusion influenced compositions. The album has (as of January 2009) sold 4,000 copies and gained critical acclaim from artists including Brett Garsed, Vinnie Moore, and Jon Finn. Press coverage of the album included Metal Hammer magazine (Greece), Burrn! magazine (Japan) and Young Guitar magazine (Japan) as well as numerous fan-maintained progressive rock/metal websites.
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