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Kiko Shred is a Brazilian guitarist that has put out a few solo albums and worked with some notable vocalists like Mike Vescera and Tim "Ripper" Owens. With a name like "Shred" it is easy to assume that the music is going to be centered around the guitar (having not heard any of his solo work, I can neither confirm nor deny my assumption) but this new entity, Kiko Shred's Rebellion, is less a "shred" album with songs in a more traditional metal vein. Being a guitarist's record, Rebellion has its share of neoclassical and even progressive elements, allowing Kiko to show off his talents, but the songs are actual songs, not just vehicles to get the listener set up for mind-blowing lead work. That said, the songwriting isn't all that interesting with dull riffs and forgettable melodies. Guest vocalist Doogie White is terrible on "Thorn Across My Heart," sounding rather flat early on then just uninterested throughout the rest of the song. There are no other songs that do much more than pass their time uneventfully until the album ends, and often while listening it was several minutes before I realized that had happened, Rebellion have lost my interest after a few tracks. In style, it is like a mid-period Yngwie Malmsteen album just not as well executed and less interesting from a purely guitar aspect. There's not much here for anyone that already owns albums from the likes of Yngwie, David Chastain, Marty Friedman, Jason Becker, etc.