Neville Campbell-Barker Album Review!

Artist: Neville Campbell-Barker 

Album Title: Through The Fear & Famine

Released: 2026

Artist Website: 

Neville Campbell-Barker is a player that has been on my radar for quite a while. Having discovered his playing on the usual social media platforms has been an awe inspiring journey. I have watched countless clips of his mind bending chops and interesting left of center musical ideas for several years. He is a "musician's musician" on every level. One of those cats that makes many of us wonder why our guitars don't do the same things that his do. His music is not for the faint of heart. He is a shredder to the core, in the Paul Gilbert and Steve Vai school of chops, constantly pushing the boundaries of the instrument. 

The title track, Through The Fear and Famine is an epic almost nine minute masterpiece featuring the legendary Stuart Hamm on bass. This is less of a song and more of a sonic journey. The interplay between the two master musicians is something to behold. Fans of the genre know that Stuart Hamm only plays with the best, and Neville sits right at home on that short list. Social media has exposed how many great players there are out there. But what seperates the men from the boys is taste and melodies. On this track Neville steps up showing he is undoubtedly amongst the elite. 

Cactus Man was an unexpected blues gem in the spirit of Gary Moore. Using the blues changes to show off considerable chops is always an interesting listen. It is the blank blues palette that opens the door for just about anything and Neville takes it into the stratosphere, making Jeff Healey appear to be a traditionalist. It's in the school of Van Halen's version of the blues classic Ice Cream Man or the legendary guitar duel at the end of the cult classic movie Crossroads, which both are just plain fun, as is this track in every way. 

A Land Far Away is a standout cut that would be right at home on the Top Gun soundtrack. A power ballad is an absolute requirement on instrumental guitar albums and this one knocks the ball out of the park. It is Neville's ability to combine the crying and singing guitar with bursts of mind blowingly impressive chops. But like the genre's best players, he knows when to just stick a bluesy pentatonic lick and pull it right back into the Jimmy Page wheelhouse. 

Neville's debut album is a 21 song onslaught of complexity and beauty. He stays faithful to the hard rock sounds that have made players like Satriani and Vai legendary in guitar circles for decades. His tone is well crafted throughout the entirety of the release, leaving no details unattended. The tracks are on the long side, but never feel too long because of his exceptional compositions and delivery of the memorable melodies. There are plenty of turns that take the listener on a rollercoaster ride through the mind of a master musician. This is a must listen for fans of Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and Andy Timmons. Give it a spin... it will be time well spent! 

Check out the interview with Neville below.....

Tell us the brief history of your band or musical career.

I started playing when my Dad bought me a cheap acoustic guitar at the age of 17. I played it for about 6 months and then decided I wanted an electric so my Dad bought me a Stratocaster copy for my 18th birthday – within days the passion was ignited and this first electric guitar was quickly followed by a Washburn MG40 that I paid for by myself using my Saturday job money. I taught myself to play up to a certain point but realised I needed proper tuition so applied for the London Guitar Institute and spent a year there learning off some of the best players in the country. After the course I just kept on with a rigorous practise schedule to further develop my skills. I joined a few cover bands and got to travel a bit with those but the music was not adventurous for me – plus it was other people’s music and not my own. I feel a really deep connection with guitars which I think has been enhanced by everything I have learnt when building electric guitars from scratch and doing some complex repairs. 


Who are your musical and non-musical influences?

Gary Moore, Eric Clapton, Brian May, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Paul Gilbert, Jeff Healy, Ron Thall, Jeff Beck….basically too many to list but all of the greats! In terms of a non-musical influence I would have to say my wife who has been the most patient, encouraging and supportive partner I could possibly wish for, as well as our children who we are currently surviving the teenage years with!


What album has had the greatest impact on your life as a musician? 


Oh so many…the first album that really hit me was ‘Backtracking’ by Eric Clapton – I found it fascinating listening to how his musical style developed over the decades morphing from bonafide Blues to catch pop and rock hits. ‘Still got the Blues’ by Gary Moore is an album that literally blew my mind…this is when I realised that the guy’s playing was simply on fire. ‘Surfing with the Alien’ and ‘Flying in a Blue Dream’ by Joe Satriani also hit me hard with the display of his technical prowess coupled with his fluidity. I can’t finish this answer without calling out ‘Images and Words’ by Dream Theater – again, another technically insane piece of work given the use of odd time signatures and incredible unison passages. Others to mention would be ‘Passion and Warfare’ by Steve Vai which is an absolute masterpiece and ‘Rising Force’ by Yngwie J Malmsteen which was a neoclassical awakening for me.


Is there a particular song that has resonated with you for a long time?

‘Parisienne Walkways’ by Gary Moore – it has always moved me as a beautiful, romantic melody played with pure passion straight from the soul.


What’s your favorite accomplishment as a musician thus far?  


Getting this album out! It has been a long time in the making and I’ve been sitting on it for quite a while waiting to find the right time to let it go. The first anniversary of the passing of my dear Dad seemed the most fitting time to do this. ‘Cactus Man’ from the album is inspired by him and the eclectic life he led in Africa in his pursuit of rare cacti in the 1970s.

What's the best piece of advice another musician ever gave you?

One of my tutors at the Guitar Institute, Dave Kilminster, said “don’t practise a piece of music just to get it right – practise it until you can’t get it wrong”. That always stayed with me and has been a key factor in the relentless daily practise that I do.


How has your music changed over the years?

I would say that I started off playing basic Blues and over the years progressed to Rock and then Progressive Rock until to a point where I felt confident enough to write and play whatever madness appeared in my mind and my fingers.


What inspires you to write the music you write? 

Life experiences, my faith and the personal journey I have been over the years – also the people that surround me in day to day life.


What made you want to play the instrument you play? 


My late Father. He was a keen musician himself and toured a lot in the 1960s in the UK, even supporting Pink Floyd and playing at the famous Cavern Club in Liverpool. I play guitar because of my Dad.


How are you continuing to grow musically?

By always trying to expand my musical horizons by listening to new genres, new artists, digging out music by old artist that I haven’t listened to for a while…and always seeking out the virtuoso musicians.


Are there any musicians who inspire you that are not famous? What qualities do you admire about them?

There are a few who are probably well known in their own cities and countries with a strong social media presence such as Panos A Arvanitis who is a Greek guitarist who plays, what I would call, neo-classical shred. He is just a brilliant musician who I find very inspiring. Another one I’d call out for his pure virtuosity, is Chris Gordon who is just a mind-blowing American fusion guitar player – very similar in style to the great Frank Gambale. Also a guitar player called Scott Mishoe who was very prominent back in the 1990s and still has a social presence – I found his music to be decades ahead of its time.


Tell me what your first music teacher was like. What lessons did you learn from them that you still use today?

I wasn’t interested in playing any instruments when at school, so my first teachers were the ones at Guitar Institute. Again, I’d say Dave Kilminster from the Guitar Institute for his overall excellent tutoring and of course his wise advice on practise. But not only that, his mind-blowing skills and his ability to inspire, even with just one note, which gave me an urgency to become a much better guitarist as quickly as possible. Also, Shaun Baxter who was another great tutor at the Guitar Institute whose knowledge of scales, arpeggios and jazz influenced phrasing was captivating. From both of these exceptional teachers I learnt fret-board fluency, the understanding of scales and modes and the almost un-teachable topic of phrasing and feel. 


If you could play anywhere or with anyone in the world, where or with who would it be?

Gary Moore would have my ideal choice but sadly that ship has sailed. From those with us today, I would say Steve Vai and Joe Satriani. 


What strengths do you have that you believe make you the musician you are?

A firm belief that it is always possible to play better and the personal commitment and resilience to be constantly striving to do so.


Do you have any weaknesses that you're actively working to improve on?


The area I’m always trying to improve on, because I’m not where I want to be with it, is fingerstyle guitar and classical pieces.

What does your practice routine consist of?

Daily focused exercises to keep my chops up and keep the fluidity with my playing – scales, arpeggios, chords and phrasing and then trying to get creative every day by developing ideas into pieces of songs for later use on another album. In my daily practise I am constantly revisiting these little snippets for further inspiration.


What artists do you enjoy listening to nowadays? 


I still love listening to all of the greats I mentioned earlier plus whoever else I can discover along the way!



Are there any artists outside of your genre that have not had much influence on your music that you enjoy?


Everything influences me – even if it is in a subliminal way….from classical, rock, jazz fusion, punk, indie pop, indie rock, world music, flamenco….basically everything and anything that’s good!