In the ever-evolving landscape of jazz-rock fusion, Alex Skolnick Trio‘s sixth album, Prove You’re Not a Robot, released on November 7, 2025 on Flatiron, stands as a defiant celebration of human creativity amid the rise of AI. Led by Testament guitarist Alex Skolnick, alongside bassist Nathan Peck and drummer Matt Zebroski, this Brooklyn-based ensemble delivers a masterful blend of improvisation, genre-bending arrangements, and technical prowess that reaffirms why live musicianship remains irreplaceable.
The album opens with the title track, an 8:36 epic that sets a melodic tone with Skolnick‘s elegant riffs soaring over Zebroski‘s explosive polyrhythms and Peck‘s steadfast anchor. It’s a statement piece, emphasizing the organic spontaneity that algorithms can’t replicate. From there, the trio reimagines Tom Petty’s “Breakdown” as a poignant jazz lament, infused with Wes Montgomery-inspired chord voicings and bracing solos that capture the song’s inherent melancholy while injecting fiery energy.
Standouts abound: “Infinite Hotel” weaves odd time signatures with bop and pulsating rock grooves, creating a soul-shattering medieval elegy that accelerates into resonant depths. “Armando’s Mood,” a clever mashup of Chick Corea‘s “Armando’s Rhumba” and Steve Howe‘s influences, bristles with tentative swagger and telepathic interplay. Lighter moments shine in “The Polish Goodbye,” a blithe rockabilly-tinged ballad, and “Asking For a Friend,” which melds electric and acoustic tones for sublime introspection. “Parallel Universe” builds dainty drama into rapturous flurries, while the closer “Guiding Ethos” offers a folk-infused, near-frenetic finale with multifaceted chord progressions and yearning themes.
Recorded at Spain Recording Studios in NYC with warm, immediate production, Skolnick switches between vintage guitars like a Roger Sadowsky archtop and a 1935 Gibson L-00, adding textural variety. Over two decades in, the trio sounds utterly dialed in, balancing accessibility for rock fans with challenges for jazz aficionados. In a tech-saturated era, Prove You’re Not a Robot is a humble, human triumph—engaging, occasionally daring, and worthy of repeated listens. It’s their strongest yet, proving that true artistry thrives on risk and connection.