The Ultra Zone

The Ultra Zone is the sixth studio album by guitarist Steve Vai, released on September 7, 1999, through Epic Records. The Ultra Zone is structurally similar to Vai's previous album, Fire Garden, in that the first half of the album consists mainly of instrumentals, and the second half mainly of vocal songs; however, unlike Fire Garden, The Ultra Zone is not formally divided into two "phases". Background The Ultra Zone is notable for its tributes to two legendary guitarists: Frank Zappa (on the track "Frank"), and Stevie Ray Vaughan (on the track "Jibboom"). Also notable is the fact that this was Vai's last studio album of original material until 2005's Real Illusions: Reflections; in the years in between, he released several compilations of his material, as well as a live album.