| Track by Track Review
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Freak Of Nature
A mean and meaty riff brings this stomper (and the album) into being. This old-school metal with a raw edge. I love the guitar soloing on this, and the lusher movement is classy. Nicholls provides not only keyboards on this, but also vocals. |
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Death Or Glory
This is a stronger cut than the opener was. The vocals are better, and the tune rocks with so much style. I really love the expressive guitar soloing on this song. |
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They Do Magic
Coming in meaty and mean, this one is screaming hot. It has some great hooks and really rocks. |
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Master Of The Rainbow
There is a Sabbath meets Rainbow kind of vibe to this to some degree. Of course, the lyrics were written by Nicholls as a tribute to Ronnie James Dio, so that makes sense. The cut just seems to gel really well. It's a highlight of the album for sure. It's the best track to this point, too. |
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Night Of The Living Dead
I really love this scorcher, too. It's got some killer riffing, and it really rocks. |
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Evil Lies
A dramatic metal ballad approach is on the menu as this cut gets underway. It's very strong and provides some real variety. The tune fires out after a while into some killer riff driven metal. This is one of my favorite tunes on the disc. It definitely has some Black Sabbath (Tony Martin era) vibes to it. Of course, that makes sense because Tony Martin guests here, providing the lead vocals. |
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Angels At The Crossroad
A driving metal tune, this is a real stomper It's particularly strong and has some cool twists and turns built into it. |
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Keep Up The Fight
Back into a more raw zone, the vocals on this make me think of DOA. Those vocals (and the keyboards on the tune) are again by Nicholls. The song is a bit more of a rock and roller versus a metal tune. Still, there is plenty of crunch here, and the defiant lyrics work well. |
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Brainwashed
Drums lead this in, and the bass joins after a time. Eventually guitar riffing comes over the top to move the song forward. There are some parts of this that seem to falter a little, but overall it's an anthemic metal tune. It has some killer guitar soloing. |
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Babylon Is Burning
The chorus here is particularly effective. The song is another raw and potent metallic stomper. That said, the mellower break is so classy and really elevates this thing. Somehow that part makes me think of Ozzy Osbourne's solo career just a little. There is a tasty and expressive guitar solo that comes over the top of that section. Somehow I can even make out some hints of jazz on that part of the track. As it comes out of that a decidedly Sabbath-like riff takes over. That brings us into the fairly short closing movement. |
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What Love Is
The riff that opens this is meaty and tasty. The cut makes me think of Blue Öyster Cult to some degree. The track is solid, but not a standout. |
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Dirty Disease
I love the Sabbath-like grind that starts this thing. This raw rocker earns a bit of a parental advisory on the lyrics. I like the chorus hook on the tune. I love the main riff so much, too. |
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World Of Illusion
Pounding in for an introduction, and then dropping down for the first vocal movement, this sounds so much like vintage Black Sabbath that it's scary. It has a great balance between the harder rocking and mellower movements. It's one of the highlights of the disc for me. Then again, I'm a Sabbath fanatic, so it's to be expected. The jam later in the track brings a different angle to the piece. It's still quite Sabbath-like with the exception of the guitar solo. |
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Highway To Madness
Nicholls is back providing just vocals on this closing track. A driving metal concept is at the heart of this as it gets underway. While not a big change or revelation, this is an effective tune that brings something special to the proceedings. |
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