Ring Of Fire is an American neoclassical/progressive/power metal band and, to be honest up front, not entirely my cup of tea as far as hard rock music goes. However, I can appreciate the musicality on this album, and there are definitely some elements that work for it and others that don’t.
The Soviet-themed album opens with the epic “Mother Russia”, but I’m not keen about the hollow sounding rhythm guitar. Tony McAlpine is a talented guitarist to say the least, but his dated sound on this track (and a few others) is not doing him any favors on this album. Despite that, his playing is strong as always. I really like the opening riff to “Where Angels Play” with its Zakk Wylde reminiscent squawks.
What does stand out is the excellent keyboard work of Vitalij Kuprij. It’s somewhat unusual that I gravitate towards the keyboards on a metal album, but Vitalij’s playing is excellent. Whether it’s the cascading grand piano at the beginning of “Firewind”, the stunning keyboard work in their power ballad “Our World” or the 80’s sci-fi synth leads in “Empire” Vitalij really sets the tone for this album.
I can say with certainty that this talented ensemble play well together. There isn’t a weak link among them. Mark Boals’ vocals are solid and consistent throughout but this won’t come as a surprise to anyone familiar with his work with Yngwie Malmsteen. My only complaint, other than the somewhat weak guitar sound, is that some of the songs tend to blend together when listening to the album in its entirety. The result is that only a couple of songs really stood out for me, thus diminishing repeat listens.
Or perhaps I’m not the best judge of neoclassical power metal. For those of you who enjoy Yngwie Malmsteen, Ring Of Fire’s “Battle of Leningrad” is an album you’ll definitely want to check out.
Richard Leggatt, HMS
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