Band : Fires Of Babylon

Album title : Fires Of Babylon

Label : Metal Heaven

Distributor : Rough Trade

Release date : 25/04/2008

Release : CD

Upon receipt of the master tapes of Power Metal masters Winters Bane 's 2006 album Revivicus (album review posted 17/07/2006), the A & R manager (and owner) of Metal Heaven got so impressed with the band's songwriting, that he contacted guitarist Lou St. Paul (who's the most responsable when it comes to the songwriting) about the possibility for him to write up the material in an '80s US Metal style for a project band with known other musicians. Of course, he accepted (as a musician it's hard to turn down a deal when it's presented to you, especially when what's offered is completely up your alley)...or I wouldn't be writing this!

First to enter the fold was renowned vocalist Rob Rock , who's gained quite a reputation as frontman of Impelliteri , Warrior , Axel Rudi Pell , M.A.R.S. , Project: Driver (acts with whom he recorded albums), Joshua , Vice , and Angelica , as well as a a solo artist (three albums, the latter being the recently released Garden Of Chaos ). Next up was bassist Kelly Conlon , a veteran of the scene who's played and recorded with Death ( Symbolic album) as well as with Monstrosity ( Millenium and In Dark Purity albums) and is currently working on his own band Infinity Minus One . The completion of the line-up in mid 2007 came with drummer Bob Fanzano , an alumi of Berklee College Of Music , where he was picked by drum legend Mike Mangini (then one of his teachers) to be his replacement on the 2004 tour Annihilator was to undertake with Judas Priest . It's during that tour that Bob forged a friendship with guitarist Curran Murphy , and when the tour was done he and Curran left Annihilator to form their own outfit Shatter Messiah , who have already released two albums.

According to St. Paul , the lyrics deal with "...themes about relationships, struggles and triumphs, political commentary, and biblical world views...". The music? Well, that's exactly what Metal Heaven 's owner had asked for: driven '80s US Metal with some keyboard underlining for additional atmospheric effect, with a vocalist typical for that era, and songs which have melody lines that soon settle quite firmy into ones mind! Wanna hear what they sound like? Then surf to myspace.com/firesofbabylon, where you'll find 75-seconds snippet mp3-files for no less than 6 songs off the album.

Personally, I'm afraid I have to say that, while the material is certainly well-written, and is even of top-notch quality as far as the genre is concerned, I've musically grown far beyond this kind of bands. In the '80s I would indeed have jumped to the occasion and gone out to buy the album, but with so much more out there to be found in a diversity of sub-genres I'm not gonna spend any money needed for the purchase of albums which I find much more deserving of my hard-earned Euros! However, I'm sure people with their heads stuck in the '80s will instantly like what's on offer, but that doesn't mean more modern geared Metalheads would not find this project band to their liking! Just check it out, and decide for yourself! The rating underneath is a mirror image of how I feel the album does within the genre, and is devoid of my own negative feelings.

89/100

Tony.