Artist: Fires Of Babylon
Label: Metal Heaven
Release: 2008
Rating: 3/5
Fires Of Babylon is the project of guitarist Lou St. Paul, who also runs Winter’s Bane, the band fronted by Tim “Ripper” Owens, that eternal legionnaire of metal frontmen, who has just been hired by none other than the most illustrious Ingwie J. Malmsteen. The funny thing is that after the excellent “Redivivus” album, the Winter’s Bane boss didn’t go for a follow-up, but fired up a new project called “Fires Of Babylon” instead. And? Whoops! Christian lyrics dominate the verses. St. Paul teamed up with singer Rob Rock, who is no stranger to biblical stuff himself, since he loves digging into those themes on his own studio albums too.
“Fires Of Babylon” sits pretty close to that last Winter’s Bane album. No wonder, since St. Paul wrote the material for it. So, fans of melodic American metal, pay attention. This is a sharpened fist of dynamite that kicks you straight in the face! Rob Rock handles the whole thing masterfully and knows exactly what he’s doing. The man is a seasoned old fox. He’s got similar experience behind him with speed metallers Warrior, fellow daredevils Impellitteri, and the cheeky M.A.R.S. project “Project: Driver”. The lineup is rounded out by former Death and Monstrosity bassist Kelly Conlon and Shatter Messiah drummer Bob Falzano, who also survived one of the Annihilator tours as a member of Annihilator.
This lineup is a guarantee of a great metal missile without a hint of sweetness, ballad-style dawdling, or any weird urge to hunt for avant-garde quirks, difference, or uniqueness. It’s pure attacking riffage with a dirty, raw touch, incredibly lively in the production, with a well-crafted “groove” curtain of avalanche-like riff assaults and, in contrast, a melodically thick bass line that effectively swirls the riffs around. Walking the line between melodic passages and aggressive semitone turns is nothing new for these guys. The songs are seasoned with excellent melodic passages and well-built instrumental middle sections. Rob Rock’s vocals are again extremely generous. He delivers everything we understand by the name Rob Rock, and they don’t call him “The Voice of Melodic Metal” for nothing. Looking for Bruce Dickinson? Here’s Rob Rock, who at the same age is far better preserved when it comes to delivering vocals.
Fires Of Babylon is an aggressive record. The only thing softening it is the added synthesizer sound, with which the guys wanted to capture the cataclysmic, theatrical atmosphere suggested by this album’s title, which may rub heavy metal purists the wrong way. I personally also find that the keyboards are actually completely superfluous this time. These guys already fill out the sonic picture perfectly as a classic quartet. Vocals, guitar, and rhythm section build enough doom and chaos on their own in an unstoppable onslaught, which is exactly what metal demands. The songs are evenly matched, with expressive and well-crafted basic guitar phrases.
It’s precisely the added keyboards and Rob Rock’s vocal approach that tip the scales and keep the project from being written off as a “Redivivus” clone. St. Paul’s presence is very obvious in the riffs and the way the songs are composed. For everyone who gets fired up by Rob Rock’s solo albums, the latest Winter’s Bane, and everyone who respects and appreciates the classic legacy of American melodic metal, e.g. Cage, Warrior, even Jag Panzer from around the turn of the millennium, this release is worth your attention.
Lineup
Rob Rock – vocals
Lou St. Paul – guitar, keyboards
Kelly Conlon – bass
Bob Falzano – drums
Tracklist
1. Falling To Pieces
2. Devilution
3. When The Kingdom Comes
4. Lake Of Fire
5. Holy Resurrection
6. Going Through Changes
7. Lazarus Rising
8. Revolution Coming
9. Generation Of Destruction
10. Castles Are Burning
Album length: 47.52
