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TOWER OF BABEL
Lake Of Fire
2017 Lion Music

Bored with the status quo of Rock ‘N’ Roll? Well, fear not, because a supergroup of seasoned players called TOWER OF BABEL is here to save you! Featuring a guitar-heavy, neo-classical hard rock approach, their debut album Lake Of Fire is drenched with inspiration from DEEP PURPLE, DIO, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, and especially RAINBOW. The spirit on this album is fantastic and enough to keep me interested from start to finish!

The band consists of vocalist Csaba Zvekan (EXORCISM, METAL MACHINE, RAVEN LORD), guitarist Joe Stump (HOLYHELL, REIGN OF TERROR, RAVEN LORD), bassist Nicola Angileri (EXORCISM, JORN), keyboardist Mistheria (VIVALDI METAL PROJECT, ROB ROCK), and drummer Mark Cross (OUTLOUD, FIREWIND).

Lake Of Fire opens with the driving “Dragonslayer”, which features Joe’s rollicking guitar riffing. This is an effective opening track. I love the main riff in “It’s Only Rock N Roll”, which is catchy and makes this a favorite of mine. Check out Nicola’s bass work on this song. That’s some serious bottom end. Title track “Lake Of Fire” features a more laid-back atmosphere. I really like Joe’s outro solo on this song. The upbeat, groove-infected “Addicted” is another favorite. The chorus is money, and this could be a single release if you ask me. “Midnight Sun” was one of the first songs released to YouTube, and you can check the song out HERE. Shades of RAINBOW’s Straight Between The Eyes album come to mind while listening to this track. “Eternal Flames” boasts a driving tempo and a sing-along chorus. Check out the acrobatic solo on this song! Mistheria’s keys are nice and bouncy here as well.

“Once Again” slows things down to a mid-tempo pace, and not quite a ballad. This bluesy number features enough riffs and solos to keep me interested. “Stardust” is a monster track and yet another favorite. Check out Csaba’s vocals on this song; an amazing performance! I can’t say enough about the superb cover of RAINBOW’s “Eyes Of The World”, played here with true conviction. While everybody else is covering “Kill The King”, these guys are just laying waste with this classic track from the Down To Earth album. “Lamb And The Wolves” is a relentless track, full of aggressive licks and double bass drumming, with a feel like those early Malmsteen albums. “Thoth” is a mid-tempo stomper that allows Csaba to show off a little more vocal range. The album closes with “All Out Warfare”, which finds the band ripping through a classical metal instrumental at full aggression.

This is very much a guitar-oriented album and for the most part revolves around the guitar wizardry of Joe Stump. But these songs are also true collaborations between Joe and Csaba, and actually don’t sound too much like their other band, RAVEN LORD. Joe’s playing and monster tone are the standouts here for me. Csaba channels a Ronnie James Dio/Russell Allen/Graham Bonnet style with just enough grit. Mistheria’s keyboards are a vital element to this album. It simply would not be the same without his accents to these songs. Drummer Mark Cross is an excellent fit for this band. His playing here is spot on, and his fills and occasional double bass injections are perfect. This is not his most complex playing, but it fits the songs well. Nicola’s bass playing is also right on the money for this band.

I can’t say enough about the mix of this album. It’s sounds so perfect, particularly at a high volume, which is what all hard rock and metal should be played at. Bottom line, if you are a Ritchie Blackmore and RAINBOW fan, you will love this album. Lake Of Fire. features 12 awesome songs clocking in at over an hour. The album cover artwork by Gragoth is a winner as well. Lake Of Fire is available now from Lion Records.

5.0 Out Of 5.0

Pick up your copy of Lake Of Fire in the KNAC.COM More Store right HERE.