Rob Rock - Rage of Creation (2000)
Former Impellitteri vocalist Rob Rock has released his first solo recording. Packed with power, big hooks, catchy choruses, great melodies and an all-star cast of players this is sure to be an instant classic and is already receiving maximum rotation in my cd player! Rob's vocals are as powerful as ever proving he is one of the finest vocalists in all of rock and metal today. Roy Z (who played on Bruce Dickinson's "Chemical Wedding") handles the guitar work and also co-wrote and produced the cd. Roy plays on here in a style similar to what he played on the Dickinson Recording and has a depth, heaviness and a style all his own. The first track is an elegant intro to the next 50 minutes of epic power metal and is a great lead-off track. The first two actual songs, "The Sun Will Rise Again" and "One Way Out", are probably the closest in style to Rob's former band Impelliteri, with speed riffing and virtuoso soloing, sounding very similar to the sound Rob has become so well known for. Some of the tracks are heavier than most of the old Impellitteri stuff and appear to be downtuned (much like Roy's work with Dickinson) such as the massively heavy groove known as "Judgement Day"... man that song is stinkin heavy! There is also another surprise here, a cover of an Abba song called "Eagle", but with Robs vocals and Roy's ultra creative guitar work this sounds right at home here and you can not tell it is not a Rob Rock original. The lyrics on "Rage of Creation" deal with the usual Rob Rock stuff, his faith, endtimes ("Judgement Day"), world and social issues (ie: "Media Machine", "Streets of Madness"... etc.) and love. Other guest appearances are made by Reynold "Butch" Carlson (Jag Panzer), and Jake E. Lee (former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist). This cd is very well rounded and has great production. If you are a fan of Impellitteri already you will love this, if you have never heard Rob Rock you need to get this! This is truly a great recording and I eagerly look forward to whatever Mr. Rock has in store for us next! -- Review by Norm