From the title it is possible to work out that this is the fourth album from guitarist Aldo Giuntini, and although it is six years since his last this is obviously a direct sequel to that work. Musically this is post-Dio Sabbath combined with ‘Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll’ era Rainbow and ‘Holy Diver’ period Dio. So, a lot of Ronnie references in there, which is why Aldo relies on a top rate vocalist who knows what it is like to stand in those shoes. Step forward Tony ‘The Cat’ Martin. I once saw him in The Alliance when they supported Magnum at the Hammy O and even then I knew he was destined for great things, and the fact that he did some wonderful work with Sabbath (although sadly very undervalued) proved that. He is back for his third stint with Aldo, having worked on ‘II’ and ‘III’ as well, while producer Dario Mollo has been around since the beginning and the result is something that yet again is going to delight anyone who likes classic hard rock.
The band really drives along, with Aldo mostly keeping himself under control and resisting the urge to provide too many additional fills or nuances, and Tony rides over the lot like a vocal colossus. Aldo is obviously hugely influenced by malmsteen, but the positive for me is that he knows when to rein it in and when to release the flood of shred, something that Malmsteen finds quite hard by comparison. If you like ‘Tyr’, ‘Headless Cross’, ‘long Live’ or ‘Holy Diver’ then you will really enjoy this, it’s that simple.
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