I'm sure most folks haven't heard of the power/progressive metal act Lords of Black, but there's a good chance if you've been following heavy music circles of late that the name Ronnie Romero has popped up in your news feed. Ronnie has been tabbed by Ritchie Blackmore to be the vocalist for his new incarnation of Rainbow, who are slated to play a select few live shows in Europe this summer. This of course has brought some attention to Romero's main band, Lords of Black, who have their latest release II set for release on Frontiers Records. Along with Romero, Lords of Black features guitarist Tony Hernando, and drummer Andy C., and this new CD was produced by Hernando and Masterplan/ex-Helloween guitarist Roland Grapow.
If you love your power metal with an epic feel, lots of guitar firepower, soaring vocals, and a progressive touch, then II is going to be something you will want to get your hands on. Romero sounds like a cross between Jorn Lande, Ronnie James Dio, and Freddie Mercury, and he impresses from start to finish here, his powerful delivery skyrocketing to the heavens on tracks like "Cry No More", "Merciless", "Only One Life Away", the intricate "Only One Life Away", and the manic "Live By the Lie, Die By the Truth". The bands proggy side comes out on the lengthy "Ghost of You", complete with a smattering of keyboards, loads of atmosphere, and plenty of tasty guitar riffs & solos from Hernando, while the venomous "Shadows of War" ups the speed ante, a sure fire bet for any fan of Primal Fear, Jorn, or Masterplan. The neo-classical shredding from Hernando on this one is quite dazzling!
Not necessarily anything new going on here, but II is still an extremely solid melodic power metal album that showcases a new vocal star on the scene with Ronnie Romero, as well as a band that has all the tools to make it big on the metal scene. Great cover artwork too!
Track Listing
01.Malevolently beautiful (Intro)
02.Merciless
03.Only one life away
04.Everything You're not
05.New World's comin'
06.Cry no more
07.Tears I will be
08.Insane
09.Live by the lie, Die by the truth
10.Ghost of you
11.The Art of Illusions Part III -The Wasteland
12.Shadows of War
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