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Ring Of Fire: Gravity
MRing Of Fire - Gravity Album Art

Ring Of Fire: Gravity

Neo-classical Heavy Metal
4.0/5.0

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Frontiers Music
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 09.11.2022 | Released: 11.11.2022

Since Ring Of Fire has not released a studio album since 2014's Battle Of Leningrad, we'll need to do some catch up. Ring Of Fire is a project of long-serving metal vocalist Mark Boals (who will turn 63 in less than a month). The band name comes from his second solo album of the same name, Ring Of Fire, released in 2000. Beginning with 2001's The Oracle, Boals and company would release two additional studio albums and a live album rather quickly to 2004. Otherwise, recordings have been sporadic. But Boals is busy guy. Besides his Ring Of Fire project, Boals has several other gigs: Dio Disciples, Dramatica, Shining Black, just to name a few.

Mark Boals Click For Larger Image

Ring Of Fire's Mark Boals

Eight years on from the previous album, Gravity is Ring Of Fire's latest and fifth studio recording. Once more, Boals and friends return to his roots in neo-classical heavy metal (thanks in no little part to Boals' work with Yngwie Malmsteen going back to the mid-Eighties). Once more Boals is joined by keyboard player Vitalij Kuprij but guitarist Tony MacAlpine has been replaced by producer and Secret Sphere guitarist Aldo Lonobile.



With his extensive vocal experience and dramatic soprano range, Boals' voice remains at the forefront (literally) of Ring Of Fire. However, what puts the neo-classical into the Ring Of Fire sound is the guitar and keyboard parts, especially the latter. With one spin of this album, you can hear Kuprij's significant classical music training in his keyboard work. Additionally, Lonobile is not slouch when it comes to shredding. Throughout this album these two musicians play off each other, giving the song arrangement a tandem duet of neo-classical wizardry. This is experienced within Storm Of The Pawns, King Of Fools, Run For Your Life, among others. As for Boals' contribution, to these ears, he sounds somewhat raging, more assertive than usual, almost becoming screamo. In a phrase, as I listened, my own throat hurt as he sang. Nevertheless, if you enjoy neo-classical melodic metal music in the vain of guitarists Yngwie Malmsteen, Vinnie Moore, or Tony MacAlpine and featuring fine classical music keyboard work, you will enjoy Ring Of Fire's Gravity.



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The Take Away

If you enjoy neo-classical melodic metal music in the vain of guitarists Yngwie Malmsteen, Vinnie Moore, or Tony MacAlpine and featuring fine classical music keyboard work, you will enjoy Ring Of Fire's Gravity. Recommended.

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