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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This Thing Seriously Rocks, December 4, 2005
For those who wanted to see Rob Rock return to the heavier sound of his first album, Rage of Creation, and felt let down with the overly orchestral sound of Eyes of Eternity, Holy Hell is for you. Has there been a better song for getting the blood moving than Slayer Of Souls this year? The drummer and guitar player set the standard for quality power metal playing and Rock's vocals are better than ever. Impelliteri fans who were dissapointed with "Pedal To The Metal" will not be dissapointed with Holy Hell. While I still would have to give the nod to "Rage Of Creation" as my favorite Rob Rock album, definitely get this album if you like fast, hard, melodic power metal. Complaints that this album is "too Christian" is a moot point not to be taken seriously. The bottom line with any metal record is whether or not the artist can deliver the goods musically ( and besides, since when does anyone buy metal record for the lyrics?).
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This Thing Seriously Rocks, November 15, 2005
For those who wanted to see Rob Rock return to the heavier sound of his first album, Rage of Creation, and felt let down with the overly orchestral sound of Eyes of Eternity, Holy Hell is for you. Has there been a better song for getting the blood moving than Slayer Of Souls this year? The drummer and guitar player set the standard for quality power metal playing and Rock's vocals are better than ever. Impelliteri fans who were dissapointed with "Pedal To The Metal" will not be dissapointed with Holy Hell. While I still would have to give the nod to "Rage Of Creation" as my favorite Rob Rock album, definitely get this album if you like fast, hard, melodic power metal.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Epic and powerful, November 6, 2005
Rob Rock is one of the finest hard'n heavy vocalists hailing from America and everything in his discography is awesome and highly respected among heavy metal fans. From Impellitteri to MARS to his works with Axel Rudi Pell, Avantasia and Jack Frost, he has proven to be a singer very much in demand. However, it is his solo albums that allow him to showcase his talentes best, as he always works with the amazing producer Roy Z (Bruce Dickinson, Judas Priest) who never fails to bring out the best in Rob Rock and also gives the album an excellent sonic quality.
I'll always argue that Rage of Creation is Rock's best album. Maybe it's because Rage of Creation was his first album that truly differed from his neoclassical shred stuff with Impellitteri or the brief inclusion of Jake E. Lee on a couple of tracks, but I've always felt that once Rob Rock was convinced that he was on the right path, he didn't consider it necessary to experiment with different writing styles anymore. Nothing wrong with that, but in general lines, Holy Hell sounds like a more updated version of Rock's previous two discs, with impressive musicianship and solid production. Narnia members Andreas Olsson on bass and Carljohan Grimmark on lead guitar, along with extra guitar work by Roy Z, Rick Renstrom, and Bob Rossi form Rock's solid lineup. The big surprise of Holy Hell, however, is drummer Bobby Jarzombek (Watchtower, Spastic Ink, Iced Earth). I love Jarzombek's drumming in more traditional heavy metal bands such as Halford and Riot because he has a very unconventional approach to rhythm and his double bass drum work is simply awesome. His drumming in the outro of the opening song "Slayer of Souls" is fantastic and only becomes more engaging when Rob Rock adds his husky scream over it. This song is a perfect way to start a Rob Rock album with lots of heavy guitar riffs, pounding drums, and exquisite guitar leads. Jarzombek's drumming also stands out on the following track "First Winds of the End of Time" where he employs a maniacal polyrhythm complexity without taking away from the otherwise epic chunks of power metal riffs. The bass on this piece holds everything together and another killer twin guitar solo with a melodic staple concludes the track.
Perhaps due to Rock's affinity to European power metal projects such as Avantasia, there are a few tracks that reek of double bass drum madness with highly melodic choruses that are repeated over and over again till there's no way you can escape them. It's all kept within a certain level of heavy guitar work though, and that saves them from being totally derivative pieces. The title track is filled with heavy guitar and bass but it denies its Maiden and Priest roots with an infectious main chorus. Likewise, "When Darkness Reigns" is also Euro power metalish with an epic intro, sick drumming once again, and distant keyboards used to generate atmosphere. On "I'm A Warrior", Rock's singing reminds of Hammerfall, something I can't attribute to a singer of his calibre, but it's an okay song otherwise. My favourite piece would have to be the dark "Lion of Judah", punctuated by Roy Z's sweeping arrangements and precise guitar work, and Rock actually sings in a lower tone which really suits the album. Sadly, both ballads on this album fall short off the mark, as "I'll Be Waiting for You" (there is also a video of it on the CD) is way too sappy sounding. Not only does this song break the metalic flow of the album, but it also feels like it was put together rather quickly in hopes of adding a power ballad in the mix. The last piece "Move On" features Tobias Sammet singing both lead and back vocals in a somewhat folky tone over acoustic guitars and power chords. Knowing Rob Rock's earlier ballads, I know he could have done better, but Holy Hell is still a good heavy metal album with plenty of power metal elements and it will please most listeners.
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