- May 13, 2007
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Ronny Munroe
Lords of the Edge
Rat Pak Records - 2011
http://www.ronnymunroe.com
If you go back and read my review of ex-Metal Church singer Ronny Munroe's first solo album ( Review Link Here ), I think it is pretty obvious that I wasn't as enthused about that CD as one would hope to have been.
There is no such problem with the Lords of the Edge CD. From the first moments of the disc when "Just Breathe" explodes out of the speakers to the final bluesy / western notes of "Goodbye To The Black", this album is far and away superior to The Fire Within.
Munroe wrote and produced this album with Stu Marshall, who appears on guitars. Also making guest guitar appearances are Queensryche's Michael Wilton and Savatage's Chris Caffery. And they don't go to waste. The guitars are fast and furious coming on strong when needed and laying back on the album's few quiter moments.
Munroe's vocals are superb and the lyrical content is much more focused this time around. Uptempo rockers like "Full Circle", "Pierced By The Maiden" and "The Fear Of What's To Come" sizzle while "Still Alive" slow burns as the album's nearest thing to a ballad. The aformentioned "Goodbye To The Black" opens with a spartan blues rock vibe before kicking into high gear as a raging rocker.
The album also includes nice audio or topical touches. The song "Let Them Feed" is a song about the zombie apocalypse that opens with a news broadcast clip announcing that the dead have come to life. One of my favorite cuts on the album is "Touched By A Demon" which carries an epically dark vibe in the opening while a maintaining a methodically plotted pace throughout the course of the song.
There's nary a false step on the album and frankly, this is the album Ronny Munroe should've made the first time around. I'm glad he got it just about completely right this time. (As a side note, the cover model for the album's photos is Munroe's daughter.)
Long Live Lords of the Edge!
Grade: A MINUS!
Lords of the Edge
Rat Pak Records - 2011
http://www.ronnymunroe.com
If you go back and read my review of ex-Metal Church singer Ronny Munroe's first solo album ( Review Link Here ), I think it is pretty obvious that I wasn't as enthused about that CD as one would hope to have been.
There is no such problem with the Lords of the Edge CD. From the first moments of the disc when "Just Breathe" explodes out of the speakers to the final bluesy / western notes of "Goodbye To The Black", this album is far and away superior to The Fire Within.
Munroe wrote and produced this album with Stu Marshall, who appears on guitars. Also making guest guitar appearances are Queensryche's Michael Wilton and Savatage's Chris Caffery. And they don't go to waste. The guitars are fast and furious coming on strong when needed and laying back on the album's few quiter moments.
Munroe's vocals are superb and the lyrical content is much more focused this time around. Uptempo rockers like "Full Circle", "Pierced By The Maiden" and "The Fear Of What's To Come" sizzle while "Still Alive" slow burns as the album's nearest thing to a ballad. The aformentioned "Goodbye To The Black" opens with a spartan blues rock vibe before kicking into high gear as a raging rocker.
The album also includes nice audio or topical touches. The song "Let Them Feed" is a song about the zombie apocalypse that opens with a news broadcast clip announcing that the dead have come to life. One of my favorite cuts on the album is "Touched By A Demon" which carries an epically dark vibe in the opening while a maintaining a methodically plotted pace throughout the course of the song.
There's nary a false step on the album and frankly, this is the album Ronny Munroe should've made the first time around. I'm glad he got it just about completely right this time. (As a side note, the cover model for the album's photos is Munroe's daughter.)
Long Live Lords of the Edge!
Grade: A MINUS!
