Well Mark Boals has certainly been prolific since
his departure from Yngwie back in 2000. Releasing three Ring
Of Fire albums and now this, his latest solo album 'Edge Of
The World'. Boals has brought in a highly talented cast of
musicians to back up his musical vision - notably Tony MacAlpine
(guitar), Vinny Appice (drums), Erik Norlander (keyboards)
and Jeff Kollman.
The album in style is a bit more streamlined than
the highly neo-classical works of Ring Of Fire, but it still
rocks hard and has the underpinning Boals sound to it. There
are still many neo-classical moments that show Boals' roots
and the guitar work is superb throughout and an underlying
prog metal tinge adds some nice spice to the equation.
Boals' vocals are not as high pitched as in the
past and this does make the vocals a little easier on the
ear and I suspect will also help in reaching a more mainstream
audience.
Opener Fly is very
Dream Theater in nature and at times does come across as unoriginal,
its still an enjoyable enough opener with a prog tinge..
World On Fire sees
the album become a little more mainstream and its a very strong
track with nice harmonised vocals on the chorus which is a
melodic treat. Boals' vocals really are good throughout. Tony
Macalpine's solo is superb, quite Vai and a pretty clean tone
showing what an exceptional picker the guy is.
Lady Babylon is a
nice epic number going through a number of different scenes,
a great frenzied verse makes way for a slightly calmer pre
chorus which leads to a very majestic chorus. Erik Norlander
throws in some nice keyboard work here and it help adds to
the exciting atmosphere of the track. The guitar solo starts
out slow and moody before picking up in tempo and intensity.
Macalpine shows throughout the album what a hot property he
is, yet I would love to hear Yngwie tear it up on this track
and it has that Eclipse/Fire & Ice melodic yet epic sound
to it. A highlight.
Taking Control is
a dark track with a heavy riff, this does sound a little muddy
in the mix which robs it of some of its power. Again another
Macalpine solo tends to steal the track with some nice clean
passages, swept arpeggio's and general good chops and taste.
Upto You starts out
with Zeppelin-esque acoustic guitars which is mixed with some
Queen style vocal orchestrations. A generally good commercial
track with some nice clean vocal work from Boals. The chorus
is quite simplistic and is backed up by more Zeppelin type
parts - Boals even sounds a little like Robert Plant. A nice
enough track.
Between Two Mirrors starts
off with one of the most cringeworthy opening lines I have
ever heard - "Look in the mirror and what do you
see...Your reflections", I instantly had visions
of Spinal Tap singing that line and it took a while to compose
myself. Luckily I did as the track is strong the chorus see
Boals voice straining a little bit on a really high part but
the main body of the track is good.
Garden Of Pain is
another epic, grandiose track with a superb vibe throughout.
Boals' vocals are flawless and the general interaction between
guitar, keyboards, bass and drums really makes the track come
alive. The chorus is pure heaven with a great parping keyboard
(think Dio - Rainbow In The Dark) before Tony Macalpine takes
us away on another fretboard adventure. This track would also
make a Yngwie classic. This is the kind of thing Boals' excels
at and its a pleasure to hear it come togeather so well here
on this track.
On Through The Endless Night
mixes neo-classical class with the solid pound of Iron Maiden's
'Stranger In A Strange Land' (a very good thing). Everything
about this track is flawless, the verse, chorus, solo sections
(very classical), vocals, production. The album is worth buying
for the sublime vocal melody in the pre-chorus alone. Superb
stuff.
Perhaps expectantly after the class of the last
track the quality dips a little for Trouble
In Paradise, not by much though as the track sees a
nice repetitive riff overwhich Boals lays down classy vocals.
Jeff Kolmann provides the guitars here but sadly his tone
and mix does not come across as strong as the Macalpine numbers
- odd?! Overall another strong number.
Sadly the album does not go out on a high, Crossfir',
The Criminal and Hold
On (To Our Love) are average fillers that do not add
anything to the album, some nice melodies here and there but
not enough to warrant your interest right through to the end.
Overall Edge Of The World for the most part
hits the right notes, when its good its very good and when
its not its just plain average. Mark has a lot of great talented
musicians on the album and it good to see him expanding his
horizons beyond the neo-classical water of Yngwie and Ring
Of Fire, but ultimately its the tracks in that vein that come
out strongest to my ears. Boals' has produced an album that
is sure to please his many fans but whether it will win over
a new audience remains to be seen.
