Hot on the heals of the excellent 'Answer to the Master' and 'Screaming Symphony', 'Impellitteri' release this, probably their best album to date. Thankfully we have a full albums worth of material, unlike some of their other releases, where they think 35 minutes will do. Again we are honour with more blistering 'Melodic Power Metal', in a similar vein to 'Yngwie Malmsteen' but heavier, more melodic and overall a lot better written and structured. For those unfamiliar with 'Chris Impellitteri's' guitar work, well just put it like this, the man makes that pieces of wood sing 'Malmsteen' style, and maybe even better. Combine that with some of the best vocals in the business courtesy of the brilliant 'Rob Rock' and excellent song writing and you end up with a modern day classic like this.

The opening cut 'Eye of the Hurricane' is one of the best tracks present, a melodic flowing masterpiece, that has both crunch and melody, the guitaring is just superb and balances the crisp vocals to perfection. Before you can catch your breath you're into the hard hitting 'Shed your Blood', a thumping rocker full of glorious churning rhythm and clever vocal variations- checkout the guitar work around the 2 minute mark, stunningly intricate. The subtle intro to 'Fuel for the Fire' leaves you off balance as it explodes into a full blooded mesmerising guitar fest. Next up is the instrumental 'Race into the light', this boasts some of the fastest axe work I have ever heard as 'Chris Impellitteri' thunders up and down the scales like a man possessed. More quality is found on the plodding 'Bleed in Silence', a full tilt rocker that again features a sweet instrumental break. Less keen on the intro for 'Master of Disguise', a sort of biblical voice over, but this is soon forgotten when the track finally jumps into life, a chorus heavy belter, brimming with melodic vocals and fine rhythm work. The tempo drops for the ballad 'On and On', a number which incorporates medieval lute style guitar work and sharp vocals showing the great range of 'Rob Rock'. The pace is quickly switched back again for the rolling riff driven 'Everything is You', around the 2.30 minute mark the sound softens but thunders back with blisteringly intricate fret work- tremendous. More melodic bliss takes the shape of 'Kingdom Fighter' a track which blends heavy-weight thumping choruses with softer harmonious sections all supported by the usual complex axe work. The second instrumental 'Halloween' while not as fast as 'Race into the Light' is still an enjoyable journey into the land of shred 'Impellitteri' style. Closing the album is the ballad Paradise, a lot lighter than their normal approach but the softer vocal work is both commanding and pleasurable.

Well if you've got the same CD package as I have, there's still more fun to come with the E.P. 'Victim of the System'. This disc for some reason is not the same as the original and is made up of 3 tracks from 'Answer to the Master', and 2 from the original E.P., lets not fret about that though, this is still top notch metal. The blistering opener 'Warrior' is a top drawer gallop fest, displaying 'Rob Rock' on top form as his emotional vocals rip through the glorious lyrics. The almost rap like vocal arrangements on 'Fly Away' work really well, combining that with sweet riffs and thundering instrumental breaks and you have another 'Impellitteri' classic. Following on is 'Glory' a strafing instrumental, straight out of the Malmsteen mould. 'Hold the Line' is another galloping jewel not too dissimilar from 'Warrior', the chorus is incredibly catchy with more sweet vocals. The title track 'Victim of the System' closes the album, an all out blitz, with more dazzling guitaring that as always is wonderfully supported.

As you probably guessed this is one of my all time favourites, so if guitar heavy 'Melodic Metal' is your bag I recommend a trip to your local music store and part with some brass for another 'Impellitteri' gem.