'Chris Impellitteri' upon hearing that 'Rob Rock' was launching a solo career was allegedly not best pleased and decided his term with 'Impellitteri' was to come to an end. 'Rage of Creation' is 'Rob Rock's' first solo outing and draws heavily upon his work with 'Impellitteri', 'Warrior', 'Joshua' and others. Although this is a strong release which displays 'Robs' amazing vocals, he plays it very safe and rarely deviates from his previous work. I was expecting the guitar work to seem light compared to 'Chris Impellitteri' with whom 'Rob' is best known with and while the neo-classical element is removed, Axe man / Co-writer / Producer 'Roy Z' turns in a superb performance.

After a short but grand instrumental we are propelled into 'The Sun will Rise again' a brisk paced simplistic rocker, fuelled with top drawer solos from 'Roy Z' and 'Rob Rock's' commanding vocals. Next up is the 'Impellitteri' sounding 'One Way Out', a lively number with a trademark Christian feel, as with the first cut the guitaring is splendid especially the solo and it all comes together nicely. The darker sounding 'Judgement Day' follows and is very reminiscent of 'Robs' work with 'Warrior', not one of the strongest present with laboured sections and a trite chorus but the mystical sounding mid track piece is a highlight. More excellent penmanship is exhibited on the pulsating journey 'Streets of Madness', here 'Rob's' magnificent range is in full display. Next up is a cover of 'Abba's' (yes Abba's) 'Eagle', a surprising choice to say the least but it comes off pretty well, personally I prefer something with a bit more distortion but this is far from a poor effort. The pace is restored with 'All I Need' the first of two tracks to feature 'Jake E. Lee' on guitars, who turns in a fine effort on this solid rocker which overall has a certain 'Ronnie James Dio' era 'Sabbath' feel about it. Continuing in a similar vein is the lively 'Media Machine' which combines punchy guitaring with a pulsating rhythm to make for an enjoyable ride. The pace lightens for 'In the Night' a fairly dull mid tempo effort with listless rhythm and overall a lethargic feel, thankfully the track is lifted with a fine guitar solo and a more spirited wind-down. Much better is the pulsating 'Never too Late' and while it's hardly a "balls to the wall" thumper, it rides along with a splendid rhythm and as always is crisply executed. The album closes with the balladsy 'Forever' a fairly tame effort with overused chorus and languid approach, saved only by the more up tempo second half.

Although this is a decent release from 'Rob Rock' I was expecting a little more, in my opinion he plays it too safe with 'Rage of Creation' and overall the album lacks variation. Overlooking this though it's still an enjoyable journey that will please fans of 'Rob's' dazzling vocals.