Mob Rules – Radical Peace (2010)

MOB RULES – RADICAL PEACE IS AN EPIC AND MELODIC METAL STATEMENT

Mob Rules are no strangers to making Melodic Power Metal sounding so inviting to the Metal masses. Since their 1999 debut album Savage Land, this Northern Germany band has paid their dues and laid the Metal groundwork for their sixth studio album Radical Peace, to be released on January 29, 2010.

To become captivated by the atmospheric keyboards of Sascha Onnen and the melodic, yet searing guitar dueling of Matthias Mineur and Sven Luke is the likely result for Mob Rules and Power Metal fans alike. A great rhythm section is built around trust, Nikolas Fritz on drums and Markus Brinkman on bass have instilled the “I’ve got your back” style tighter than a platinum coil. Still, the big draw on Radical Peace are the vocals of Klaus Dirks, who leads one to believe his Metal idol could very well be Geoff Tate of Queensryche, book ended by Mark Boals of Yngwie Malmsteen fame and Kai Hansen of Gamma Ray. Make no mistake, Klaus Dirks is not stealing the Power Metal show on Radical Peace, this is an extremely talented, solid and tight group effort that pays off in the total quality of songs.

Mob Rules adds plenty of risky inventiveness to their lyrics on Radical Peace that pays off in powerful dividends. The Oswald Files opens with a historically famous John F. Kennedy address to the great nation of Germany, then kicks in with the Power Metal stomp that represents itself as the segue to an 18 minute epic, bestowing plenty of progressiveness that is worth a hundred listens in a row… really. Musically, The Oswald Files exemplifies why European Power Metal is truly grandiose and why Mob Rules has raised their own musical bar. Lyrically this song questions if John Oswald was really the trigger man responsible for JFK’s assassination.

Children Of The Flames lyrically visits the abhorring topic of Nazi death camp villain – Josef Mengele. This vile and evil creature’s cruel experiments on child prisoners is a touchy subject, with Mob Rules NOT glorifying this devil, they are instead not forgetting the suffering of the innocents.

Waiting For The Sun, outside of The Oswald Files, is another standout song, an electrifying brilliant Melodic Power Metal song to psyche out the senses. Trial By Fire and Warchild illustrate clearly the sensational prowess of atmosphere combined with heaviness, highlighting why Mob Rules should be a major Melodic Metal player for years to come. By now, anyone should realize, that I must openly admit, Radical Peace is a must buy.

Rating: Out of 10