Immortal Soul

I may be in the minority here, but this surpasses Thundersteel as the best Riot album. Tony's vocals sound just fine and he hasn't lost any of his range. He may not drag the high notes as was done in Thundersteel, but his high vocal range is still present here. The production is quite amazing, it's sounds heavy and crisp, and all instruments can be heard clearly. Quite frankly, it's the opposite to Thundersteel's underground metal-like production. Not that I prefer the new mastering style, but it helps define the high energy present in this album.

The album starts off with "Riot", easily the best song on this album, high speed soaring power metal. My gripe is that this song was placed first and should have been placed later, because the album contains a varied pace. I do think it would have been better to finish the album with a bang. So yes, some songs are better than others, namely I prefer the faster songs like "Wings are for Angels" and "Insanity" but the slower paced songs are quite excellent. Songs like "Crawling" and the title track are examples of quality mid paced heavy metal.

Mark Reale's (RIP) guitarwork has never sounded better than this album. There are quality compositions and both the lead and rhythm guitar's are well done. The bass is quite good and adds a decent body to the music. Particularly, the bass stands out on the slower songs, especially "Immortal Soul". Drums are excellent, and interestingly the drum work is spectacular on the faster paced songs.

I can't remember how long it's been since I've heard a classic band release a modern album that surpasses their classic material. Heathen and Iron Maiden tried, but Riot has released an album that conquers the near perfect Thundersteel.