The Review of the Album "Ring of Fire" Featuring the Powerful Vocals of Mark Boals

Year of release: 2001

Producer: Mark Boals

Country of Origin: United States but the band also has members from Australia and Ukraine

Track listing for Ring of Fire

1. Ring of Fire
2. Atlantis
3. Bringer of Pain
4. Betrayer
5. Keeper of the Flame
6. The Hunted
7. The Quest
8. Dreamer
9. Death Row
10. Alone
11. Battle of the Titan

American singer Mark Boals also developed and matured over the years. His 2001 solo album called Ring of Fire is an example of this evolution. He has hired a few famous people for this project. Tony Macalpine plays the guitars. Virgil Donati takes care of all of the drumming duties. Vitalij Kuprij does all of the keyboard work and keyboard solos and he is really good at playing fast and making it sound meaningful. Finally Mark Boals has the kind of creative input when it comes to planning the structure if the songs, something that he never really had when he was doing the vocals for a few of Yngwie Malmsteen’s albums. The power and extension of Mark's voice is one of the major highlights of the album. There are vocalists that sing with a high voice but they do not have the passion or the feeling. Mark Boals has this passion and feeling and that's why he stands out from many other singers in the genre.

The album’s style is speed metal infused with keyboards to create a rather enjoyable listen. Ring of Fire features lots of speed and keyboard play. The end of the song features a scream by Mark Boals that is loud enough to shatter glass! He can still use his high range to his advantage perfectly without having it annoy you. "Atlantis" features an interesting keyboard solo by Ukrainian born Vitalij Kuprij. "Bringer of Pain" is a great song that is about someone who has to deal with someone who is lying to them and trying to do whatever they can to make the person’s life a “living hell.” No wonder why they say that honesty is the best policy. That’s a cliché but it is so true. Betrayer is about someone who is a total liar and cannot be trusted when it comes to being a friend. Once again, Mark Boals shows us his impressive vocal range in this one. If you thought that his vocal range was impressive back in 1986, he is even better in 2001. "Keeper of the Flame" features some vocal work by Mark that shows his power, versatility, and range. He sounds like an opera singer in this song! Among American born metal and rock vocalists, Mark Boals is among the elite ones! He can sing very high and make it sound passionate without over straining himself. He is never out of pitch and that’s why he is one of the best ever!

"The Quest" has fantasy type of lyrics in it similar to what Blind Guardian had on their 1998 album Nightfall in Middle Earth. This song is about a brave warrior who will do anything to fight for the king, save the kingdom, and right any wrongs that may arise. He eventually confronts a powerful dragon. However, he is not intimidated by the dragon and he manages to save the kingdom from further attack. Mark Boals has some melodic vocals in this song. The song "Death Row" has some piano playing in it before the melodic vocals of Mark Boals start again. The song is about a prisoner who will be put on death row in spite of the appeals for a stay of his impending execution. He is counting the days left in his 5 by 8 cell. He wishes that he could wake up from this nightmare. "Alone" is about a person who thought they knew what it was like to be in love. They wake up one morning to find out that their lover has left them, thus ending the relationship. He is once again longing for love because he is so alone. His strength is now gone and he feels that he is unable to cope without his lost love. Mark brings up the subject for thought. This album has plenty of strong, memorable songs in it that will keep you busy and entertained. The strong songs in the album are Betrayer, Keeper of the Flame, The Quest, Alone, Battle of the Titan, and the title track. Even the weaker song Atlantis is pretty good too. Fans of power metal should like this album quite a bit. Mark Boals is one of the best vocalists in the music business and I am thankful that he created such an outstanding album like Ring of Fire.