Lords of Black – II

[nyrating]

17th April 2016 Kenn Jensen Album Reviews 0

Lords of Black is something as seldom as a Spanish super-group! Vocalist Ronnie Romero, born in Chile, now living in Spain is joined by renowned guitarist Tony Hernando, drummer extraordinaire Andy C. and bass player Javi García.

Their self-titled debut album from 2014 made quite a splash, so the expectations for their make or break album number two were naturally high. And fear not, they have exceeded all expectations and have made a really strong follow-up.

Ronnie Romero will be heading out on the road with Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow later this year, and he doesn’t hide the fact that the mighty Ronnie James Dio is his big hero, and his style has a lot in common with Mr. Dio. Big shoes to fill and many has tried and failed before, but Mr. Romero delivers an outstanding performance on this album, and I am sure he will be successful with Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow as well. “II” ends with their personal tribute to Rainbow and Ronnie James Dio: “Lady of the Lake”, where Ronnie Romero shows just what he is capable of.

You could say they are a modern version of Rainbow; focus on a strong vocalist, great melody-lines, a solid rhythm section and blistering guitar leads. They do sound harder and more powerful, but the roots are there and up-front.

Eleven strong powerful heavy rock songs, plus an intro and a great cover-version, played by some first class musicians, who are not afraid to show their true colours. The production done by Tony Harnando and Roland Grapow is first class as well, and the album is just a great joy to listen to… so do rush out and buy it!

Well done!

Tracklist:

Malevolently Beautiful (Intro) (0:48)
Merciless (5:07)
Only One Life Away (6:10)
Everything You’re Not (4:12)
New World’s Comin’ (4:37)
Cry No More (4:52)
Tears I Will Be (6:16)
Insane (4:40)
Live by the Lie, Die by the Truth (4:28)
Ghost of You (9:04)
The Art of Illusions, Part III: The Wasteland (4:51)
Shadows of War (4:15)
Lady of the Lake (3:32)

Playing Time: 62:56

Release date: March 18, 2016

Label: Frontiers Music SrL

Website: www.lordsofblack.com

About Kenn Jensen 288 Articles

When I kicked this site off back in 2003, I had no idea that it would turn into what it has become. I am very proud of what we've done and achieved over the years. Musically I have a soft spot for 80s inspired hard rock, but my favourite music and bands are all to be found in the progressive universe these days.