Artist: Rob Rock 
   Title: Garden of Chaos
   Label: AFM Records

Ever since the M.A.R.S Project and Driver, the name of Rob Rock has always been associated with quality Heavy Metal and since his debut solo release ‘Rage Of Creation’ and the follow up albums ‘Eyes of Eternity’ and the renowned ‘Holy Hell’, his more Power Metal style has rocked the world to its foundations.

And now in 2007 Rock has returned with his latest release ‘Garden Of Chaos’, with Carl Johan Grimmark on guitars, Andreas Johansson on drums and Andreas Olsson on bass, together with a whole host of other guest artists.  So let's enter the garden and feast on the fruits of Rocks creation!

The album gets opens up in emphatic style with the title track ‘Garden of Chaos’ with its thumping double kick assault and soaring guitars, which are laid to waste when Rock unleashes those powerful vocals, which were heaven sent for this particular genre as he powers his way through the track.

‘Satan’s Playground’ is opened with a rampaging solo courtesy of Grimmark and the pulsating drums of Johansson before once again Rock lays down those tremendous vocals, which aren’t just the icing on the cake, they are the candles as well and with Grimmark just running amuck with some fantastic solo work midway thru the track, this is one of my favourite moments from the album.

The Rock just keeps on coming as the album continues with ‘Savior’s Call’, a towering slice of classy Power Metal which sees the additional talents of Peter Hallgren guitar work alongside Grimmark on this one.  The pace of the album slows down just a little with the soaring metal of ‘This One Is The Last Time’.  Don’t get me wrong this isn’t a gentle ballad, but compared to the rest of the album this track has a more gentle refrain.  But fear not metalheads! this is only a short reprise as the booming metal is once again unleashed with ‘Only A Matter Of Time’ and the quite magnificent ‘Spirit In The Sky’.

Now a track that will definitely get heads bobbing is the old school Heavy Metal of ‘Metal Breed’ with Bob Rossi laying down the guitar solo on this one and shredding like there’s no tomorrow.

‘Millenial Reign’ again sees Peter Hallgren joining Grimmark on guitars as the two of them dominate the track with some sterling fretwork, all back by a powerhouse rhythm section.

After the torrent of sheer metal of 'Millenial Reign' the album once again returns to a more gentle path on ‘Unconditional’ and this one is a Melodic Metal ballad.  The song just eases you into the triumph of the album before the closing track ‘Ode To Alexander’, which Rock wrote with his wife Lisa, who by the way provides the keyboards on the album.  This rounds off another great album by Rock and is a worth follow up and surpasses ‘Holy Hell’.

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