This is, overall, a great Metal band who, once again, have given to their fans a "must have" for their collection.

Upon being asked if I would be interested in hearing Mastercastle's newest offering, I dug through my collection and pulled out my copy of their 2013 release, 'On Fire'. After once again hearing such excellent Metal tracks as 'Chains', 'Platinum', the blistering guitar solo heard on 'Quicksilver' and the head nodding album highlight 'Titanium Wings', I knew that their newest album would have to be just as good. And for the most part I was right.

With only a few minor short-comings, this too turned out to be a solid contribution. The sound, a time or two, came across a tad distorted, with the guitar power chords sounding not truly crisp, as heard on 'Let Me Out' and 'Pirates'. But there were also some great tracks that prove Mastercastle's finesse for playing guitar driven Metal.

Listen to the melodic, towering vocals of 'Naked', the dual harmonic guitars of 'Enfer', the cathedral-filling keyboards of the melancholic 'Behind The Veil' and the grandiose, stirring instrumental 'Coming Bach' which features incredible Neo-Classic guitar playing every bit as good as some of the best Neo-Classical shredders (David Chastain, Jason Becker, Kyoji Yamamoto, Steve Vai, and of course Yngwie Malmsteen). Putting someone in the same category as those who are the world's best may raise an eyebrow or two, but on '...Bach', guitarist Pier Gonella (also Labyrinth, Necrodeath) proves he is a force to be reckoned with; a damn fine force at that.

At first listen it might be easy to place Mastercastle in the same pool as Edenbridge, Leaves' Eyes and other likeminded bands, but the difference is, Mastercastle is first and foremost a Neo-Classical, guitar-driven Metal band. Take the guitar shredding of the beyond insanely good Status Minor, the singing style of Early Cross's Natasha Vaichuk (who Mastercastle songstress Giorgia Gueglio strongly sounds like) and the Symphonic melodies of Anthriel and you have all that which makes up Mastercastle.

So, with the exception of a momentary lapse in clarity and sound delivery, this is, overall, a great Metal band who, once again, have given to their fans a "must have" for their collection. I reiterate that a huge hand should be given to Gonella who clearly has shown he is a dynamic and gifted guitarist. Now if we could only get mainstream broadcasting to widen their horizons and give the likes of Mastercastle the time they deserve.

Franco Cerchiari