Great singer, great musicians and above all else great songs.

Level 10 came together because of on-the-road meetings between Mat Sinner (bass) and Russell Allen (vocals) whilst touring with their respective bands. During those boring hours you get in between gigs, the two had many conversations that ended up with the two men swearing that someday they would work together on an album – the result being 'Chapter One'. The band and album is rounded out by Sinner's Primal Fear band-mates Randy Black and Alex Beyrodt on drums and guitars respectively, Roland Grapow on guitars and the ever busy Alessandro Del Vecchio on keyboards. Plus, as a bonus, there are also guest appearances from Magnus Karlsson, Carsten Schulz, Sander Gommans and Amanda Somerville.

To the music then and imagine if you will a "less Metal" Primal Fear joined with a "less Metal" Symphony X, plus a lot of Hard Rock influences thrown in for good measure and you won't be very far off the mark as to what's on offer. 'Cry No More' is the perfect song to open, with its melodic structure, great chorus and exceptional performances; you know you can sit back relax and just wait for L10 to entertain you, which they do with consummate ease.

'Soul Of A Warrior' has a superb vocal effort from Allen and the heavy riffing guitars of Beyrodt and Grapow to complement his work, though the real star of the song is the wonderful Hammond Organ supplied by Del Vecchio which builds and soars throughout the song; again there's another captivating chorus to contend with. You will also find the likes of the hard hitting 'No Turning Back', 'One Way Street' (a Bluesy workout with a slow, almost retro feel and that inevitable stunning Allen vocal), 'Blasphemy' and 'Demonized' (where L10 doing their best Symphony X impressions). That's not to forget 'Last Man On Earth' which has a wicked hook and some stunning guitar interplay and the ballad 'All Hope Is Gone' (which is just spectacular) where you'll find Allen doing what he and only a handful of other vocalists can do, which is going from all out balls to the wall high intensity to heartfelt emotion filled vocals at the click of his fingers. Both are songs you should check out with haste.

Of course due to space I cannot tell you about all the other wonderful music that can be found on this album, so another visit to your favourite retailer looks in order, where once again you can invest in another fantastic Rock release.

Level 10 = great singer, great musicians and above all else great songs... not much more you could ask for really is there? Of course there is, where's Chapter 2?

Ian Johnson