From their debut as the second solo album of former Yngwie Malsteen front man Mark Boals, Ring of Fire has been creating exciting and fascinating neo-classical metal. Following up their amazing technical metal opus, The Oracle is Dreamtower. The album marks a change in lineup and musical direction, both for the better. Ring of Fire becomes quite the virtuoso collective with Dreamtower, and proves that they’ve become more than a hyped group of well-known names.

Reentering the group is original guitarist Tony MacAlpine, of Planet X and Edge of Sanity. His incredible soloing as heard in Laputa, and complex rhythm playing helps the band explore territory rarely heard on many neoclassical power metal releases. Perfectly complimenting MacAlpine is keyboard virtuoso Vitalij Kuprij, whose playing and soloing is always impressive and out front, but is never distracting from the rest of the song. The pair often joins one another in incredible flurries of leads in unison reminiscent of Dream Theater or Malmsteen in songs such as the title track, and Undone. Unfortunately, Kuprij left Ring of Fire before the album’s release.

Filling in the bottom end is Steve Vai’s bassist, Phillip Bynoe. While his playing is dead on and his bass lines are tasteful, I found myself wishing he had taken more chances on Dreamtower, as he’s more than a capable bassist. Perhaps years of playing in a backup band has caused his ego to shrink. Despite that, Bynoe’s bass locks flawlessly with Planet X’s Virgil Donati on drums. Donati’s style is similar to Mike Portnoy’s or Jason Rullo’s. Heavy on double bass and impressive fills, Donati supports Kuprij and MacAlpine completely.

Of course the original focal point of the band, Mark Boals gives and absolutely stellar performance. Few metal singers can match Boals’ technical ability and range, demonstrated especially in The Pharaoh’s Curse and Until the End of Time. While the album’s lyrics can get a little ridiculous, like every power metal album, Boals makes up for it with virtuosic delivery and unbelievably high harmonies.

Regrettably, the production of the album is rather trebly. Without a subwoofer or high quality headphones, Bynoe’s bass and low end of MacAlpine’s guitar is sucked out and leaves the album sounding thin. While the lackluster production is not terribly distracting, the songs and performances deserve better.

What really sets Dreamtower apart from other recent releases in the genre is the variety of influences each player brings to Ring of Fire. Progressive and fusion elements on tracks like Invisible Man and System Utopia mixed with the majestic flair of power metal make this release a must for fans of progressive and neoclassical power metal fans. The album is not entirely an impressive shred-fest either. Murder By Numbers and My Deja Vu are loaded with heavy grooves and remarkable melodic passages. The future of this new supergroup looks bright indeed.