Regardless of what your opinion of former Maiden frontman Paul Di'Anno is, once again he has been replaced with someone who has more range and able to fill the role of a frontman in a group that clearly has talent. From the exciting open of "Rise" I felt an energy that seemed to come from a band reborn with the hopes of pushing their craft to the limits and beyond. New guy Titta Tani has that rasp in his voice I enjoy, and when needed can hit the high notes with ease and accuracy, allowing the rest of the band freedom to explore their range. The duel guitars of Joey Siedl and Andreas Ballnus come at you with a sound rich and deep, tickling that part in your brain that turns off inhibitions and increases aggresion. Love it! When joined with the raw bass of Christoph Lucker and steady hand of drummer Dominik Nowitzki you just want to share this album with your neighbors.

Architects of Chaoz (AOC) have manage to live up to the CD name (R)Evolution and produced an album that clearly has roots in NWOBHM but has "evolved" further and has a modern feel to it. From the almost radio friendly "Dead Again" to the heavy "A Moment of Clarity" and "Hollow Years", their growth as artists is noticeable. The change up song to song kept me interested and more than once I found myself backing up and relistening to a track I found intriguing, such as the chorus in "Farewell" To me though, the stand out was "Bloodrain Falls" The tempo changes catch you by surprise, but yet feel completely natural and add in that chunky riff... I get shivers when I cranked the volume knob. "The Pulse of the Sun" was the perfect send off from a compilation of music that I find myself liking more and more.

My final thoughts are this. Well and performed this sophomore album from AOC stands out amongst the recent entry of power metal/NWOBHM bands. With high production values and the clarity to mix it up, they are a group that needs to be heard, and the louder, the better.