I love a good mystery, and the mastermind behind BLACK RAIN's third recorded album Leo Alipour seems to have given me exactly that. There is not much information about him that I was able to uncover including where he is from, but I do know he single-handedly produced his latest release "Requiem For A Killer."

This is a concept album describing a futuristic scenario in Tallinn, Estonia which has been stricken by a strange blood disease. An Estonian police officer named Kale Johansen with a rare blood type receives a blood transfusion from an unidentified wanted serial killer named Edmund Vaher, whose blood causes Johansen to have visions and begins his own killing spree. Prior to Johansen receiving the blood, the donor serial killer had called the police station and reports his death, promptly committing suicide. Johansen then suffers auditory and visual hallucinations of Edmund telling him to kill and causes the mental downward spiral that makes Johansen a paranoid, desperate killer.

It ends with Johansen needing blood from his ex-wife who he is about to kill, but the police arrive just in time to save her. He is arrested and later on in court, he is deemed mentally ill and sentenced to solitary confinement. The whole story plays out in the lyrics like a twisted sci-fi crime novel.

Concept albums (such as MECHINA's "Acheron") have a special niche in the world of metal, for the music which accompanies the stories is usually innovative and unique. This one in particular is like the Eighties are still alive and well in the mind of its creator. The influences of IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST are profoundly evident and "Requiem For A Killer" will be an instant hit with any lover of classic heavy metal. The guitar distortions, drums, and song structures are nearly identical to NWOBHM in the eighties. That old-school sound with epic, clean singing makes this album extremely easy to listen.

The timing of the percussions seemed a bit off at times but I will guess that it was intentional, giving the music a technical break-beat. Without a doubt, one of the premier songs on the album is "Ministry Of Fear" which is up-tempo (using a bit of well-placed double bass blasts) and demonstrates Leo Alipour's vocal range with excellent vibrato.

So much a mystery is the composer of this album that it only seems right that the whole storyline is a mystery as well. It goes without saying that if you had no idea about the lyrics and just listened to the songs from an objective perspective, they could still be appreciated from that alone. This guy is very accomplished and it is incredible to think that he recorded and produced all of this music by himself. I am lead to believe that there is much more to come and it should be damn good if "Requiem For A Killer" is any indicator! Excellent metal!