siLLy puPPy RING OF FIRE has been the project of Mark Boals who first appeared as a lead singer / frontman on Yngwie Malmsteen’s third album “Trilogy” in 1986 and although Boals wouldn’t stick around for more than a single album, the experience left a long lasting impression. After leaving Malmsteen he started his own band Billionaires Boyz Club which was a short-lived supergroup which set the tone for Boals’ affinity for gathering virtuoso musicians together to craft super technical metal music. In the the late 90s Boals started releasing solo albums much in the vein of the neoclassical metal that Malmsteen brought to the world in the 80s. After releasing his second album RING OF FIRE, Boals decided to start a band with the same name with keyboardist Vitalij Kuprij and drummer Virgil Donati staying on from the solo albums while George Bellas replaced Tony Macalpine and former Steve Vai bassist Philip Bynoe joining in on bass.

While RING OF FIRE became a band project rather than a solo one, the style of music was virtually the same with high energy technical workouts that showcased the virtuosic chops of all the musicians on board. Somewhat of a hybrid between power metal and progressive metal, THE ORACLE debuted in 2002 and featured twelve tracks that challenges the listener with over 61 minutes of playing time. Right out of the Malmsteen playbook, Boals belts out operatic ear piercing shrieks while George Bellas whizzes up and down the guitar scales at blitzkrieg speeds. In the vein of neoclassical metal, the compositions are steeped in classical music formulaic approaches that allow each musician to shine and show off their chops. Also noteworthy are the keyboard workouts from Vitalij Kuprij who later would join the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Virgil Donati most notably of Planet X who displays his amazing drumming skills which have earned him the accolades as one of metal music’s most refined percussive sensations.

Stylistically THE ORACLE pretty much sticks into an easily classifiable mix of progressive metal with power and neoclassical metal extras. The compositions are fairly uniform in how they are crafted and like many neoclassical metal music pretty much take classical musical scales and metallize them with hefty guitar bombast, double bass drumming and keyboard wizardry reminding me of Dream Theater antics. Boals has one of those falsetto type vocal styles that sounds like his head is going to explode but he competently delivers a highly demanding set of vocal tracks and all the musicians are pretty much the best the world of metal has to offer. The main problem with THE ORACLE as with much neoclassical / power metal is a lack of creativity which leaves this album sounding much like anything Yngwie Malmsteem would have cranked out circa 1988.

For those who love these sorts of technical workouts whizzing around classical infused musical scales and high energy performances that tackle frenetic virtuosity as well as quieter parts, THE ORACLE delivers on all accounts and doesn’t miss a beat as a top notch collection of prog infused neoclassical wankery however at 61 minutes the formula does start to wear thin and the tracks begin to suffer from a stream of monotony that bogs the album down a bit. This is certainly music i can get into from time to time but personally i prefer a married varied stylistic approach that doesn’t rely on one particular methodology for getting the job done. While this album would’ve been a train wreck if the performers weren’t at the top of their game, unfortunately the predictability of tracks keep me from getting overly excited about this one but it will certainly hit the spot when the mood for some flawlessly crafted proggy neoclassical power metal strikes.