rocketed from anonymity to fame when he was picked to replace in ; he's since continued to impress die-hard metal fans with his work fronting and performing on the latest album. This, his debut as a solo artist, isn't any kind of break with his past; the opposite is true, in fact. is a metal album that all but denies that anything's happened in the music since 1982. The riffs could all have come off a , , or album, and ' delivery continues to owe its very existence to 's and 's examples (there's a little bit of in his voice on a couple of songs, too). But that very classicism has made a lot of friends among musicians he likely grew up idolizing. Consequently, the album is stuffed with guest guitar solos by folks like , former member 's , and more. Similarly, the bass chair is filled on various tracks by ex- of and 's solo band, , and others, and the drummers include , and . Which is great for fans who track guest appearances like baseball stats, but the guitarists are the only ones who get real showcases for their skills, and the songs they're guesting on are largely unmemorable. Based on this material, could sell out a medium-sized club, or deliver a killer set opening a bigger act's tour, but he's got to find a way to be memorable on his own terms if he's gonna have a career as more than an extremely talented hired gun. ~ Phil Freeman