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Track Listing: Locked In The Dungeon Remission Of Sin Cyberfreak The Fall Doomsday Saints Of The Rock Before The Dawn Back On The Track Dynasty The Pain Of The Accused Play With The Fire Compassion

Ralf Scheepers has been one of the names synonymous with power metal for the best part of three decades now, owing to his exploits in Gamma Ray and then Primal Fear, where he is still going as strong as ever. Along the way, he silently kept working on compositions of his own, and finally, with the help of his friends within and outside of Primal Fear and Gamma Ray, he is ready to unleash his solo debut, simply titled "Scheepers".

The album wastes no time in setting an old school power metal vibe, as "Locked In The Dungeon" opens it up perfectly. I can already imagine Ralf pumping his fist and screaming away into the microphone, in his signature style. It features guitar by Metal Mike Chlasciak who gels together excellently with Ralf's vocals. The next track "Remission Of Sin" is a very special duet with ex-Judas Priest vocalist Tim Ripper Owens and in addition to a strong chorus laid down by the combination of the two voices, the guitar harmony and solos are quite easy going and enjoyable.

"Cyberfreak" is a heavier track that's dominated by Ralf and interestingly bears more resemblance to Halford's recently released "Made Of Metal" tune than anything else. The dark, quiet interlude is not usually a feature of Primal Fear compositions, hence giving fans something different while still maintaining the Primal Fear flavor through the vocals. "The Fall" sees quite a huge amount of experimentation and musical diversity, consisting of symphonic sections and ballad-type vocals. It's a beautiful composition and a welcome change-up after the first three tracks.

"Doomsday", as the title suggests is quite dark in its lyrical content, vocal style and music, again featuring some well crafted orchestration. It's the longest track on the album and certainly the most layered, musically lush tune on it. "Saints Of The Rock" is much more upbeat, and has a metal anthem type feel, reminiscent of the likes of "Balls To The Wall", "Metal Gods" or even Gamma Ray's recent "To The Metal". The Priest influence in Ralf's voice and music is strikingly evident, and it's only befitting that a cover of Judas Priest's "Before The Dawn" comes as the next track. It's beautifully laid down by Ralf and for me it's one of the highlights of the album. Even though Ralf is very well capable of replicating any Priest song, this one's not your typical selection for a Priest cover, which is the best part about it, giving the listeners a cover they can't really find elsewhere.

The main rhythm of "Back On The Track" sort of reminds me of Stryper's "The Rock That Makes Me Roll" and other than that it offers some interesting variations in the form of slower, heavier parts, ending up as a well-rounded tune. I feel great whenever I find traces of classic tunes by legends like Priest and Stryper, and it only proves that a musician like Scheepers is paying due respect to his influences while still being able to enhance that great music by adding his own vocal talent and musical arrangements.

"Dynasty" is a darkish, mid-tempo tune that highlights Ralf's vocal range as he goes from low to high pitch with seamless ease. The short track leads into "The Pain Of The Accused", which is another ballad-type track that features an acoustic guitar intro by none other than Kai Hansen. This is where Ralf has not only hit the highest notes on the album, but also holds them in almost an operatic style. "Play With The Fire" picks up the tempo again and brings back the power metal feel that was set by the first part of the album. Out of all tracks, I feel this one has the best guitar work and is interspersed with some delightful trade-off solos and harmonies. This is my favorite track and should go down as an instant classic among listeners. In sharp contrast, "Compassion" is an acoustic-only tune that brings an interesting end to a very diverse album, complete with a banjo twist.

Overall, the album is like a journey through Ralf Scheepers' musical repertoire, and that's exactly what a solo album should be like. It has enough there to be appreciated by Primal Fear fans, but also explores deeper styles that Ralf could never present as part of Primal Fear or Gamma Ray. Hence, the album should appeal not only to power metal fans but also to fans of classic 80s metal as well as to fans of acoustic and ballad-type music. With Ralf's busy Primal Fear schedule, whether or not these songs will be presented on stages across the world remains to be seen, but in the meanwhile this album should go a long way in appeasing his fans.

A powerful, heartfelt and greatly enjoyable set of tunes that will further enrich Scheepers' already rich heavy metal legacy.