Rob Rock
Garden Of Chaos

His more than twenty-year career (he debuted in 1983 on the first album of Chris Impellitteri) is studded with great performances on the albums of his friend Impellitteri ("Crunch" and "Screaming Symphony" among others), as well as collaborations with Axel Rudi Pell, but Rob has been reaching his artistic peak for some years now with this solo project.

The main theme of his latest production stems from a reflection by Rob: the Garden of Eden described in the Bible was a place where everything was perfect, and yet now we find ourselves in a world devastated by the very hands of man, a world that, being in contrast with the perfection of Eden, Rob aptly defines as the "garden of chaos."

His trademark is a very multifaceted heavy metal, ranging from tracks with a decidedly fast pace (at the limit of thrash metal), like the powerful opener "Garden of Chaos", to songs where a very direct and uncompromising heavy dominates, such as "This time is the last time" and the faster "Metal breed" where Rob showcases a very biting vocal performance. Other noteworthy tracks are: "Spirit in the sky" and "Millennial Reign", where Rob's falsettos often peek through the powerful and cadenced heavy threads. Overall, the tracks never fall into clichés, but always remain highly inspired and fresh, with vocals varied with bridges and solos that are never banal. Even the unmentioned tracks are splendid, but I preferred to name those that I find most characteristic. The album closes with "Ode to Alexander", a melodic ballad written with his wife and dedicated to their son (who is about a year old now); it's practically a love letter to his son Alexander, where Rob expresses his feelings for his son. The love of a father for his son is truly tear-jerking, or at least the words of this song move me.

I gladly mention the work of Carl Johan Grimmark on guitar, Andreas Olsson on bass, and Andreas Johansson on drums, all technically impeccable, and the excellent production entrusted to Rob himself and Roy Z.

In conclusion, the interpretation of every song is always delivered with a special touch that truly amazes with the variety and richness of interpretation that Rob brings to each song, characteristics that stand out more than the already excellent works with Impellitteri, which instead left more room for Chris's guitar skills. Rob's Christian faith is no secret, evident in the lyrics, but it never devolves into sterile preacher-like proselytizing, which would surely irritate both believers and non-believers alike.