In case you forgot, Bach-tinged Euro metal is alive and well. And for those jonesing for a healthy dose of freshly cut, high-quality, Teutonic metal escapism, Tower Of Babel has a plethora of riveting music.

With a sound reminiscent of the harmonic earmarks of Rainbow, Deep Purple, Rising Force, and King Diamond, this album features wicked melodicism, dark imagery, and archetype guitar riffs. The excellent band consists of vocalist Csaba Zvekan, bassist Nic Angileri, Maestro Mistheria on keyboards, drummer Mark Cross, and American neoclassical guitar virtuoso Joe Stump with his blazing baroque.

The title track rages with intense pedal-tone riffs, 16th-century themes, and Stump’s Octave pedal solo channeling Blackmore and Malmsteen while injecting his own sense of melody, swagger, and feel. Stump also rips on “Midnight Sun,” “Lamb And The Wolves,” “Stardust,” and will send you sprinting back to the woodshed on the face-melting instrumental showcase “All Out Warfare.”

This article originally appeared in VG December 2017 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.