Joe Stump's Tower Of Babel - Days Of Thunder [CD]

Vinyl LP pressing. Joe Stump's Tower of Babel - the American metal quintet who bring the finest European ingredients to their no-nonsense rock 'n' roll - will release Days Of Thunder on Silver Lining Music on July 4th. Joe Stump's supreme six-string shredding skills are known throughout the rock and metal scene, both as the lead guitarist of Alcatrazz and as the shred specialist associate Professor at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, and having torn new earholes with their 2017 debut Lake of Fire, Stump & co take it a step further and higher with 10 glorious slices of riff-driven, Rainbow/Deep Purple styled anthems. Along with the soaring vocals of Jo Amore, the tight-fist-drumming of Mark Cross, the multi-dimensional Mistheria (aka The Maestro) on keyboards, and Nic Angileri nailing down the rhythms on bass guitar, Stump has once again prevailed in bringing heavy, energetic, yet gloriously melodic music to the table with a style and panache rarely seen in 2025. The likes of 'Rules Of Silence' and title track and first single, 'Days Of Thunder', propel themselves off with typically blistering Stump riffs which shimmer with dazzling technique, Amore's vocals helping to further evoke the classic era of 80's European rock, whilst songs such as 'Sacrifice' and 'The Princess' dance the edge of speed and classic fireball rocking, the latter allowing some outrageous solos to unfold from both Mistheria and, of course, Stump, who proudly re-establishes his pedigree as one the world's best axesmiths. There's also the mysterious, hazy groove of hip-swinger 'Alone In The Desert', a smokey backbeat dragging you into it's soulful swagger. All in all, taking a ride with Days Of Thunder is a Jedi mind trick of vintage sounds with ultra-fresh and vibrant sensibilities that will transport you back to the Hammersmith Odeon and the days when unabashed heavy music talent, power, colour and flare were celebrated and venerated.