I’ve been a MOB RULES fan since their 2018 effort Beast Reborn. When this one hit, I was still walking the track at the Y with Mini-Amps, and there was something about it that made me push harder. Still, it’s a great record, ya’mean?
Now the band returns with new music after a long wait with Rise of the Ruler (out now via ROAR), and it has been worth every second. “Dawn of Second Sun” has been my favorite from the very first listen.
Album opener “Exiled” hits like Seidelbaum in Scarface, with singer Klaus Dirks killing it like a hunter bagging the first buck of the season. Guitarists Sven Lüdke and Florian Dyszbalis stoke the fires like train workers from days of yore.
Check out “Future Loom” and “Back to Savage Land” to hear the rest of the band shine — Markus Brinkmann (bass), Jan Christian Halfbrodt (keys), and Sebastian Schmidt (drums) all delivering stellar performances.
“Trial and Trail of Fear” is another winner, and “Providence” makes your ears prick up and head turn like a rabbit in Watership Down. Then there’s “Nomadic Oasis”, which lulls you before delivering its punch.
Closing tracks “Coast of Midgard” and “Equilibrium (Rise of the Ruler)” finish the album in style, proving MOB RULES has delivered another strong release. Grab a copy and thank me later.
STANDOUT TRACKS: “Trial and Trail of Fear,” “Future Loom,” “Back to Savage Land,” “Dawn of Second Sun”
RATING: 9/10
—THE MAESTRO
