Ronny Munroe, the third vocalist of the recently disbanded Metal Church, is back to business with his first solo album “The Fire Within”, an album released with the contribution of Michael Wilton of Queensryche, as well as his former co player in Metal Church, rhythm guitarist Rick Van Zandt. The production is done by Kurt Vanderhoof with Ronny as the co producer.

By listening to the opening track of the album “Far”, we immediately get the feeling that this could very well be the next release of Metal Church, since they overflow us with “in your face power metal” the band has always used to offer us (and here we must admit that it is better than their latest album” The Present Wasteland”). Munroe’s voice is at top form, the guitarist work of Van Zandt at it highest, as far as the riffs and the excellent solos are concerned, the rhythm section is tight and magnificent. The songs vary from mid –tempo tunes, as the rhythmical “Desperate Man”, the monumental, full of quality ballad “Across the Sea of Souls”, where Munroe’s voice unveils the power of his sentimental vocal abilities and range at its full, “Delirium”, one of the albums finest and impressive songs, with a memorable and inspired refrain and the extra ordinary ”Rebuilt the Ruins”, a song with a great work done in guitars, which is also enriched with progressive elements. In “Ride me” the band shows us its “hard rock” side and Ronny gives us the certainty that he could easily follow a carrier in that style if he chose to do so. The only indifferent moment of the album is the cover of “Man On the Silver Mountain”, which has really nothing more to offer us than showing us Munroe’s vocal range.

For all of you who were (reasonably) disappointed by the break up of Metal Church, Ronny is here to prove you that if he continues releasing albums like this, with such remarkable ideas, passion and excellent musical performances, we really have nothing to mourn for.