According to FIREBALL MINISTRY's bio they "just tried to follow the SABBATH guidelines". And judging from this, their latest release, that's exactly what they did. Sure, there's influences from AC/DC and JUDAS PRIEST to be found here too, but mostly it's SABBATH and more SABBATH that's the obvious main inspiration. Singer James A. Rota doesn't just sound ‘like' Ozzy, he virtually is Ozzy. A nice detail is that with two guitarists they can sometimes turn their doom riffs into some great twin guitar parts.

So, since originality is obviously not FIREBALL MINISTRY's strong point, does this mean "The Second Great Awakening" is therefore a bad album? No…in fact I loved every minute of it. Not only are they capable of writing songs that are catchy and melodic without sounding "commercial" (you can probably sing along to most of the record after just two listens), they also genuinely managed to capture that 70's/early 80's heavy metal vibe. Add to that the Hammond organ on the album’s closer "Maidens of Venus" and the nostalgia fest is complete.

I expect to hear more from FIREBALL MINISTRY. Unintentional or not, they have a pretty unique (in heavy metal country that is) two men/two women lineup, which makes for a pretty cool image (see cover). And on top of that, they have the songs to back it up. With tunes as great as "The Sinner", "Master Of None" and "Maidens Of Venus", I really couldn't care less that it has all been done be fore."The Second Great Awakening" is a solid piece of old school heavy metal.

- Van Hoften

OFFICIAL SITE: myspace.com/fireballministry

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