RONNY MUNROE

Give Ronny Munroe credit for equal parts work ethic and brass balls -- stepping in as METAL CHURCH's third vocalist, he joined a franchise in tatters and went a long way toward restoring it to its classic metal glory, if not its record sales. The gruffness in his vocal belies his impressive range, and grounds his melodies in a street-tough, no-bullshit demeanor. This isn't helium-head fantasy-league power metal frippery — when Munroe opens his mouth, it's the embodiment of classic, unhyphenated American heavy fucking metal. If he'd been putting out records in the 1980's, we'd speak of him in the same reverent tone we use for Dio, Halford, and in-his-prime David Wayne himself — end of story.

But how does Ronny fare on this, his first solo album, coming on the heels of METAL CHURCH's breakup? Well, CHURCH mastermind Kurdt Vanderhoof has put down his axe to co-produce this record, but late-arriving second guitarist Rick Van Zandt is no slouch, as he takes over the lead role in Munroe's band. You can definitely hear a lot of Kurdt influence in the riffing, though, to the point where — especially on the first half — "The Fire Within" comes across as a better METAL CHURCH record than that band's swan song, "This Present Darkness"! While everything on the album is at least decent, there's a stretch from "Deafening Hypocrisy" to "Desperate Man" that is nothing short of superb, a batch of classic metal that stands with the greats of the genre.

You won't be surprised by anything on "The Fire Within", but you will be blown away by the quality of the songwriting, and the simple, unadorned oomph of the performances. A song like opener "Far" could be a standard-issue kickoff raveup in the hands of lesser men, but Munroe digs into it with gusto, Van Zandt's soloing is exemplary, the rhythm section masterful, and the overall effect is like audio caffeine. From the slightly proggy flourishes of "Rebuild the Ruins" (amazing guitar work here) to the pomp and class of ballad "Across the Sea of Souls", to the classic midtempo majesty of "Desperate Man" (dig the Wayne-like shrieks and lonely-anthem "Badlands" feel),these guys hit all the familiar metal touchstones without ever going through the motions or letting the enthusiasm wane.

Only at the end of the record, with the wink-nudge rocker "Ride Me" and an unnecessary cover of "Man on the Silver Mountain", does "The Fire Within" slip even a little in the quality control department, and neither of them are out-and-out failures, just not up to the high standard already set by Munroe and his band. It's a goddamn shame more people won't hear this record, but Munroe's entire career to date seems built on reacting to indifference or adversity by simply putting in the work and delivering top-notch goods. If you're one of those people who carps all the time that they don't make 'em like they used to, Ronny Munroe and his band just made a liar out of you. "The Fire Within" is an impressive, immensely satisfying slab of classic metal power, steeped in the CHURCH-ly ways of his former gig, yet dripping with the talent and the potential to raise the bar still higher.