"This is melodic power metal in it's purest form. Frantic double kick drum rhythms, flashy guitar solos and fast riffing, swirling keyboards and operatic organ drenched intro's and most importantly, loud and in your face high-pitched vocals."
- Andrew McNiece, melodicrock.com
Ring Of Fire's story begins in the year 2000. Having completed a successful mini-tour of the U.S., Asia and Oceania with Yngwie Malmsteen in late 1999 on the heels of the 'Alchemy' album, vocalist Mark Boals set about creating his second solo album, a collection of songs very neo-classical in their nature.
When deciding on a line-up for the album, Tony MacAlpine came highly recommended, and Tony in turn recommended his Planet X band mate Virgil Donati on drums. The impressive line-up was completed by classically-trained Artension keyboardist Vitalij Kuprij, with Boals and MacAlpine splitting bass duties between them.
Recorded in July 2000, the album not only afforded Boals the opportunity to showcase his writing skills, but the working relationship formed within the line-up proved a catalyst to the beginning of a band in its own right. Combining melodic metal songs with fantasy-based lyrics, topped off with virtuoso performances from the line-up, the RING OF FIRE album proved to be exactly what many neoclassical-metal fans had waited for.
While the majority of the music on the album was created by Boals and MacAlpine, a highlight of the album was the Kuprij/Boals collaboration 'Atlantis', a song that gave us a hint of what some of ROF's future output.
Despite having recorded another album with Malmsteen (WAR TO END ALL WARS) just prior to the ROF sessions, as fate would have it, Boals did not participate in Malmsteen's initial "War" tour. Instead, Boals, Donati and Kuprij agreed to make their project more ongoing, with the aim of taking the band on the road. Tony MacAlpine was unable to commit at the time but remained on good terms with the other musicians. With Shrapnel Records shredder George Bellas filling the guitar spot, and ex-Rising Force bassist Barry Dunaway coming on board, RING OF FIRE the band was born, being announced on November 16, 2000.
The band commenced work on their 'debut' album during the first few months of 2001, though Dunaway's tenure was over before it began. He was replaced by Steve Vai's bassist Philip Bynoe. With the line-up confirmed, the band went about recording the album 'The Oracle'.
Recorded in March 2000 in Steve Vai's "The Mothership" studio (among others), 'The Oracle' is a melodic metal tour de force, combining superb musicianship with imaginative songwriting and progressive neo-classical concepts. With the distinctive vocals of Boals, the intense guitar/keyboard interplay of Bellas and Kuprij, the superb drumming of Donati and the solid and melodic bass work of Bynoe, the fire of 'The Oracle' burns brightly from start to finish.
The album was released on July 25, 2001 in Japan, where it made an impressive chart debut, making Ring Of Fire the 3rd highest-selling western artist in the album's first week, and with further releases in Europe and South America, the word about Ring Of Fire has crossed several continents.
While the band prepared for their February 2002 tour of Japan, it became clear that guitarist Bellas would not be able to satisfy the requirements of being in the band, whose focus is very much on being able to play live and tour. With the tour looming, a quick call from Mark Boals was all it took to welcome back Tony MacAlpine, to the delight of both band and fans alike.
Ring Of Fire, featuring the Grammy-nominated MacAlpine on guitar, have documented their first tour in the form of simultaneous live album and DVD releases. The releases, both entitled "Burning Live In Tokyo" were unleashed on August 21 in Japan, and later in other territories..
While the live CD and DVD releases were hitting stores across Japan, the members of Ring Of Fire were absorbed in the whirlwind recording sessions of their second studio effort, "Dreamtower" (available from November 21 in Japan). Perhaps signaling the beginning of the end of his tenure with the band, Vitalij Kuprij did not fly to LA to be with the band for the recording, choosing to make his contributions from his home in Philadelphia. He left the group shortly after. Dreamtower marks Ring Of Fire at it's creative peak, building on the band's sound with fantastic songwriting contributions from almost the whole band, and stellar performances by all.
In July 2003, Mark Boals announced Steve Weingart as the band's new keyboardist. The band also signed a new deal with King Records in Japan and will focus on making a new studio album.
Source: http://www.ringoffiremusic.com/