Phlegmatic, keyboard-and-synthesizer-driven power metal. The album tells the story of a bearded old man perched on a cloud, furrowing his bushy brows and exclaiming: "What on earth are you wretches doing?!" Meanwhile, down below, bombs keep exploding, people keep killing each other, and lies, turmoil, chaos, and corruption flourish... A weighty theme? Absolutely! Grand in scope? You bet! But the music delivered by MOB RULES exhibits neither gravitas nor grandeur. Frankly, it's hard to say whether it stands out in any way from the rest of the wooden puppets churned out on the German-Italian power metal assembly line. Modest metal, not exactly generous with hits. One might single out the epic "Black Rain," which blossoms into a beautiful chorus; the sunny-sparkled "Hydrophobia"; and the ballad "Seven Seas" -- an apotheosis of hard rock gloss, also quite prominent in "Ship Of Fools." Additionally, the disc includes the four-minute "New World Symphony" -- an entirely keyboard-driven piece built around a soulful flute lament. The opening of the title track "Among The Gods" brings CANDLEMASS of the late '80s to mind, but the continuation, honestly, disappoints -- a minute of brilliance and charm perishes under an avalanche of monotony. And this despite the participation of Roland Grapow (ex-HELLOWEEN) and Jens Parey in the recording! Thus, after communing with the sacrament of "Among The Gods," I felt neither more enlightened nor happier -- AXEL RUDI PELL's latest effort proved far more inspiring. That said, fans of STRATOVARIUS and casual melodic metal consumers, don't pass this one by!
