It’s been nearly thirty years since Steve Walsh first belted out “Carry on My Wayward Son,” “Point of No Return” and (before Keanu Reeves’ Ted said the same to So-crates) “Dust in the Wind,” as lead singer for Kansas. Shadowman, however, is more metal than art rock, and Walsh, though his voice is more gravelly than in its heyday, is still in fine form whether singing progressive metal tunes like the opener, “Rise” or “Hell is Full of Heroes,” or power ballads like “The River,” which closes the album.

Shadowman softens its harder edges with violin parts by Kansas cohort David Ragsdale, as well as synthesizer/keyboard elements played by Walsh himself. Even on the hardest rocking numbers, the album is peppered with plenty of hooks, and its philosophical lyrics question the whys and wherefores of life and death. Shadowman proves that, even in his fifties, Steve Walsh is still a force in rock music.

Favorite Track: Track 2, “Shadowman”