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It is kind of strange that I've never reviewed an Astral Doors album before their tenth effort, The End of it All, showed up. They've been around since I started to get back into metal, I've been aware of singer Nils Patrick Johansson from his other bands, etc. As I was listening to The End of it All, the same band kept leaping to mind: Dio. Astral Doors plays melodic, mid-paced heavy metal with some nice, crunchy guitar work supported by but never overshadowed by keyboards and Johansson's distinctive vocals. He doesn't sound like Ronnie James Dio, but he has the same kind of presence that lifts a song to the next level. I can easily envision throwing a fist in the air at a show when the band rips into cuts like "Iron Dome," "Heaven's Gate" or "Father Evil." I wouldn't say there's anything truly original on The End of it All, but this is a case of that not really being the point. It is about melodic heavy metal designed to sink its hooks into your eardrums and taking you along for the ride.