I am not sure if Battle Royale is a solo album from Ivory Tower's Francis Soto who now wishes to be called Lord Francis Soto, or if that is a band name. Regardless, what he's offering here is a heavy but very smooth and melodic collection of hard-rocking metal. The songwriting is accessible and insanely catchy with some terrific melodic metal, like "Far and Away," which has a huge hook leading into the chorus, and other less terrific songs that flirt with electronic/dance music a bit too much, like "The Devil Is a Banger" and its lyrics about "hitting the dance floor." What can't be denied is Soto's charisma as he leans into each track and owns each and every one, so even when it is a track I don't think all that much of, like "Life Is a Bitch," I have to admire the man's commitment to his craft. If you've got room in your mix for hard rocking, melodic metal like Fifth Angel and Masterplan, with the gloss of Starmen and Battle Beast, give Battle Royale a listen.