Mob Rules, the German power metal band, have released "Stories From The Verdant Vale" via ROAR/Reigning Phoenix, a compilation-style release combining five leftover tracks from last year's "Rise Of The Ruler" album with five reworked cuts from their 2014 "Timekeeper" 20th-anniversary boxset. Technically not a new studio album but an EP with bonus material, it nonetheless showcases the long-running act's stout, anthemic power metal sound, built around frontman Klaus Dirks, the band's sole remaining original member since its 1994 formation.

The review, which scores the release 8/10, praises Dirks's warm vocal delivery on tracks such as "Above The Maelstrom" and "Masquerade Ball", and highlights guest contributions on the reworked older songs, including former Firewind singer Chity Somapala on "Coast To Coast", Udo Dirkschneider (U.D.O., ex-Accept) on "Insurgencia", and Amanda Somerville (Trillium, Exit Eden) on "End Of All Days". The ten-track listing spans both new and reimagined material, and the reviewer argues Mob Rules remain an underrated act deserving wider recognition within Germany's crowded power metal scene.