"Ball of the damned", like its predecessor, takes the shift in style of Scanner, going through the speed metal vibe of the first releases to a more power metal oriented approach, not so far from Grave Digger and Blind Guardian. The material is mature, refined and rather well produced, with a unique atmosphere of mystery that doesn't alienate the band's science fiction roots, but also feels less glaringly geeky or obvious. A solid teutonic metal effort!