R.I.P. Mark Reale

Before I get to the blog-related content of this post - and I will keep this short because I didn't know the guy personally - I would like to express my sorrow at the passing of Mark Reale. I know it was a while ago at this point, but it still feels poignant seeing as the last post I made was on a Riot album (which I posted just a little while before he passed away, actually). I know it's a rather hollow gesture just putting this in words on some obscure blog in a dark corner of the vast ocean of the Internet, but he did write some albums that were and still are very important to me. So, my condolences to his friends and family. Thundersteel will forever be one of the greatest albums ever recorded.