Don’t forget “The Maxed Out Metal Hour” hosted by Maxxxwell Carlisle today!
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Edguy is an off-kilter Power Metal band with Progressive elements to their music, and arguably are Germany’s most unique Metal band spanning over 20+ years. Their 10th studio offering, Space Police: Defenders Of The Crown, is also unique both in title and content, featuring “big production” in almost Broadway fashion, and even includes a cover version of Falco’s “Rock Me Amadeus” (album better served if it had been left out). Mostly, though, Edguy continues to prove they have their own place in German Power Metal, similar to how the Red Hot Chili Peppers have their place in American Hard Rock.
The German Power Metal leaders, Edguy, are back with their ninth studio album Age Of The Joker. Led by the great Tobias Sammet (also famous for his other project Avanstasia), these guys bring forth an enormous amount of excitement and energy. Ever since the 2004 breakthrough release Hellfire Club, Edguy has enjoyed tremendous international success. Age Of The Joker certainly is an easy fit to continue that success as they have not missed a beat with this album, and continue to only get better. It’s no secret Sammet has been producing relatively traditional mainstream style Rock/Metal with the previous two releases, Rocket Ride and Tinnitus Sanctus. Some fans might even go so far as to say Edguy will never achieve the high level of material from Hellfire Club. However, those notions should be put to rest with Age Of The Joker. The opening track “Robin Hood” is almost a throwback to the classic Power Metal style songs. There is an evident Deep Purple-esque Hammond organ throughout the track and additionally there is an extended break in the middle of the song, which is reminiscent of Maiden’s “Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son”. This compelling opening track sets up the listener for an amazing journey through the rest of the album. One of the great things about this album is a very diverse mixture of song styles. Each track has something different, new, and exciting to offer. Sammet still gives a couple of those mainstream Rock tracks included in this mix like “Nobody’s Hero” and “Every Night Without You”. However, he does keep the album interesting by throwing out some nearly Progressive style Metal with “Rock Of Cashel” and “The Arcane Guild”. Like the opening track, there is a heavy usage of the Hammond organ on each, which actually meshes very well with the fiery lead guitar tandem solos of …READ MORE
August 7th – And So It Ended… Crucified Barbara – W.E.T. Stage Right before these Swedish chicks entered the stage, the tent stage was packed full with attendees. As they started “Killer On His Knees”, many were swept away by their sexy looks and by the heaviness of their material. Even though their material includes Hard Rock flavors, it was Metal and it was purely heavy. Drums, bass, and guitars were loud and pumping fury. The band’s singer yet again proved women can play Metal without being operatic about it. Although their chosen material was practically simple, the raging crowd took interest and rocked the place. Crucified Barbara put on a good show by mixing good Heavy Metal twitches with sexy and darkened stuff. Their selection of songs was rather good and they performed a few of their hit tracks. Without a doubt, though, to become drawn to their music, you’d have to see a longer show. Setlist “Killer On His Knees” “Play Me Hard” “Sex Action” “Creatures” “Blackened Bones” “Losing the Game” “In Distortion We Trust” Overkill – True Metal Stage The green and black parade came to destroy again. The thrashing Overkill from New York went onward to continue their moshfest after their last time here in 2005. It was puzzling, even during the show, why this veteran and amazing band isn’t a part of the festival headliners. Well, surely they aren’t Maiden, Crue, or Cooper, yet they could easily take on Slayer any day any time. Overkill knew how to select their tracks for their show and Bobby Blitz knew how to guide the crowd through the songs via small talk speeches to let everyone know what is about to hit their faces. Also, it is amazing how much energy this guy has… it’s like an Energizer …READ MORE
They have been called many things, from Clown-Metal to Kids-Rock, sometimes even corny or embarrassing. Nothing the music industry threw at them has been able to stop them, or even slow them down, nor did they falter and deviate from their path. So it is the most important thing to say about Tinnitus Sanctus that Edguy are true to themselves once again. Which means that they will again be called silly, and in return will acknowledge that with a well aimed silly joke from front jester Tobias Sammet hitting well below the belt. Also, there have been no changes in line up. The band is a constant in the industry and has suffered no changes of musicians for over ten years. That is surely also one of the reasons why Edguy managed, with each release, to better the predecessor… album after album until the band’s creativity culminated in 2006’s Rocket Ride. In comparison, Tinnitus Sanctus, a title which transports the band’s sense of humor adequately, already has one big advantage: the cover is definitely less embarrassing. Rocket Ride was an album which saw eye to eye with the infamous Smell The Glove from British superstars Spinal Tap when it came to the artwork – but took second place to Spinal Tap where the solution is concerned. The album starts with a mid-tempo traditional Metal song called “Ministry Of Saints”, a down to earth track with a memorable chorus. Definitely great Edguy stuff! It continues with “Sex Fire Religion” which in spite of certainly being a monster track on stage is a bit too plain and the chorus sung just too often. At this point the listener has the nagging feeling that something is missing… and just then “The Pride Of Creation” delivers the missing link to the early albums… an …READ MORE
True to form, the 2007 edition of one of Germany’s, and thus one of Europe’s, biggest Hard Rock and Metal festivals, Bang Your Head!!! (BYH), is also documented on a nicely packed DVD. Adramelch’s music, though not exactly remarkable but somewhat moulded from the steel of legends such as Fates Warning and Iron Maiden, isn’t entirely wrong either. Maybe it’s because of nerves, but their visual presentation leaves a lot to be desired. Sweden’s Wolf can’t be accused of stage nerves though. It would only make sense for these Traditional Metal heroes to squeeze out a live release of their own of some sort since they’re even more powerful in the live environment. All the while stage props of headliners Heaven & Hell can be seen, therefore its a disappointment only a performance of “Mob Rules” from the Rhino release Live at Radio City Hall is the only trace of the gents on the entire DVD. Girlschool is a fun listen/watch; pure non-frills Rock N’ Roll, no more nor less. Really, the only complaint here would be not enough close-ups on blonde lead guitarist Jackie Chambers; she is a fox and probably the best suited to enter the “catwalk” out into the audience of all musicians featured here. Displays of English humour evident, jokes about supposed bad hair days and Alice Cooper-ish makeup because of rain, are amongst the group’s treats. More New Wave of British Heavy Metal galore; Praying Mantis is just one of the ill-fated bands of said movement. Serving a more Melodic approach than many of its genre counterparts, much of the audience here doesn’t seem too acquainted with the group either, nevertheless happily sings along to the likes of “Children of the Earth”. Reactivated Lethal seems quite popular with the crowd, or at least material from …READ MORE
FIREWIND Fronted by super-shredder Gus G, the Heavy Rock band Firewind has managed to put out three full-length releases so far in their career. The style is very traditional Hard Rock/Metal -– Gus’ riffs and solos resembles Yngwie, the vocal lines are very much like Halford/Lynn Turner, and the guitar/keyboard duels add to that cool, 80s feel. Instrumentally, the band are up there with the best, and although balancing on a thin line at the edge of being annoying, singer Apollo (ex-Majestic, Time Machine) does well on most parts, but the band basically needs the quality songs to keep up with the big boys. This was evident live also, as it was a bit like watching Rainbow -– just that it was not Rainbow. Some insane Neanderthal of a music journalist once advised Yngwie to listen to Rap and Reggae to broaden his horizons; such idiotic actions will not be advocated here, but the band does have to work on an identity of their own, both in terms of music and stage performance. Gus G rips, though. Review by Torgeir P. Krokfjord EDGUY With last year’s Rocket Ride being their best album in years, German rising stars Edguy are actually one of the bands that really live up to the hype. They have produced several high-quality releases now, and are also a rock-solid act in a live setting. The band, although far from technically brilliant, has evolved into a tight and professional unit, allowing singer Tobias Sammet to indulge in every possible Heavy Metal cliché there is. Combining Dio-inspired moves with Coverdale’s trademark screams, all draped in a thick layer of signature jokes, of course, he sure knows how entertain a crowd -– and Edguy’s crowd was among the very loudest of the weekend. Rocket Ride was represented by “Catch …READ MORE
by various reviewers In the sea of Metal festivals – did you get that one? – Rock the Boat is a truly unique invention. You take a big ferry, which usually brings thirsty shopaholics from Oslo to Frederikshavn in Denmark, fill it up with an impressive range of Metal bands, cheap beer, expensive food, and as many Metalheadz as you can fit. Then you take off, and basically hope the lot gets back in decent shape the next day. There are many great assets to this concept. First of all, the setting is so intimate -– the fans easily get to socialize more with the bands, as they all party at the same place. Then there’s the short “travel” distance between the stage and the bed -– meaning one can party (even) harder, longer, and wilder without caring about the consequences; if you cannot get yourself to bed, just get your friends to call for security, and they’ll be glad to carry you down. Then, of course, it’s the Tax Free sales -– what other Norwegian-owned beer shack lets you get ahold of 24 cans of good beer for a mere $20? There’s no proper festival without a few good stories to share. It is tempting to reveal what happened when the Metal Express crew asked the ship’s staff –- who obviously didn’t read our accreditation badges too closely — for an evening meal before heading to bed (suffice it to say that Kreator didn’t get too much to eat that night). It is also tempting to go more in detail about the incident when a blonde, female, writer at Metal Express was hit on by an American male who introduced himself as “Glenn Hughes’” bass player. All seemed to believe this -– and although the guy was rather on …READ MORE
The career of the German Comedy-Metallers Edguy is sort of symptomatic with the one of the Melodic Power Metal genre itself. A bit fumbling at first, then it burst out and produced some tremendous music for a while, before it moved into repetitive territory and just reproduced old ideas. Edguy’s last full-length album, Hellfire Club, was a prime example of the latter — filled to the brim with worn-out riffs and clichéd melodies, indicating that the relatively young band was already past its peak … then they took off on the most strategically timed Rocket Ride of their career. This is namely by far the band’s strongest effort since the glory days of Vain Glory Opera and Theater of Salvation. The album is stuffed with everything you love to hate about this band — Tobi Sammett’s trademark vibraeaeaeaeto-drenched vocals, the powerful soundscape, the instantly moving melodies, and not to forget the unmistakeable sense humor. Quoting from the Promo CD cover: “Exclusive worldwide compact disc bonus track for unlimited AND limited edition ONLY.” And, first and foremost, Tobi is back on track in terms of songwriting. The style has changed a bit — the sound is modern now, with (even) more accessible songs and less focus on speed. Actually, only two songs on the album feature mentionable amounts of double-bass drumming, and none whatsoever are true Speed Metal songs. Instead, the focus is on catchiness — the commercial aspect is likewise probably not forgotten here. Commercialism is usually not a good move, as the world is full of bands attempting similar moves and failing to the uttermost extent — Dark Tranquility, Metallica, In Flames, and TNT are just a few — but for the Edguy’s, it works very well. This may be due to the fact that their music was so …READ MORE
Every year, there’s a sold out venue in Atlanta’s Midtown that makes the local parking mafia scratch their heads. A sold out venue means that they should make, and probably pocket, lots of green bills as people show up to attend Earthlink Live, located on one of Atlanta, Georgia’s (USA) many and confusing Peachtree Roads. Only during these three nights (pre-party included), no cars show up! No parking money is made, and you can be sure the parking mafia’s heads and fingers are both sore. You see, this is no local event — this is North America’s prime festival for the “more demanding” Heavy Metal fans … the fans who care for musicians who can tune their instruments and write challenging music … and its fifth edition just went down in history – welcome to ProgPower V! Promoter Glenn Harveston, known as the “Harvester,” refuses to upgrade to a bigger venue. This event sells out every year in a few days – he knows his budget and decides to play it safe and keep the same crew in order to make the show better, successfully so, every year. Fans, not only from North America, but the whole world, start to gather in Atlanta a few days before the festival takes place. There is always a pre-party, but because the Progressive Metal fan in the USA isn’t too spoiled with happenings of this sort at the time being, this year people have a pre-pre-party, one not organised by the promoter. It seems like the audience chose to get into town a day early – and who could tell where this will all end? Possibly a week of hanging out in Atlanta before the main event – so everyone could go to the airport and create “Beatles mass hysteria” when the bands’ …READ MORE