| CD REVIEW Edguy |
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Band : Edguy Following the release of their previous album (Jan. 2005’s Rocket Ride, which followed the Superheroes EP by only 4 months – reviews by yours truly posted respectively on 29/12 and 10/10/2005), German Power Metal masters Edguy took Dragonforce on a European tour during February for gigs in Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Sweden and (a lot in) Germany. The ensuing UK dates saw roles reversed with Dragonforce headlining. March saw Edguy heading out to Japan, Taiwan, and China with Savage Circus as support. The Rocket Ride album swiftly found its way into charts worldwide, getting to the #8 position in Germany and Sweden. The Summer saw the band attend several European festivals (17 shows in different countries, including a one-off trip to South-Korea). The band then set out on a world tour (their biggest to date both in attendances and show elements) starting in South America (Chile, Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico) in November. The tour continued in June 2007 (with a couple of shows in their hometown Fulda during February) with a more German dates (4 of which with Aerosmith) and a couple of other European locations (one of which with The Scorpions) and festivals. September again saw the band cross the Atlantic Ocean, this time to tour North America (18 dates in the US, 3 in Canada, one more in Mexico). Upon their return in October, the band took things a little calmer, but still put in shows in Russia, Bulgaria, and Czech Republic before ending the year! The band extended their contract with Nuclear Blast for another three albums, and then set about recording Tinnitus Sanctus, with long-term producer Sascha Paeth! Prior to the album’s reelease, the band saw a chance to again tour the US and Canada for a 12-date trip (not including the additional gig in Mexico) in October. The new album wasapparently so named after the term “tinnitus aurum”, which stands for the sounds one might sometimes hear, without the actual audio stimulus…compared to those kinds of sounds, Edguy’s music might indeed be considered sacred. Other titles like “Opus Magnum” wére considered but refused by the band as a whole because of having been used to frequently before. In other words, the band felt they had recorded their best album yet (frontman Tobias Sammet stating that it “…could be the album we’ll be measured by in the future!”), press in general receiving the album quite positively, with Tanja Weinekötter of German magazine Fury calling Tinnitus Sanctum “…the strongest Edguy album so far…”. Personally, I have to say I probably like the previous album more, but that has rather to do with the fact that I was given much more time to give the material additional listening sessions back then! Because the stuff on the new album is certainly as strong, you know! As per ususal, you’ve got your couple of calmer moments (the opening of “Dragonfly”,and the wonderfully beautiful ballad – Edguy style – “Thorn Without A Rose”) to make for the necessary variation. A video for the album opening track “Ministry Of Saints” was shot in Belgrade (Serbia), and should be posted on the usual relevant music tv channels. And just like on previous albums the guys have recorded a couple of tongue-in-cheek sexuually loaded songs (“Sex Fire Religion”, and the somewhat Country-ish album closer “Aren’t You A Little Pervert Too” – considered the bonus track on the regular jewel case edition of the album, so I gather). Besides the regular version of the album, there was also a mailorder edition (issued in a tin case) available only through the Nuclear Blast website, a double LP version, and this digipak edition with the bonus track and a 10-track (60-minute) bonus live CD, recorded in Los Angeles during the Rocket Ride tour in 2007 (three of the songs played – “Catch Of The Century”, “Sacrifice”, and “Superheroes” -actually from that album). For your (very short) preview listening session (only the album opening “Ministry Of Saints”) of the album, surf to myspace.com/edguy. I’m afraid that for a session of the complete album you’ll have to go to the local record store (if short samples are enough for you, you can try Amazon.com). Meanwhile, a night has passed since I started this review, and hàving had the chance to listen to the album anew, I have to admit that the album indeed has some strong moments…is even very strong overall! If you’re looking forward to seeing the band in live conditions, you can do so soon enough, because come January 8 the band kicks off another European tour [which will take ‘em to the UK (Dudley, in the neighborhood of Birmingham, and London), France (Paris & Bordeaux, and later also Lyon), Spain (Granada, Madrid, Bilbao, and Barcelona), and Italy (Milano), before starting a round in Germany (7 stops, with an additional passage in Switzerland’s Pratteln) and going up North for 3 Swedish gigs (Gothenburg, Stockholm and Malmö) before returning home to Fulda on February 7] in Belgium (everybody get together at Vosselaar’s Biebob), and follows that up with a short trip to the Orient (only 3 Japanese gigs confirmed at this moment) in early March. 95/100 Tony. |