It's an interesting state of affairs when you compare Edguy releases during the 2000's, and the strengths and weaknesses they gain against Tobi's other project, Avantasia, and the albums it releases. I was not as enamoured with Edguy's previous release Rocket Ride as I had been with their two seminal albums that preceded it, and I admit I was expecting something bigger from this album, especially as it coincided with a third album in the Avantasia series of albums, The Scarecrow. Comparisons between all of these releases in the long run just confuses the issue even more.
Early in the decade Edguy had discovered a power to their music that really forced the band to the forefront of the power metal genre on the continent. It was this power that had gained my attention, and while I felt that the two albums in question, Mandrake and Hellfire Club were not perfect, they had enough of the elements that suggested to me that things would get even better as we moved into the following albums. The truth of the matter is that it wasn't forthcoming on Rocket Ride, and for the most part has not occurred here either. Even scarier, it was almost not existent on the following release, Age of the Joker. In the meantime, The Scarecrow was a bigger success and a more exemplary showcase of that progression in power, which was then completed two years later with the dual release of the Avantasia albums Angel of Babylon and The Wicked Symphony.
So the question needs to be asked - is the direction Edguy have gone in this period of their careers the band members decision, or has Tobi just directed his harder material to his other band, and retained his lighter stuff for Edguy? Tobi wrote all of the songs here, which suggests the latter is closer to the truth.
I'm not suggesting that this album is a complete lemon. I still enjoy the album whenever I put it on. There are plenty of songs I like a lot, and find catchy. The opening track "Ministry of Saints" and "Wake Up Dreaming Black" are the two best examples of the Edguy sound that I would reside with. "Pride of Creation" is another that i can get on board with.
It's just that overall, it lacks the depth and the strength within the songs to hold its own against other releases, and not just those mentioned above. Is it a commercial bent that has crept into the songs? I guess one could look at it that way, though I'm not sure of what the official response to that is. For the most part the songs have been smoothed over, the speed has been dropped back to a very mid-tempo range, there are few squealing solos or tricks amongst the rhythm section. The lyrics are sung well but without that kind of reach and gusto that appeared on earlier albums. "Dragonfly" could be used as an example here, though I don't want to be seen as simply picking on this song. It just plods along, at the same slow tempo, without anything happening, for almost five minutes, dragging out the middle of the album interminably when it really needs a kick along. "Thorn Without a Rose" is perhaps even less admirable, the real ballad-like song which to me has even less qualities than its predecessor.
Perhaps Edguy feel as though this is their best well-rounded album, showcasing all of their skills in a number of genres within the songs they have written. The fact that they have not been able to stick to the script, and to my ears have jumped the tracks and decided to go across the fields instead the direction they had been heading. To me that is more the pity. Lovers of Edguy, and lovers of the hard rock that was made accessible by bands such as Bon Jovi and Europe, are likely to find plenty here to like and enjoy. Those who like me had been hoping for a bit more in the speed and heavy departments will no doubt share my disappointment.
Rating: "Tonight a thousand angels fall, heaven's up against the wall" 2.5/5
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