943. Iron Savior / Rise of the Hero. 2014. 4/5

While other bands out there in the musicverse seem to get a little soft in the middle regions as they get a little older or a little more comfortable, there are bands like Iron Savior. While there have been a couple of moments on their previous two albums where one could begin to believe that the above malady had begun to creep into their work ethic (and it should be mentioned that it was really only the odd moment), it appears that the band has had an epiphany. Maybe not a complete one, but the result here on Rise of the Hero is an album that feels closer to the best values that Iron Savior based their success on - speed, fire, and raise your fist and yell. It's not all M&M's and Skittles, but in general the power settles firmly throughout.

The first half of the album is what gets your blood pumping with enthusiasm for the cause. The songs all have Piet Sielck's vocals at their most energetic, climbing above the music in chorus and becoming the front half of each song, dominating with his powerful intent. This is when he sounds at his best, and when that occurs the songs can only benefit. The other pieces of the puzzle fall into place as well. It's the double kick drumming, combined with the 2/4 timing and well formed drum rolls that help to set the pace of the music, and drive it along such that it feels like that atypical power metal speed. Thomas Nack has a... well... a knack... of making this happen, and his precision is as impressive as always here in being the driving force of the music. Add to this the excellent underscored bass work from Jan-Sören Eckert, who again manages to run up and down the neck of his instrument in such a way that it improves the bottom end sensationally without over imposing itself, and the rhythm section holds together each song wonderfully well. And, as always, the duelling and harmonising guitars of Sielck and Joachim "Piesel" Küstner fill the air with that power metal magic combination.
The instrumental "Ascendence" into "Last Hero" is naturally anthemic, encouraging you to sing along with the chorus with gusto. In fact, I just did again as it was playing for this review. This is followed by "Revenge of the Bride", utilising that part of Iron Savior that I enjoy immensely, with Piet singing over just the drums and bass during the start of the verse, before the guitars bust in and help raise the roof into the solo section. Great stuff. And then by god they fly into "From Far Beyond Time", hardly stopping for breath. The mix of excess speed and standard speed in this song (yeah, that's hard to describe, but let's just say that there is a two different levels of fast power metal speed in there) is perfect, and the band shifts gears without any hiccups along the way. "Burning Heart" moves concurrently into "Thunder From the Mountains" and into the power anthem "Iron Warrior", with all songs utilising the same great techniques as the songs that came before them.
Given the excellence of the first half of the album, what comes afterwards may not be of quite the same standard, but is mostly forgivable in the whole scheme of the album. "Dragon King" isn't terribly ordinary, but the strength of the earlier tracks doesn't filter through here. The slower tempo and what sounds like a formula driven lyrical and vocal set up does tend to halt the momentum that has been created to this point. The cover of Swedish pop band song Mando Diao's "Dance With Somebody" is an... interesting piece. I don't know the original at all, but you can notice the difference between this song and the others on the album. I wouldn't say it is a favourite, but I do find myself tapping along with it whenever it comes on. "The Demon" is as close to a ballad as the band comes to on this album, and in its way it is perhaps only the first half of the song that tends this way. Still, me and power ballads... not a good combination. However, the songs directly before and after this are great. "Firestorm" rips along and is fired up by Piet's vocals, dragging the back half of the album up with its ferocity, while album closer "Fistraiser" again invokes the call to heavy metal both vocally and musically, and finishes off the band's latest work on the front foot.

Quite honestly, Iron Savior is a band whose albums I can, at any time, grab and put on the stereo, and enjoy whether loud and cranking and singing at the top of my lungs, or in the background while talking with others around. While their work would not make any "Best Albums Of All Time" lists I might make, as a collected works they would rank very highly, and this album continues that trend. Perhaps more importantly, I don't consider that they have any dud albums, and that is quite a task. If you like their earlier work, you will enjoy this thoroughly.

Rating:   "Raise your fist and set your spirit free, Heavy metal is our deal".  4/5

942. Iron Savior / The Landing. 2011. 3.5/5

It's been a good trip, this Iron Savior thing. When I first discovered them with their first album closing in on 20 years ago, I really thought it was going to be a short lived side project for Piet Sielck and Kai Hansen, and then the music world would return to normal. Kai eventually couldn't find time to commit any longer, but the band has remained, and has continued to put out quality power metal albums that have been solidly excellent through that time. The latest in that production line is The Landing.

Changes are afoot, though they don't start with this album. It is still a quite noticeable shift in tempo with this album from earlier releases. In many ways it is happening across the board with bands of this ilk, that as they age and mature, the music just isn't as fast and frantic as it was in the beginning. What we have here there is less a power metal album than an old fashioned heavy metal album. Several of the songs have settled back into a mid paced groove, from which they don't get out of for the entire song. This is not meant to be criticism per se, but more an admission that even Iron Savior, whom I had believed were one of the torchbearers of the fast and furious power metal posse, were even beginning to re-evaluate their music. And again let me state that there is not a drop in quality, but only in speed intensity, thus requiring this album to be approached in a different way than just looking for the fast head banging style of yore.
The early judging of this change comes in the first two songs. The opening of "Descending" moves into "The Savior", a mid-tempo opening track that enforces a chanting chorus that is accompanied by a solid drum backing and rigid back track. For many other bands this would probably suffice, and suffice well. The change is significant as we plunge into "Starlight" which burst out of the speakers at high speed and volume, the double kick drums careering along with the dual guitar riffing, and Piet's vocals soaring over the top. This is the kind of song that Iron Savior has specialised in, and is pretty much what I am looking for when I put on an Iron Savior album. Great stuff. This is where the two entities collide, and the choice between the styles is most stark. "March of Doom" continues in this vein, a rollicking journey with great guitars and fabulous drum work. This is then followed by the anthemic "Heavy Metal Never Dies" which falls back into the simplified drums and guitars that were found in the opening track. Yes, this is more uniquely heavy metal, and is as enjoyable as any other song from this band. It's just a change from the band's usual modus operandi.
The middle of the album mixes these two styles in competing formats. While songs such as "Moment in Time" are in that historical Iron Savior format of speed and soaring, you have the more traditional heavy mid-tempo songs like "Hall of the Heroes" also within the framework. For the most part, they are ordered such that the transition between the two style of metal songs fit together in an enjoyable atmosphere. "R.U. Ready" acts as a history to metal, lyrically incorporating bands and album names within the lyrics for an enjoyable walk down memory lane, before "Faster Than All" keeps the ball rolling.
Some don't work for me at all. The melancholic and morbid wailings of "Before the Pain" are a long way from what I am looking for in an Iron Savior song. the ability to transcend genres, to push your music to the limits, to prove that you are not a one trick pony when it comes to your music - yeah, I can see why bands must play with the devil and give this kind of stuff a go. Some will enjoy songs like this, but for me, although I don't think this can be labelled a ballad of any description, all this does is kills the momentum of the album, and invites the use of the skip function. At the very least, the following song "No Guts No Glory" picks the flotsam off the floor and gives a stronger performance in which to close the album out, without the speed and double kick drums that one would like to hear to complete the disc, but still an attempt to give an anthemic conclusion to the album.

The positive of this album for me is that I can still put this on at any time, and listen to it without any reservations. It's different when you sit down and listen to an album to critically review it, as I have done here again over the past couple of days. That's when you must truly pull it apart and look for the way you really feel deep down about the structure of the album, and each track involved. Once that has been done, the real judging of an album comes down to whether or not you still like it whenever you happen to put it on. The answer here is still a categorical "yes".

Rating:  "1967, a thunder in the night, a blazing star played his guitar and metal did ignite"  3.5/5

941. Jorn / Heavy Rock Radio. 2016. 4/5

Covering other artists songs, and indeed releasing whole albums worth of cover songs, is not an unusual practice for Jorn Lande. The actual recording of cover songs has been going on for years, and this could be considered his third full album of such material, following Unlocking the Past and Dio. But if you can do it well, and the market is there, then there is nothing to stop you from going ahead with it, and that is certainly the case for Jorn Lande. His amazing voice, and ability to find players who can really do justice to such material are the key ingredients. Then it is a matter of choosing what songs you are going to have a crack at. And when you make some choices that are of interest, then you will garner the same from your fans.

"I Know There's Something Going On" was a pop hit back in the early-1980's by ex-ABBA alumni Frida, in a very pop-orientated era and direction. It's easy to see how ABBA was popular and influenced so many kids of that generation, such that they grew up as singers they still had those roots in their system. Jorn and his band do an excellent job here of updating it for the modern age, and putting that heavier rock riff into the song to uphold the title of the album. It's done well. Not as well as the next song, which proves to be the best of the album. The excellent version of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" is a ripper, and probably the highlight of the album for me. While Kate's original version has always been one that I've admired, Jorn's version here takes the best bits of that, and enhances it with a great heavy riff and fantastic vocals from Jorn himself. This is a winner, and shows the better side of covering a pop song and making it your own. Add to this the excellent version of Foreigner's "Rev on the Red Line" and you have a pretty impressive opening to the album.
I am constantly surprised, as an Australian, that John Farnham is well enough known through European countries that his music has been an influence to them, and well enough that his music is covered by them. Jorn is the second artist, after Blind Guardian, who I have now heard cover Farnsy's hit song "You're the Voice". Given that having heard it for what felt like a thousand years on the radio when it was released in Australia in the late 1980's, it's a biased view I hold over how good this version of the song is. In fact, it is still difficult to listen to without feeling nauseous. Sorry guys.
One song that most definitely does not come up to scratch is the cover of Paul Stanley's solo hit "Live to Win". The original starred Stanley's wonderful vocals at their very best, and the song is a hit because of the energy he puts into the song and makes it a real anthem. On this version, Jorn doesn't go for the vocal copy (which he possibly couldn't replicate anyway), and we have a song that fluctuates between keys both vocally and musically, and the constant changes are the biggest hindrance to finding a happy medium. The extended solo break to close out the song does its best to hide the short fallings of this version, but to no avail. This is followed by Journey's memorable "Don't Stop Believing", another really tough song to take on vocally, given Steve Perry's original and unique recording. Still, giving Jorn his credit here, he makes this version his own without causing any damage to the memory of the original song.
You start treading on eggshells when you take on classic songs that are renown for their original performance and recording, that to try anything different with them would be seen as sacrilege. Unless of course you did it really, really, really well. Queen's "Killer Queen" is treated with the reverence it deserves, also given the status of the original singer as perhaps the greatest of all time. The song doesn't waver too far from the original, and Trond Holter's guitar sticks almost perfectly to Brian May's original, while Jorn's vocals are duly respectable of the shoes he is filling. Perhaps the bravest song Jorn takes on for this album is a cover of the Eagles' massive hit "Hotel California", a really tough challenge given the high esteem it carries through all genres of music. And to be honest, it's a bridge too far. Trying to take on Don Henley on this track is a big ask, and while Jorn's vocals here are fine and he tries to add his own arts to it to make it his own, and the guitars of Holter especially at the conclusion of the song are strong,
Of the final four songs on the album, two of them can be found on other Jorn releases. "Rainbow in the Dark" by Dio appeared on the album of that name, that acted as a singular tribute to the man who obviously influenced Jorn's career from the outset. It's a more than serviceable version. "Stormbringer" by Deep Purple was a bonus track on his Lonely Are the Brave album, and is a brilliant version of this classic song, highlighting all of the best parts of the song and giving it a modern touch up along the way. A terrific version. "Die Young" by Black Sabbath is another in the long line of Dio-related songs that Jorn has covered throughout his solo career. "The Final Frontier" by Iron Maiden was somewhat of a surprise, being as it was only released in recent years, and the number of other Maiden songs that he could have covered. However, this is the one he has chosen, and they do a reasonable job of the translation, the main opinion being of course that there is little chance of ever being able to do it better than Bruce Dickinson does.

The surprising diversity of artists covered here gives this album a fair chance of being played for a longer period than most cover albums will. My usual spiel with albums of cover songs is that while the novelty is still apparent then the album will be played and enjoyed. In the majority of cases, eventually the decision will be reached that the original version of the majority of these songs will always be the better one, and so this will go back to collecting dust on a shelf. This album probably isn't too much different. Apart from the excellent conversion of the opening two tracks, and the better than average treatment of the other songs here, they are still cover versions, and by and large you will go to the original. As a novelty piece though, this is a nice collection, and a reminder especially of the great voice that Jorn has.

Rating:  "You're the voice try and understand it"... uuuuuggghh.  4/5

940. Death Angel / The Evil Divide. 2016. 4/5

The first thing that I have to ask is - where the hell did this version of Death Angel come from? Because it is beginning to become something quite out of the ordinary with their usual foray into music. Certainly there has been a movement in this direction in recent times. But it still takes a little getting used to in places when you are looking for the style you have known and loved for so long. The vocals leave you in no doubt as to the rage that is fired from within, but we are in a new world for this band as far as I'm concerned. In places, Mark's vocals could be imitating Tom Araya's from Slayer, such is the strength and ferocity of the screaming. And there's no serious drama with that occurring, except for the fact that on those songs, it sounds like a Slayer album rather than a Death Angel album, except a Slayer album would probably still closer to raging thrash speed than a lot of this album is.

"The Moth" kicks things off in the Slayer range, which for all intents and purposes gives the listener a real earful from the start. "Cause For Alarm" follows this, and is pretty much a less frantic version of the band that has come before this. I like the song and the way it is performed, but it's a little like putting a thrash metal vinyl album that is supposed to be played at 45rpm on 33rpm. It's just stripped back in some areas, which does take some getting used to.
Then we have "Lost", which is a mighty step taken by the band. Because this isn't a thrash metal song. In fact, I'm not sure how you would classify it at all. The pace of the song is stripped right back, with a relevant riff running through the song accompanied by the double kick (albeit slowed down tempo) drum. Is this a thrash metal ballad? Has there ever been such a thing?! No, probably not, but it is a brave step by the band I feel to do such a song.
"Father of Lies" is the basis track of the album. It's good to sing along to, the guitars are great, the drums hum along, Osegueda's vocals are great. This is a heavy metal song in all respects. "Hell to Pay" may well be the first real version of thrash on this album. It starts off on fire, speeding through the intro and taking off once Mark's vocals kick in as well. Great stuff. However, "It Can't Be This" is another song that doesn't have the tempo of a good old fashioned thrash track. I'm not denying that it is a heavy track, but it sure isn't a thrash track. And perhaps in the modern age, this is where Death Angel has morphed into. With songs like this and "Lost" the band has traded speed for a heavy back track rather than insane speed of riff or drums. And with songs like "The Moth", and then the track that follows "It Can't Be This", the guest riff-assisted "Hatred United / United Hate" with Sepultura's Andreas Kisser, we have god-damned heavy riffing, and the screaming vocal set from Osegueda that really must hurt his throat. It's loud, it's angry, and my goodness it must sound awesome live, but it's not what I would consider thrash anymore.
"Breakaway" in place has the sound of a Symphony X song, which is somewhat surprisingly, but this tracks along nicely without any brakes on the music. This is followed by "The Electric Cell" which employs perhaps the fastest double kick of the album to punch it along. "Let the Pieces Fall" is a great song to complete the album, and a pretty good example of the mid-tempo thrash style that Death Angel employ all the way through this release. It sounds great, with a catchy guitar riff and double kick, but there's no real speed to speak of. It's thrash metal for old timers, both playing it and listening to it no doubt.

Despite any negativity you may get from reading the above, this is a terrific album again from a band that has made the most of its second chance in the metal world. There may no longer be the soaring vocals that we heard and loved on those early albums a lifetime ago, but that is not to suggest that they don't sound great here in their latest incantation. It may not have the speed that you would associate with the band in earlier days. Don't go into this thinking you will find a thrash album such as what was released at the height of the genre's powers back in the 1980's. But come looking for a great heavy metal album, because this quintet still knows how to play, and how to put an album together. The more you listen to this, the better it gets.

Rating:  "You'll never flee, they have trained you well".   4/5

939. Iron Savior / Live at the Final Frontier. 2015. 4/5

For those of us who have followed the course of Iron Savior's career, it has been an enjoyable and enthralling ride. No doubt those who live on the continent have also had the please of seeing the band live, but for those of us stuck on a huge island in the south of the planet, we have not had that pleasure. So the release of a live album - along with a live DVD of the same performance from Hamburg in January 2015 - at least finally gives us a taste of how the band translates their excellent material from the studio to the stage.

Recorded on the tour to promote the Rise of the Hero album, this album contains work from throughout their career. The set list perfectly represents the new material that the band is touring to promote, as well as the better material from the past, the songs that are the lifeblood of the band. The opening intro of "Ascendance" flows straight into the anthemic "Last Hero" which starts the album off on the right foot. Other songs from the latest release here are "Revenge of the Bride" and "Burning Heart" which both come at the front of the set list, allowing a progression to the material that the punters know so well to come through in the second half of the set. Perhaps a little surprisingly, there are actually five songs here that come from the previous album The Landing, on which the previous tour would have been based around. It is a strange occurrence in the modern touring cycle for this to happen, but that is not to say that the songs don't deserve their place. "The Savior", "Starlight", "Hall of the Heroes", "R.U. Ready" and the ready made anthem "Heavy Metal Never Dies" are all the basis of the strength of that album, and all are performed here with gusto. The older material is made up of the songs that have stood the test of time, and demand their selection within the set list, the ones all fans know, such as "Condition Red", "Break the Curse", "I've Been to Hell", "Coming Home" and "Atlantis Falling".
I must admit that I am a bit ambivalent about certain medley's, and the one here, entitled "Iron Watcher" gets me too. Two of the most important songs in Iron Savior's history are from that debut album, and happen to be "Iron Savior" and "Watcher in the Sky". And yet here we only get half of each, pasted together. OK, so maybe we want to concentrate on the recently released songs, but these are synonymous with the band. Anyway, it's a small gripe, and it still sounds great.
The vocals from Piet Sielck and Jan-Sören Eckert blend terrifically well here for the most part, giving us at least a piece of the multi-layered harmony that exists on the studio albums. Piet's vocals come across here very well, and while some criticism has existed that he is too one dimensional when it comes to his voice, I personally think he knows what he can do with his voice and he makes the maximum capacity from that. It's a unique voice, one that is instantly recognisable. He sounds great on this recording. Both are also very good on their respective instruments, as are guitarist Joachim "Piesel" Küstner and drummer Thomas Nack.

As a fan I find this an enjoyable outing, showing that the band can back up their excellence in the studio by playing it live as well. Perhaps it isn't as ground breaking as some other live albums through the past 40 years or so, and it probably won't be one that is brought up in conversation as such. But as a testament to the band in question, it provides an excellent riposte in the career of this hard working and perhaps undervalued group.

Rating:  "I'm a watcher in the sky, I see universes' die"  4/5.

938. Avantasia / Lost in Space Part 2. 2007. 4.5/5

After Lost in Space Part 1 comes Lost in Space Part 2, and while it is a safe assumption that this could have been consolidated into one EP if it wasn't for that ability of commercialism to try and soak up every dollar from the fans out there, and ensure there is just enough on each EP to force you into buying what is essentially the same single, you will need both if you are going to satisfy your curiosity as to what has been gifted to you on this occasion.

The same lead single exists here, and in retrospect it becomes a little too sugar coated. Let's face it, if my wife can suggest that this sounds like modern day Bon Jovi, then it's a sure bet you lovers of metal out there are going to think the same thing. The song is catchy enough, and I will always sing along with it, but it really is a soft rock song, one that targets an audience that most probably has little interest in the majority of what Avantasia is about.
"Promised Land" is an interesting addition here, if only for the fact that it didn't appear on The Scarecrow, but in fact surfaced on Angel of Babylon a further two years later. Was this a deliberate plan? Or by accident did Tobi realise that it was such a good song it needed to go on an album? I don't know the answer, but it is a terrific song and bounds along here in great style. "Dancing With Tears in My Eyes" is a cover of an Ultravox song, and much like the cover songs on the previous EP this is done well with great poise and energy to make it worthy of the original song. "Scary Eyes" is a non-album track, which in retrospect seems like a missed opportunity. Everything here works fine, and for me, unlike the non-album track on the first EP, "The Story Ain't Over", this has the energy and drive and up-tempo feel to hold its own in that company.
"In My Defence" is another cover, this time of a Freddie Mercury-helmed track from a musical called Time, and which I knew from The Freddie Mercury Album that came out after his death. Tobi does a pretty fair job filling the boots of the great man, and this song fits in nicely for this package. The album is then completed by a live studio acoustic recording of... yes... you guessed it... "Lost in Space", which given does sound good in this environment.

Once again, the extra material is worth the listen, as much a any EP carries. As with Part 1, it will eventually be of main interest to fans of the band who like to have their collections complete.

Rating:  "It was you who took my hand, come into the promised land"   4.5/5

937. Avantasia / Lost in Space Part 1 [EP]. 2007. 3.5/5

It was generally assumed after the release of The Metal Opera and The Metal Opera Pt. II that the Avantasia experiment was complete. That all changed in 2007 when two EPs arrived as a prelude to the release of the next Avantasia album,The Scarecrow. Both EPs sprouted the single lifted from the new album, as well as some teasers for what was to come, and some other material to fill out the CD. The single to be released was "Lost in Space", and this is the first EP of the two that surfaced.

The lead single is the title track "Lost in Space", which drips of a commercial nature in order to receive the airplay required to make a single popular. This is followed by a rousing version of ABBA's "Lay All Your Love on Me", which is given the perfect heavier treatment musically, as well as a great vocal rendition from Tobi. It is an interesting phenomenon in that so many bands of this generation from Europe all have a desire to cover a song from a 1970's pop icon such as ABBA - Helloween and Yngwie Malmsteen are just two other example of bands to have covered ABBA songs in the past. Their influence on those in my age bracket, who embraced the band during their formative years in that decade, is still plain for all to see.
"Another Angel Down" is the second song from the upcoming album on this EP, and it is a beauty. Featuring Jorn Lande as well on vocals, it is one of the best songs from the album, and thus was well suited in ramping up interest in what was to come the following year. This is followed by "The Story Ain't Over", a non-album track that fits into the framework of the Avantasia project nicely. This was played by the band on their World Tour to support The Scarecrow, but I can't say it has ever been a favourite of mine.
The orchestral short track "Return to Avantasia" is followed by another hard rocking cover, this time a version of a Lucifer's Friend song "Ride the Sky". Initially I was disappointed, as I thought I would be getting a version of Helloween's magnificent "Ride the Sky", but it was not to be. Still, this is a good version of the song that also came from the early 1970's.

Out of the six songs here, three will be of interest to Avantasia fans, being the two cover songs and the non-album track. It's a solid EP, but probably only one for the collectors and hard core fans.

Rating:  "And who is there to tell me not to give and not to go"  3.5/5

936. Avantasia / The Flying Opera: Around the World in Twenty Days. 2011. 4/5

It is one thing to produce a rock opera - sorry, metal opera - concept, put it all together with artists and musicians, record it, and release it to the world, and be able to do a good job of it. And there is little job that Tobi Sammet did just that with his Avantasia project. However, it is then a different prospect altogether to decide to take that concept out to the people and perform it live. It again requires all of that determination and drive to do it well, and do it successfully. Thus we have this album, The Flying Opera: Around the World in Twenty Days.

By all accounts it was collaborator and guitarist Sascha Paeth who convinced Tobi that this was a feasible option, and that it was something that should be pursued. So it was that, following the release of The Scarecrow, Avantasia took on a short tour during the European festival season, and recordings from that tour make up this album. I guess my thoughts at the time were that if they were going to do it, they should perform all of The Metal Opera from start to finish, with the original band and vocalists. What a show that would have been. Instead, they put together a performing band and a number of vocalists, though not always the ones who were originally involved in the songs that were performed, and did songs ranging over the three albums that had been recorded to that point in time. No doubt this was a much easier way to bring together the concept live, but I admit I would still have loved to have heard my idea out there.
The band put together are all handy vocalists in their own right, which helped to fill the choir chorus through each song, especially guitarist Oliver Hartmann, who is a brilliant singer in his own right. They are helped by the excellent vocals throughout of Amanda Somerville and Cloudy Yang who help to keep that choir up to the required heights and standard. Along with Tobi, who is front and centre on every song throughout the set list, four other members of the Avantasia family are along for the ride, to lend their vocals in various songs along the way. these vocalists are Jorn Lande, who appeared on The Scarecrow album, Andre Matos and Bob Catley, who had both appeared on all three Avantasia albums, and Kai Hansen who was involved in the first two albums. All in all it is a pretty impressive line up of talent.
So how does it all come out? Overall it is as good as you would expect. Some of the songs here are improved markedly in the live environment, while others possibly lose a little bit without the operatic production behind them. The opening foray from the recent album, "Twisted Mind" and "The Scarecrow" soar here impressively, while "Another Angel Down" with Jorn and Tobi duelling on vocals is just brilliant. "Prelude" and "Reach Out For the Light" from the first album sounds amazing, but undoubtedly misses Michael Kiske's amazing vocals on this version. "Inside" becomes a crowd participation number, with Tobi encouraging their singing so they can hear themselves on the live recording. This is followed by "No Return" which kicks things back to a more impressive speed. "The Story Ain't Over" comes from the LOST IN SPACE EP, and mirrors the soft rock overtones of that track "Lost in Space", which follows the excellent "Shelter From the Rain".
The second half of the album showcases the side of Avantasia that is best. Oliver Hartmann shines on "I Don't Believe in Your Love", while the brilliance of songs such as "Avantasia", "Serpents in Paradise", "Promised Land" and "The Toy Master" sound just as terrific here as they did in their natural habitat. The final 'medley' of "Sign of the Cross" and "The Seven Angels" is somewhat cast back from the 18 minutes, as the first 12 minutes of the track are Tobi introducing all the band members, before there is six minutes worth of a medley of these two tracks. I'm all for the ensemble getting their moment of thanks from the audience, but surely that could have extended to a longer version of both of these great tracks? Oh well.

This live album does justice to the live performance of this project. As I mentioned earlier, I would have loved to have heard a production of both The Metal Opera and The Metal Opera Pt. II with the original performers, and who knows, maybe one day we will. As a live album, this still ticks the boxes.

Rating:  "Serpents on their way to paradise"   4/5

935. Avantasia / Ghostlights. 2016. 3.5/5

Yet another Avantasia release crept up on me while my attention was diverted elsewhere, and on the back of it another world tour of the project. Though it will never likely reach Australia shores, I can at least content myself with the fact that this new album has some excitement about it. This purports to be the closing chapter of The Mystery of Time, and thus has a mixture of constant companion artists and some new artists joining the fold for this album. With a slight changing of the styling of the music on the previous release, would this album be able to produce the material that will not only give a satisfying end to the story, but capture the imagination with the music?

Perhaps the most amusing part of the Ghostlights album is the opening track, "Mystery of a Blood Red Rose". Not only was it apparently written for Meat Loaf to be the vocalist on the track (something that was apparently first agreed to, and then rescinded), it also became a contestant for Germany's entry to the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest, and while it made the final qualifying stages it ultimately was not chosen. That's a roller coaster rise for the first track on a new Avantasia album, that's for sure. Tobi eventually was the sole lead vocalist on the track, which while it is fine in all respects, certainly is not anything special - though it does feel as though it would have suited Meat Loaf down to the ground and given it a much more rock opera appeal.
"Let The Storm Descend Upon You" is probably the epic opening track the album needed, before the pushing of the previous song for higher honours began. Incorporating the same theme sound that punctuated the previous album, the song here is spread between the vocal talents of Jorn Lande, Ronnie Atkins and Robert Mason, as well as Tobi as ever, and the harmonising between them is the highlight of the track. At just a tick over 12 minutes in length it needs to be good to hold your attention, and for the most part this song does that.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Dee Snider was making an appearance on the album as one of the guest vocalists, but I must say that I felt a bit let down by the song written for him to perform on. "The Haunting" is certainly not like anything that Dee has sung on before, and in essence that isn't a bad thing. It's good to have a vocalist come in and try and interpret a different style of song from what the listening public knows them for. In the end, I just think "The Haunting" is not one of the better songs the project has produced, and that Dee is somewhat wasted on such a song. "Seduction of Decay" is another moody, sludgy paced song, the type that haven't been seen very often in this project's history. The fact that Geoff Tate is the guest vocalist on it is probably fitting giving the mood of his music over recent decades. In the end, it is up-tempo just enough to raise it above the mediocre, and Tate does a good job within the framework of the track.
The title track "Ghostlights" returns us to a more atypical Avantasia song, where as has been the case in the past, Michael Kiske comes along, with a double kick drum and flying guitars, and dominates the track with his amazing vocals. Oliver Hartmann again provides the perfect riposte with his guitar solo, and Jorn Lande drops in to lend Michael and Tobi a hand on vocals. This track lights the album up after, and let's be blunt, a fairly average start to the opus. "Draconian Love" has a unique sound to it, with thanks to Herbie Langhans who deliberately sings an octave lower than Tobi to give the whole song a different perspective. Intriguing. "Master of the Pendulum" explodes out of the blocks and kicks along at a pleasing pace throughout, with Marco Hietala doing a great job as "The Watchmaker" and singing up a storm. This is followed by Sharon den Adel in the very power balladish "Isle of Evermore", which might be tangible to the story, but is also an automatic song to go for the skip button. "Babylon Vampyres" conversely jumps out of the blocks, driving along by a much more high tempo beat, which Robert Mason takes full advantage of to get the album back on the front foot.
"Lucifer" kicks off as the epitome of the dreaded power ballad, featuring piano and keyboards, with Jorn crooning over the top. However, halfway through this the band joins the party, finishing off the song in a stronger, more powerful fashion than appears likely in the first half of the exercise. It's a two way switch, which depending on your leanings and possibly your mood at the time will either excite you or make you cringe. But it's okay! Because "Unchain the Light" lifts that tempo once again, and also sees the return of the double kick and a decent guitar riff. So, by now you should know who it features on vocals, right? Yep, our old friend Michael Kiske returns, and his anthemic music as insisted upon by Tobi Sammet again jumpstarts the album. Along with Tobi himself and Ronnie Atkins, and the chorus as well, and Oliver Hartmann again providing the guitar solo, "Unchain the Light" proves to be one of the better tracks here. "A Restless Heart and Obsidian Skies" is anchored by Bob Catley, who along with Tobi and the chorus gives us a closing track that settles into the soft rock or AOR genre, and perhaps most disappointingly concludes the album this way, in almost the same way the other recent Avantasia albums have done, more with a whimper than a bang.

I probably wanted to like this too much, which has perhaps clouded my ability to take in everything on offer on the album. What strikes me the most about Ghostlights is that it seems to be trending much like the recent Edguy albums have been - away from the roots, away from what made the best albums of both those bands great, and into a style that becomes more like a formula, and with a lessening degree of inspiration and excitement. Perhaps this is still too new in my collection, and on a second coming will prove to me a better album than I have in my mind at the moment. Or maybe the concept has run its course, and it's time to try something else.

Rating:  "And after it's all said and done, we won't fear the transience no more"  3.5/5

934. Avantasia / The Mystery of Time. 2013. 3.5/5

Avantasia started off as an idea, a one off project that would give the world a metal opera, and an opportunity for like minded wonderful musicians from the heavy metal genre to come together and produce something special. More than a decade later, and following denials of further albums before the appearance of said albums anyway, and a growing spectacle as a result, we now had two complete stories told. With the Wicked Trilogy having been put to bed, The Mystery of Time signalled a new era in the Avantasia story.

It was always going to be important to have some sort of changes on this album, not only to separate the stories being told from previous albums but also to ensure that we didn't get bogged down with the same sounds - or more precisely, the same performers. Otherwise there was a danger that it would be appear to be more of the same. As will always be the case with Avantasia, some of the regular performers do return, but it is the addition of the 'new blood' that helps to give this album its own face.
As with the previous Avantasia albums, The Mystery of Time is opened by an epic, anthemic song, one that creates the scenery and imagery from the outset. Here it is "Spectres", and not only does it capture you immediately with its change in style from the previous trilogy, it starts off the new story in a positive fashion. Joe Lynn Turner makes his first appearance on an Avantasia release, and his distinctive vocals mesh with Tobi's perfectly here. While the structure of the song seems a tad unusual to me - it's almost like two songs cut and pasted in a couple of places - for the better part of the song it works. This is followed by the faster paced action of "The Watchmakers' Dream", where Turner again plays a starring role. To be honest, it is great to hear him on songs such as these, which stretch him from the genre he usually resides it, and gives him a great platform to really show what he is capable of. Again alongside Tobi's vocals, they work really well together. My only question mark on the song is the greater use of the keyboards in the song. I mean, that middle part just makes it sound like it is trying to be a Rainbow or Deep Purple song, two of the bands that JLT has fronted at different times. Too much! Let the power metal ride!
"Black Orchid" drops that tempo back into mid range again, looking for the powerful vocals to come through and drive the song forward, while the greater orchestration and keyboards that are prevalent through this album rise along with it. Biff Byford of Saxon fame comes aboard here to lend a hand, and he sounds great though without having a great deal of impact on what has been laid out for him. "Where Clock Hands Freeze" raises the stakes again, and Michael Kiske again makes his mark and provides another key moment on an album. It is still remarkable given his aversion to metal music for so long, that a song like this is what Tobi must have insisted he perform on. The faster pace, the double kick drums and guitar riff all suit his voice perfectly, no doubt why Tobi continues to put him out the front for such occasions. Another watershed moment where Michael Kiske is the star attraction. This is followed by "Sleepwalking" which features Cloudy Yang and a very pop rock commercial sound about it, which doesn't grab me a great deal but is obviously aimed at another audience.
"Savoir in the Clockwork" is the epic track of the album, clocking in at over ten minutes, combining the best of everything that Avantasia does. It may be too keyboardish in places for my tastes, and a tad too much orchestration, but it sounds brilliant. Add to this combining the vocal talents of Turner, Byford, Kiske and Sammet all in the same track, and you have something special again. Yeah ok, the quiet silent part in the middle of the track does become annoying - why oh why is it required? - but overall it is a solid track. "Invoke the Machine" is another of the harder rocking tracks on the album, and Ronnie Atkins does a great job on vocals through this track, while the highlight is perhaps the guitaring of Oliver Hartmann who really lets loose in his solo slot. "What's Left of Me" is the slower creeper track, fronted by Eric Martin who excelled on these type of tracks in Mr Big. No prizes for guessing it is probably my least favourite song on the album. This is followed by the redemption of "Dweller in a Dream", where once again Tobi has saved his fastest and most uplifting musical treats to share between himself and Michael Kiske, which again provides the spotlight of the album. The album is then closed out by "The Great Mystery", which probably delves a little too much into the contemplative side of soft metal for me to enjoy completely, despite the excellent vocal performances again from Turner, Byford and Sammet, along with frequent Avantasia vocalist Bob Catley.
The good side of this album mirrors the excellence that can be found on that which has come previously, while the stuff that doesn't quite measure up for me is probably more to do with personal preference of heavier material than the quiet and keyboard backed slower material. Overall though this is another fine addition to the Avantasia collective.

Rating:   "Time flies from the space of an hour"  3.5/5

933. Avantasia / Angel of Babylon. 2010. 4/5

The basis of releasing two albums at the same time can be a bit daunting for the fan. While it is initially exciting to get not one but two new albums filled with new material ready to be digested, in the long run it makes it twice as hard, as you have to split your listening time between the two, and try and inhale twice as much material than you would in trying to take in one album's worth. I guess in the long run, much like I did with Guns n' Roses Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II albums you have to treat it like a double album, listen to them back to back and then rotate. In many ways this is probably easier in the fact that the two albums in this case, The Wicked Symphony and Angel of Babylon, are the final two chapters of Avantasia's concept story, the Wicked Trilogy, so by listening to these albums back to back at least keeps the story in order. Unless you change the order in which you listen to them I guess.

As stated, Angel of Babylon is the third and final chapter of this concept from Tobi Sammet. And as also outlined above, it was a difficult path that I trod in order to not only give both this and its twin album the kind of listening they required in order to enjoy the songs, but also to find out how much I enjoyed the album as a whole. It took some time, more from the fact that I fell in love almost immediately with The Wicked Symphony and so it sucked up a lot of my listening time. Eventually however, I dedicated the time required to this album, to give it the opportunity to show me how good it was of its own accord. While this is another good album from the conglomerate of Avantasia, it is more similar to The Scarecrow than its sister release. By that, I mean there are a few holes here that I don't think appear on The Wicked Symphony, and comparatively throughout it does wane in brilliance to the material on that album.
There is another monster opening track in "Stargazers", which combines the vocal talents of Jorn Lande, Russell Allen, Michael Kiske and Oliver Hartmann with Tobi. At almost ten minutes in length it is a good song again to open the album, with Kiske being the major voice in occupation. This moves into the title track "Angel of Babylon", and "Your Love is Evil", which both also have Jorn on vocals. "Angel of Babylon" moves swiftly along driven by the double kick of the drums and the fast talking vocals along the way. "Your Love is Evil" drops the tempo back a peg and the riff down a notch to a gutteral beginning while Tobi's voice reaches for the heights most of the way.
The next two songs for me are the highlight of the album. I don't know for sure, but I would reckon that "Death is Just a Feeling" was written for Alice Cooper, because not only does it suit his voice, but the singer here pretty much sings it like Alice would anyway! Jon Oliva of Savatage fame makes his appearance on vocals here, and is astonishingly good, making the song his own. Sure, the fact it stands out because it is so different from the other songs around it also helps to individualise it, but Jon's vocals are perfect here. terrific stuff. This is then followed by the electrifying "Rat Race" which picks up speed and the energy, encouraging everyone to sing along and join in the joy of the album. "Down in the Dark" doesn't quite match this, though it is satisfactorily performed by all involved.
"Blowing Out the Flame" is a ballad, a power ballad the likes of which did not appear at all on The Wicked Symphony, and is all the more disappointing because of it. And yet, "Symphony of Life", the only song not written by Tobi - it is written by guitarist Sascha Paeth - and sung magnificently by Cloudy Yang, is a triumph. The complete difference in style of tracks from those around it, just as with "Death is Just a Feeling", makes it stand out from the crowd, and really makes a statement.
"Alone I Remember" is just a rather weak song, not just musically but vocally, and here is part of the problem. The fact that Jorn Lande is so prominent throughout this album tends to water down the effect his influence has on the album as a whole. He appears on six of the tracks, mostly alongside Tobi, and while they both combine together as well as they have done in the past, it sometimes becomes overwhelming, compared to the number of songs other guest vocalists appear on. Obviously this occurs because of the importance of Jorn's character within the story, but it doesn't detract from the fact that it feels like it's just a little too much. Having said that, they both appear in the following song "Promised Land", which regains the momentum lost with the previous song, and has both vocalists utilising their strengths rather than just going along for the ride.
The final song of the album, and the Trilogy, is "Journey to Arcadia" and is a fitting way to bring the circle to a close. The chorus of singers brings a great harmony to this final track, and the excellent contributions from Bob Catley and Russell Allen really lift this final song to its rightful elevation at the conclusion of the journey.

While not being as strong overall as its same-day-of-release partner, this is another excellent addition to the Avantasia catalogue. It may not have as many stand out tracks, nor may it be as perfect in an overall sense, but it is an album that not only completes the story being told, but ends it in a way that is satisfying to the majority of the fans of this project.

Rating:   "Dead and alive, come a little closer".  4/5

932. Avantasia / The Wicked Symphony. 2010. 4.5/5

Given the length of time that passed between the initial two albums by the Avantasia project and the third installment The Scarecrow, it came as somewhat of a surprise when a follow up album came so swiftly in the scheme of things. An even bigger surprise came with the announcement that not one, but two albums, would be released simultaneously, and would combine with the previous release to complete the tale of what was now known as the Wicked Trilogy. Thus, the middle chapter of the Wicked Trilogy is told here on The Wicked Symphony.

From the first time I got this album, it felt like a better all round effort than the previous album. There are holes, and soft spots, on The Scarecrow that have always hindered my complete love of the album. The band itself this time is a real conglomerate mixture, with the core who recorded the previous album still on board, though not all of them for all tracks. While Sascha Paeth completed the majority of the guitar tracks, there were guest appearances from Bruce Kulick and Oliver Hartmann who did solo performances on different songs. The drumming was shared between Eric Singer, along with drummer from the original albums Alex Holzwarth and also Tobi's fellow band mate from Edguy, Felix Bohnke. While all of the songs were still written and composed by Tobi Sammet, the mixing of musicians, I think, has helped to give a differing emphasis on the music on different songs throughout the album.
The first half of this album is as strong an opening to an album of this genre of the metal industry as I can think of. The songs are strong lyrically, musically and vocally. Each has its own style, and is not reminiscent of the previous track, yet they all fit together perfectly. The opening title track, "The Wicked Symphony", is a perfect example of how a song of this type should be performed. The opening builds to the crescendo of the crashing opening, before the three characters come into the song. And this is performed brilliantly by the three in question, Tobi Sammet, Jorn Lande and Russell Allen. Each voice is distinctive and amazing, and here all three are used to perfection. It is both anthemic and epic in quality, and kicks off the album in a wonderful fashion. This is followed by "Wastelands", where frequent Avantasia collaborator Michael Kiske revives memories of his great days from the 1980's with a performance which echoes from that time, stretching his vocals to the heights which prove he still has what it takes. It's a great song also. "Scales of Justice" features a genuinely unique performance from first time Avantasia vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens, who in his inimitable style makes this song his own. Some may find it over the top, but it is great to hear Ripper giving it all and leaving his mark on the album as a result. This is then followed by the single lifted from the album, "Dying For An Angel", a duet performed terrifically well between Tobi and Scorpions' Klaus Meine, whose amazing vocals dominate the song and give it the punch it really needs. These four songs to start the album are the pinnacle of Avantasia for me, a quartet that produces great vocal battles and allegiances, and magnificent drumming and guitar riffs. Awesome.
While it may not be to the same standard, the remainder of the album is well above average. "Blizzard on a Broken Mirror" features the excellent vocals of Andre Matos, and along with Tobi they soar through this song, while backed by a perfectly performed backing track. "Runaway Train" softens up the sound of the album, and drops back a notch in tempo as well. While I like the song, I do find it is a bit of a 'wailer', in that the chorus of vocals provided by Bob Catley, Jorn Lande, Michael Kiske and co. doesn't quite bring it back into the genre of the dreaded power metal ballad, and the song itself isn't that, but the vocals feel like they are pushing it in that direction. It's a tad overlong as well. This is followed by "Crestfallen", which in places sounds like an opera piece, though a very metal opera piece.
"Forever is a Long Time" is dominated by the distinctive vocal talents of Jorn Lande, who along with the hard hitting drums from Alex Holzwarth and guitar solo from Oliver Hartmann keeps the tempo on the upside and the vibe of the song positive and enjoyable. "Black Wings" is a soaring emotive song perfectly pitched by Ralf Zdiarstek, and fits surprisingly well in this landscape. "States of Matter" becomes a vehicle for Russell Allen's amazing vocals, and he is the star of this song, driving it along perfectly to the accompaniment of the great guitar riff. The album closes with "The Edge", allowing Tobi to close out the album on a slightly soft rock edge (much like the previous album) which is (just quietly) a little disappointing given everything that has come before it.

I was not as enamoured with the previous album as I was with the first two, but The Wicked Symphony restored my faith and love for the Avantasia project. It is interesting to compare it to the project that two of the heavily featured artists here have elsewhere, the Allen/Lande project, which does not showcase the respective artists talents as well as they are showcased here. What this does it not only further the story of the now-dubbed Wicked Trilogy, it also given us individual songs that work away from the framework of the concept album in place, and that is the true mark of quality. The first five songs, along with "Forever is a Long Time" and "States of Matter" are shining lights. No doubt some will disagree, but I think this is an album that perfectly portrays the best that the European metal genre has to offer.

Rating:   "Way down to the hideaway, where do we go from here, heroes in a tragedy"  4.5/5

931. Avantasia / The Scarecrow. 2008. 3.5/5

The appearance of a third album from the Tobias Sammet backed project Avantasia came as something of a surprise. The excellent vision and production of the original The Metal Opera album, and the follow up The Metal Opera Pt. II which concluded the story, was something that no one would have wanted to have tarnished. So when The Scarecrow was announced and then released, it was another album where my feelings were mixed completely - the desire to hear if this could continue with the excellence of the first two albums, and the fear that it would fall flat and not work at all.

This time around there are some changes to the whole concept. The musicians who performed on the original metal opera have been replaced, though guitarist Henjo Richter does make an appearance on several songs as a 'guest' lead guitar. Tobi Sammet takes on the bass playing duties himself, something he is quite comfortable with. Michael Rodenberg and Sascha Paeth, both of whom have been involved in a plethora of high profile European power metal bands, both playing and producing and engineering, fill the positions of keyboards and guitars respectively here, while Eric Singer came on board to provide the drums. Though Tobi still remained in charge of writing the songs for this album, it would be interesting to know whether the subtle change in music direction comes from him, or the period of time between the albums, or from the different personnel involved in recording.
Because there is a definite switch on The Scarecrow from the previous project. Whereas it was most definitely a metal opera, with songs firmly in the power metal genre and tied to an operatic feel in most places, this album progresses to a bit more rawness in the music, with riffs that are more of a traditional heavy metal sound and song arrangements that also drift that way as well. So certainly this is a concept album - which would eventually stretch to a concept trilogy - but we have moved on from the metal opera vision to simply creating an album exploring a theme, with many different players being involved. The story, which revolves around the central character trying to find themselves inner peace having suffered through unrequited love, and eventually facing somewhat the opposite, is played over the eleven tracks on the album.
"Twisted Mind" is an immediate heavy start on the album, with great duelling vocals between Tobi and Roy Khan. This floods into the lengthy tome of "The Scarecrow", where not only does Tobi show his great abilities, but we get the first efforts of Jorn Lande in the Avantasia universe, and it is spectacular. His vocal performance defies his usual pitch and range, and adds another dimension, really throwing his usual panache out the window and stretching himself into the role. The second half of this song is quite amazing, thanks in the main to Jorn's part. "Shelter From the Rain" keeps ripping up this part of the music landscape, through the remarkable efforts of returning duo Michael Kiske and Bob Catley. One wonders how Tobi was able to convince Kiske to return again to his music roots, given his reluctance in recent years to acknowledge his metal heritage. Here again, his distinctive vocals come in over the top of the music bridge and make the song his own. The extra pace and double kick and guitar riff through the song lifts the tempo nicely.
"Carry Me Over" slows the tempo down a touch, providing Tobi the opportunity to let his vocals soar, and put in a chorus that tends to be repetitive throughout. "What Kind of Love" shuttles in with Amanda Somerville lending support, in a real power ballad atmosphere that wreaks havoc with the senses for those that are so inclined. "Another Angel Down" cracks back in through the periphery, with Tobi and Jorn again lifting the intensity of the album supported by a faster paced tempo in the music. Both vocalists play off each other nicely and give a great performance on this track, while the duelling guitar solos in the middle of the song are blistering.
"The Toy Master" is written perfectly for Alice Cooper, and indeed could have easily been one of his own songs. The tempo comes back to suit his performance perfectly. This is followed by "Devil in the Belfry" which like "Another Angel Down" combines the vocal talents of Jorn and Tobi, and again impresses by the energy shown throughout the song. Somewhat disappointingly, this is then followed by another power ballad, "Cry Just a Little", which no matter how much it may be relevant to the story being told, just harms the output of the album. The penultimate song "I Don't Believe in Your Love" does pull back some of that, while the soft rock rendition of "Lost in Space" concludes the album.

Overall, The Scarecrow is more uneven than the predeceasing albums in musical content, and given that this is a concept album rather than a rock opera, I guess that can be seen. It has its holes, and places where for me it doesn't quite work. Even the songs if taken individually don't quite come up to the standard of what has gone before. But that's not to say that there isn't lots to like here, and the vocal performances of Michael Kiske and Jorn Lande in particular are just spectacular. It's still a very good album, despite the couple of places where I would have done things differently.

Rating:  "From the cradle to the madhouse, a twisted mind". 3.5/5

930. Avantasia / The Metal Opera Part II. 2002. 4/5

After the unexpected gloriousness of the concept of a heavy metal opera called The Metal Opera being brought to life by a standalone project called Avantasia, utilising the talents of a number of the better known players in the power metal community and consisting of strong material performed in an excellent light, there should probably have not been much surprise that a follow up was written and organised, to see if lightning could strike twice. The answer was a resounding yes to that notion.

I initially approached this with some trepidation, hoping for it to be great, and worried that it would not hold up against the original. There was little to fear though. The same musicians that formed the band for the first instalment are retained, and their excellence and professionalism again shines through on this album. Gamma Ray's Henjo Richter on guitars, Helloween's Marcus Grosskopf on bass and Rhapsody of Fire's Alex Holzwarth on drums, along with Tobi Sammet on keyboards, do a fantastic job again. When you talk about a super group, this is a pretty fair collection. The songs sound brilliant through their excellence, laying the platform for the multitude of characters who combine to create the story of the second stanza of this metal opera.
The songs themselves range in style, depending on the part of the story being relayed in each, and the characters involved. As in the first album, each vocalist is playing a different part in the opera. This one starts off with a cast of thousands - well, seven to be precise, with the title "The Seven Angels" probably giving that away. At fourteen minutes in length, it is the monster opening an album like this requires. Along with principle vocalist, Edguy's Tobias Sammet, who is also the creator of the Avantasia project and appears on vocals on every track, the other 'angels' are portrayed by some of the best vocalists in the genre - Oliver Hartmann, David DeFeis, Rob Rock, Andre Matos, Michael Kiske and Kai Hansen. Each is given their space, and then when they choir together it brings the whole body together. "No Return" is a faster paced song featuring Michael Kiske and Andre Matos and the flying guitar of Henjo as the basis. This is followed by "The Looking Glass", when Tobi goes it alone on lead vocals, though backed by the 'choir' throughout, with a heavier riff and plenty of emoting throughout.
On most other albums I would have issues with a song such as "In Quest For", because after the initial onslaught with the three powerful songs that begin the album, I would be ranting about how this quiet piano driven ballad had halted all momentum of the album, and how it was sucking the life out of what had already been injected through those opening tracks. Here however, it has its purpose, a part of the framework and story of the album, and Bob Catley again combines with Tobi in portraying their characters emotions.
This is overridden immediately when we rush straight into "The Final Sacrifice" which is dominated by the great riffing from Henjo and Marcus, and Alex's drumming. The musicianship here is something that comes forward after the quiet defining of the previous track, and while David DeFeis and Tobi are great here on vocals, just concentrate on those guitars from Henjo. Just awesome. From here, you can feel the joy in which "Neverland" is performed, and in the voices of those singing. This is one of those songs that you can't help singing along with the lyrics, performed with gusto by Rob Rock. This is a power metal staple, one of those songs that covers the best that this genre of metal can offer.
"Anywhere" under normal circumstances as well would fall in that same category that "In Quest For" does, for similar reasons. Again here though it probably fits the story being told, rather than being taken individually as a song as I would on the majority of other albums. It still isn't something that I have a great love for though.
"The Chalice of Agony" is another of the best songs on the album. The speed of the song here is the key, along with the brilliant duelling vocals between Kai, Tobi and Andre, and the brilliant guitaring of Henjo. Yes, this feels like a Gamma Ray song, and the two members of that band highlight the best of this song here. "Memory" mightn't be as fast as the previous song, but has that great riff running through it and sensational vocals from Ralf Zdiarstek and Tobi that produces another brilliant song, of an operatic quality even! The album concludes with "Into the Unknown", where the chorus comes together to complete the story, and the album in a melancholy yet satisfying way.

Whether or not you are interested in the story itself - and in this instance I honestly put my hand up to be in 'less interested' category - The Metal Opera Pt. II is a terrific album, laden with talented players and wonderful singers who all put their best foot forward here. Led by Tobias Sammet, who has again not only arranged the performers but also written the material for the album, the Avantasia metal opera project is a resounding success. While its success has parlayed itself into further albums and possibly even greater fame, this closed the door on the initial concept and many of the original performers, who have not appeared on later productions. It is a nice way to close that circle, before the next circle begins.

Rating:  "Out of the wine, out of the chalice of agony, welcome to Avantasia"   4/5

929. Killswitch Engage / Incarnate. 2016. 3/5

Another album that caught me by surprise by its release was this one. Disarm the Descent had been an album I enjoyed on its release, but it certainly fell from my listening favour after its newness had rubbed off, and I hadn't thought any more about Killswitch Engage from that moment on, until I found this in the new release racks. I got this along with a whole stack of other new releases from around the same time, so it took me some time to not only get into the album but to have it find its place amongst my current listening list. Part of that was from pretty much knowing what I would find once I put the album on, and part was whether or not I needed another KsE album in my collection.

The best songs here are the ones that just keep racing along, driven by the guitars and drums, and don't stop to change the tempo every couple of verses to allow a bit of the somewhat clichéd screaming metalcore growl to be the most overriding point of the song. "Until the Day" is the best example of the good side of this statement.
The middle section of songs are those mostly typical of Killswitch Engage. Those that start off at that fast tempo and aggression, but have the pieces in the middle where that tempo does step back a tad where the vocals mull over the top of the music, and yet pick up again for the guitars and drums to take centre stage again. The opening tracks "Alone I Stand" and "Hate By Design" kickstart the album in this vein, and by default drag you in with air guitar and drumming flying in precision with the songs.
The drop back in tempo, emphasising the clear guitar in the middle and using a more melancholic atmosphere in "It Falls on Me" is an example of the side of the band that I could see a lot less of. "We Carry On" doesn't quite attract my ire as much as "It Falls on Me", in that the tempo of this song does not change throughout, the guitars and drums chug along in the same riff and beat for the entire three and a half minutes, while Jesse pretty much sings without the scream all the way through, which is an unusual occurrence. "Ascension" then does a similar music theme, with a growing aggression in vocals and instrumentation, but does tend to borrow heavily from the previously mentioned songs. I understand the ability to project heaviness by playing in a hard fashion at a slower speed to try and emphasise this heaviness, but I find this becomes... well... boring after awhile. "Cut Me Loose" almost sounds like Alice in Chains in places. Drowning people to sleep with slow heavy beats.

I find I have mixed reactions over Incarnate. Whereas the band still sounds absolutely fantastic, and their precision is second to none, the songs themselves just reek too much of coming from a conveyor belt of similarity. The imprint seems to have become the template, and most of the tracks here seem to follow it almost to the letter. I have trouble distinguishing one song from the next, while the songs on the back half of the album don't grab me at all. Despite these thoughts, there are undeniable catchy elements throughout which will please long time fans of the band, if not satisfy them completely.

Rating:  "We keep this path alive. Never break the ties".   3/5

928. Blaze Bayley / Infinite Entanglement. 2016. 3.5/5

Despite my admiration for much of Blaze Bayley's work, this album slipped me by on the release date, and for some weeks afterwards. Despite following him on social media and often checking in to the website and other such platforms, I just didn't realise that Infinite Entanglement was in fact the name of his new album, and that the fact its name was emblazoned around the place meant it had actually been released to the public. Such is the world I guess when an artist doesn't have the publicity machines of those backed by major labels.

Once I had obtained the album, the next surprise in store was that it was a concept album, centering on Blaze's previously explored passions of sci-fi and the future and other such stuff. Well, that's not a bad thing. I like concept albums as a rule, or albums with a common theme running through them, but as I am sure I have mentioned in previous reviews, this enjoyment is also directly related to how accessible the songs are. Or in layman's terms, are the songs any good? Throwing in a range of songs in different styles can often plug up the flow of an album. On a concept album, it can be used to help tell the story. The danger is that the mix in styles will still affect the listening audience in an adverse way.
The story revolves around the first manned trip to the outer planets, and how that person's life expectancy is extended to allow the trip, and how it affects him along the way, to the point where he begins questioning everything that is happening around him. It is purported to be the first album of a trilogy in this story, which will interest some and not affect others. I admit that the concept is intriguing enough to remain interesting, but the telling of the story has to have the right accompaniment to make it work. The spoken interaction between or at the end of songs can be a distraction to those who just want an album full of songs, but as a part of the story process they are a necessity.
The songs themselves are of a mixture as mentioned previously, and some probably work better than others. The opening stanza of "Infinite Entanglement", "A Thousand Years" and "Human" all come at you with the speed and energy that you come to expect of Blaze's work - but it isn't quite as belligerent as it could be. The vocals are just a bit to much in the front of the mix, and the bottom end doesn't sound like it is there enough to give these songs the real boost they deserve. It's a small complaint, and no doubt these songs will sound much fuller and complete in a live environment, but even after twiddling with volume and bass controls I am left a little underwhelmed where I should be not even thinking about that kind of stuff.
"What Will Come" will surely be a heated discussion point amongst fans. Dominated by the acoustic guitar of his frequent collaborator Thomas Zwijsen and the violin of Anne Bakker, there is no other accompaniment to Blaze's vocals on this song. It's a bold statement, and really Blaze performs this wonderfully, and the musicianship of Thomas and Anne is not in question. However - does the song suit the album? Or the story at this point? Or do you just love this kind of song or find it is a barrier to the best parts? It's the barrier that is raised for me. I'm not against the style of song or the fact that it sounds terrific, but I want more grunt and more speed.
"Stars Are Burning" and "Solar Wind" return the album to that train-rattling kind of momentum that Blaze has through most of his releases. This is followed by "The Dreams of William Black", which combines a narrative with some vocals, and a stilted kind of music background that certainly forms a part of the wider story being told and is important in that context, but which cannot be suggested as a stand alone piece. The second half of the album comes home with mixed metaphors musically. Each song has its strong parts, emphasised by Blaze's vocals, or the double kick of Martin McNee's drums, or the solid riffing from bass guitarist Karl Schramm or the solo work of guitarist Chris Appleton. In each case though - for me personally - parts of each of those songs just don't mesh with the rest, leaving me feeling that they are unfinished or intangible. "Independence" should be a triumph but is left hanging with the up and down mood of the song. "A Work of Anger" just should be harder and faster, but instead feels a little sludgy. Blaze's band here sound great, apart from the stated fact that the bass feels lost amongst the majority of the album.

In my heart I feel as though this was a missed opportunity, to really bring the best and heaviest parts of his earlier solo albums to this project and really blow people away. That hasn't happened inn the long run, and the quest for the concept trilogy has become the driving force. I can continue to listen to and enjoy this album as it is without any qualms, and yet I still long to have heard something a bit more aggressive to have come across. Perhaps on the next installment?

Rating:   "Tough times never last though people always do"   3.5/5

927. Rainbow / Boston 1981. 2016. 4/5

I must admit that when I saw this album a couple of weeks ago, I was tremendously excited. I am always up for a Rainbow live album, especially one that covers different eras of the band, and I was looking forward to hearing Graham Bonnet singing not only the material from the album he was involved in, but also the Dio era of the band. Of course, on further inspection, it was not a Bonnet era live album, but one with Joe Lynn Turner at the helm, on the tour that promoted the first album he was involved with the band, Difficult to Cure. No matter. I like JLT's stuff with Rainbow, and I was more than happy to delve into a recording from this tour. I guess the title Boston 1981 should have been a giveaway really...

The album and show starts off with the wonderful "Spotlight Kid", where Joe really showcases his best. As one of the songs he has performed on he knows where and how to sing it, and this comes across brilliantly, full of the energy and enthusiasm it exudes and deserves. A terrific opening track. This is followed by "Love's No Friend" from the Down to Earth album, and is almost the mirror image of the opening song. It lacks that fire and energy, and falls back into the category that the band had begun to seek from this point in time, the cracking of the mainstream market in the United States. There's nothing overly terrible about the song, and it's obvious that this is where Joe's vocals are at their best, in this kind of song, and he equals Bonnet's original version. But as a great Rainbow song? No, sorry. Next comes "I Surrender", another of the JLT fronted songs that he does the best on. Following this comes a somewhat stilted and difficult version of "Man on the Silver Mountain". Honestly, what were they trying to do here? This is almost like an 'easy listening' version of this great track, dominated here by the keyboard (which should be settled nicely in the background, but instead dominates) and with Joe going a completely different route with the vocals from the originals. Oh dear. "Catch the Rainbow", on the other hand, may not be Dio-esque, but Joe does do quite a good job on the song, and Ritchie loves to play along in this kind of atmosphere and situation. The ability to freeform and extend the song to the band's liking always come in handy as well. Though it again takes up time that another song or two could have filled. Another song off the new album being toured, "Can't Happen Here" comes in next, and again Joe is comfortable in its execution.
"Lost in Hollywood" is a disappointment. Joe's singing of the song is wildly disproportionate to the original version with Bonnet on vocals, and that is a pity. It fuses in parts of "A Light in the Black" - which would have been better hearing Joe have a crack at the full version... or, after this, perhaps it was best not. Still, it should and could have been a lot better. This then segues straight into "Difficult to Cure", which sounds as terrific as it always does. Then Joe has a turn at trying to reproduce "Long Live Rock and Roll". Now, this is a difficult task again. Rainbow's original vocalist pretty much has a mortgage on how to sing his own songs. I guess, as with most of his material, Joe tries to turn this into a commercial version and vision of the song. That's pretty tough, and perhaps for those seeing the band live back then 35 years ago they could accept it as it is performed In the end we run into the same problems that faced the version of "Man on the Silver Mountain earlier". I think listening to it here, any version with Dio singing on it is a better version of the song.
Then we come to "Smoke on the Water", with a little bit of "Lazy" and "Woman From Tokyo" at the start. Now, here we are some six years after Ritchie had left Deep Purple, and he still felt it necessary to re-include this song into the band's set list. Personally, if he had done an instrumental medley, pasting together some of the best riffs from his Purple days, it would have been much more effective. Really, if you go to see Rainbow, with five albums worth of material behind them by this point in time, do you really want this played instead of one or two others? What about "Stargazer"? "Or "Gates of Babylon"? Was Joe less intimidated singing "Smoke on the Water" than these two songs? It seems strange.

As a recording of a moment in time, this has its place. It sounds great, the band is in good form, Joe does his job (as already discussed, with highs and lows), and Ritchie... well, is Ritchie. If you are a fan of the band you will enjoy this, even despite some of things I have said here. It just... could have been better... on any number of levels.

Rating:  "You're in love with the spotlight".  4/5

926. Primal Fear / Rulebreaker. 2016. 3.5/5

Primal Fear has had a long and storied career, and some of their early albums are standard bearers of the European speed/power metal genre from the early 2000's. They were fast, fresh and powerful, and their original take on what was occurring in music at the time gives them a high place amongst those releases. In recent times, the speed seems to have leaked away from their music, which isn't a problem as long as the song writing and musicianship remains solid and accessible. As much as I enjoy Primal Fear's work, when this album came to be released I felt that, for me, it was a crossroads that had been reached, and needed to be negotiated.

First impressions can be deceiving. It is immediately noticeable that, like recent albums, that tamping down of the tempo in the songs has been continued. There is nothing frantic about the music, and in fact all of the early songs on the album have a one-time tempo, a mid-range emphasising that is not in first gear, but probably only second or third at best. That is not meant to be a criticism, but it is a big change from those early albums. It's a big pull back from the roots of the band, and of the genre they come from. The good news is that it doesn't affect the quality of the music, just that they are all back in the mix now from where they used to be. Ralf Scheepers has also dragged his vocals back from the heights of his pitch from twenty years ago to what must be a much more comfortable area for him to sing. It doesn't stop him from reaching those heights when he wants to, and there are moments he does extend himself here, but in the same way that the band's music has become less frantic, so has the vocals. Again this isn't meant as a criticism, just as a fact of comparison.
So as we have established that this is now probably more of a traditional heavy metal album than a power metal or Euro metal album, how does it stack up? To be honest, it is just as enjoyable as their recent releases. There is nothing stunning on the album, or anything that really stands out as an instant classic or divergent from the pack in regards to song quality. The opening tracks are all finger tappers, songs that have the right drum beat to drive the song along and keep it active, not allowing the mind to wander while listening to the album. Every listen to the album improves the outlook. "Angel of Mercy" merges nicely into "The End is Near", with some nice touches from guitarists Magnus Karlsson and Alex Beyrodt. Other songs that are note worthy are "Bullets & Tears", "The Devil in Me" and "In Metal We Trust". There are songs here that have lyrics that are instantly catchy - just one playing of the title track "Rulebreaker" had my young daughter and son walking around the room singing along to the chorus, though perhaps they just thought it was appropriate for their behaviour. "The Sky is Burning" is perhaps closest in breaking the mould, being more in the style closest resembling the god-awful power ballad. This is recovered by the more pleasing pace of "Raving Mad" which is the closing track on the album and completes the album in a pleasing fashion.

While hesitating to use the metaphor, recent albums from Primal Fear have become almost AC/DC-ish in nature. Each has as similar tempo and song layout, and after having enjoyed and experienced Rulebreaker over the past few weeks, I can only say that they are now the kind of band that you know what you are going to get. It's solid, it's reliable, and it is enjoyable. Mat Sinner retains his stamp on the band, and one can't argue with what he has managed. While some may be disappointed they haven't provided more, others will be pleased just for the fact that they have the familiarity around them once more.

Rating:  "Can't sort the pictures all blurred and skewed, dystopian vision I'm simply screwed"  3.5/5

925. Overkill / Feel the Fire. 1985. 3/5

In amongst the explosion of thrash metal bands that proliferated the scene in the early to mid-1980's came a band that had its early basis in its punk roots, before finally breaking clear and finding its feet in the metal scene. Far away from the west coast of the U.S, Overkill perfected their style and then unleashed their debut album upon the world, revealing a highly ordered and exciting release. This then is Feel the Fire.

At this end of the thirty year cycle away from the beginnings of this thrash awakening, there is a need to be able to compare all of those albums of that era, and judge them on how well they stand up against each other. My forays into the genre at that time came with the Big 4, and not a lot outside of that, mostly though an inability to source the material easily, and the requirement of a line of cash that I didn't have during my teenage years. Thus I came into albums by bands like Overkill well beyond their start date, and I am therefore not as knowledgeable as I could have been under the circumstances. This absolutely waters down how I feel about the albums of bands such as Overkill and Nuclear Assault because I don't have that important connection with them at the time they were released.
Still, there is no doubting the origins of the music on Feel the Fire, and everything fits into the places it should. "Raise the Dead" is a certified opening track, which almost pretends to be a doom Sabbath like track before flowing into steadying heart of the song, amplified by the twin solo break. This jumps nicely into "Rotten to the Core", which rattles along at that great thrash speed, and with the built in crowd chanting chorus line, it is a winning combination. "Hammerhead" has similar connotations as well as riff and drum speed. The title track "Feel the Fire" rips along at an uncompromising speed and a wonderful bass line underlying the whole song. The band track "Overkill" is probably still the starring event on the album, reminding one of Mercyful Fate in sections.
There's nothing here that will strike you as out of the ordinary - apart from the fact that they were at the vanguard of the thrash movement, perhaps riding along on the coattails of Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer, but a part of that none the less. Rat Skates and D. D. Verni do a great job as the rhythm section, not only holding the music in pattern at the speed that the songs are played, but holding their own within the mix. Skates' drum rolls and double kick throughout provide that solid base that thrash metal thrives on. Bobby Gustafson is excellent on guitar, careering along rhythmically with his fellow musicians, but also laying down some excellent solo sections along the way. Bobby Ellsworth screams along nicely, getting the vocals down in the right places without taking up too much of each track, allowing the band to be centre stage. Musically this excellent, if not technically superior, but it gives you what you want in regards to speed and thrashing. There are even the slower pieces in songs like "There's No Tomorrow" and "Kill At Command" that show that they are not just a one trick pony - from which they naturally then explode back into the song with searing guitar solos.

For those that enjoy their thrash metal, you already have this album. There are bands out there that have done it better, but plenty who have done it a lot worse. As a first up effort there is a lot to enjoy.

Rating:  "Beware the sound of a galloping horse, Overkill has another corpse...".   3/5