Tobias Sammet (vocals, bass, keyboards, songs) is the driving force behind this German band. They debuted on the major label in 1997 with the album "Kingdom Of Madness," but did not gain recognition until their sophomore attempt, "Vain Glory Opera" (1998). The album earned them a spot among the leaders of European metal, and, not surprisingly, they made friends with other notable bands, such as Blind Guardian and Stratovarius. Other members of
the band are: Jens Ludwig (guitars), Dirk Saver (guitars), and Felix
Bohnke (drums). Their combination of traditional heavy, power, and progressive metal styles looks very promissing, and many predicted them a big future. The expectations have, pretty much, been met, as Edguy became one of the leaders on the NWOEPM scene. Albums "Theater Of Tragedy" (1999), "Savage Poetry" (2000, remake of their early demo), and "Mandrake" (2001/02), were all well received. Sammet also pulled an all-star schtick, getting many famous people to participate on his Avantasia project.
Edguy appeared on two (2002 and 2004) ProgPower
USA festivals in Atlanta. The album "Hellfire Club"
(2004) saw a bit of a departure from their traditional sound, as the
music became heavier and darker, and brand new "Rocket Ride"
(2006) was one of the most controversial albums of this year, splitting people that have heard it equally in two halves.
VAIN GLORY OPERA (1998)
RATING: ***1/2
BEST SONGS: "Until We Rise Again," title track, "Fairytale"
One of numerous fine albums of 1998,
Vain Glory Opera is not really a rock opera, at least, i
can't detect any concept. The album does have an intro though: an
all-keyboard "Overture." Next come the speedy "Until We Rise Again"
and "How Many Miles." Sammet's voice is pleasant (he is a cross
between Michael Kiske and Bruce Dickinson), but a bit too glamourous
at times. His looks are also there: i'm sure girls chase him
everywhere he goes. "Scarlet Rose" and "Tomorrow" are your typical
glam power ballads; the former being slightly better. "Out Of
Control" features guest performances by Timo Tolkki of Stratovarius
(lead guitar) and Hansi Kursch of Blind Guardian (background
vocals), but the song itself is nothing spectacular, just OK. Next
comes a real gem: the title track. Hansi stuck around for this one
too, and his scream at the end "Not only lies!" immediately turns
the whole thing into Blind Guardian in the best sense of the word.
Keyboard theme in the beginning and in the middle is stupendous, and
reminds me of "Final Countdown" from Europe. The chorus is extremely catchy, and the lyrics are
also reasonably intelligent (although Sammet makes a mistake:
"What's a hero at a play, without a fool to fight?" is correct in
the context, but heroes never fought fools; fools were helping them
most of the time, i.e. "King Lear"). "Fairytale" continues in the
same direction: great melodic speed metal. "No More Fooling" is a
real fast rocker, but lyricswise it's quite horrible ("Say goodbye
-- you never knew that I was strong enough to stand..." -- 80s
glam). But the concluding cover of "Hymn" by Ultravox is all but
terrific. It reminds me of Manowar and is a
great spirit lifter. Overall, a great album for all Helloween fans,
one of the best in the late 90s.
SAVAGE POETRY (1997/2000)
RATING: ***1/2
BEST SONGS: "Keys To My Fate," "Power & Majesty"
After breaking through with Vain Glory
Opera and Theatre Of Tragedy, Sammett
and Co. decided to re-record and re-release their first
indie label. Not a bad idea, considering that eager fans at
that time were eating up anything with the "Edguy"
logo. Is it going? Well... It's not a bad album
when you're listening to it, but certainly a forgettable one
after you're done with it. The only song that really stuck to
me was the concluding "Power & Majesty": its
chorus certainly rivals the title track from the VGO.
The rest is decent but not great, and some songs would be cheesy
even in the 80s, like "Roses To No One." But Sammett really
progresses here in his desire to be Michael Kiske.
HELLFIRE CLUB (2004)
RATING: ****
BEST SONGS: "Mysteria," "King Of Fools," "Navigator"
After hearing bits and pieces of
Mandrake and Theatre of Tragedy and considering
the growing lack of desire to re-listen to VGO, I had come
to the conclusion that Edguy just was not interesting to me, and I'd
limit myself to Avantasia. Well, after downloading "Mysteria" and
"King Of Fools," I realized that not all was lost for Edguy and
bought the album. And I was not disappointed. Finally, I have heard
an Edguy album that is both consistent and eventful. Its highlights
are on par with any power metal hit tunes out there, and it has very
few weak moments. But first things first: Edguy has become heavier.
The "darkening trend" in the European power metal scene has swept
over one of the most consistantly happy bands. Now there are spots
on Hellfire Club which clearly remind me of Angel
Dust, vintage Of Human Bondage. Sammet also sounds more evil and nasty than before,
with more grit from his pipes (which are still a mix of Kiske and
Dickinson), and I like it. But none of this would matter had the
songs not been good, but they are. The material is extremely solid,
catchy, and not in the least annoying. Also, it's fascinating, how
even in the heaviest of moments, like in "Mysteria" and "King Of
Fools," the boys still wrote very uplifting and catchy choruses. In
fact, almost every song boasts a memorable refrain. There is also
quite a bit of diversity here, with aforementioned tracks walking
the darker side, but "The Piper Never Dies" being a classic
mid-tempo (before it speeds up in the end) happy Edguy song, and "We
Don't Need A Hero," "Down To The Devil," and "Rise Of The Morning
Glory" bringing us back to Sammet's main influences, Gamma
Ray and Helloween. There is
also a mandatory stupid song, "Lavatory Love Machine" (oh, the stewardess
fetish...), but overall the lyrics aren't all bad. Sammet noted that
he was especially happy with "Navigator" and you can see why: it's a
wonderfully crafted semi-epic piece, talking about mankind's
delusion of grandeur. Some ballads I can do without, but, again,
they're there for the diversity's sake, and they're not too bad. A
fine album, and the most consistent I've heard from Edguy.
ROCKET RIDE (2006)
RATING: ****
BEST SONGS: “Wasted Time,” “The Asylum,” “Out Of Vogue”
Something about Edguy never fully clicks with me. I don’t think it’s Sammet’s voice (after all, I enjoy Avantasia tremendously). It’s not the musicianship: all band members are quite proficient at their trade. I guess, for some reason, the songwriting feels somewhat strained to me: as if Sammet and Co. do not what they feel, but what they feel is expected from them. Maybe I am wrong, but how else can I explain this strain? I just do not sense any effortlessness that usually marks great works. On Rocket Ride Edguy takes a huge leap from the dark power metal train they once hopped (which I thought worked reasonably well) and back to happy Euro power metal of the 90s, infused with 80s American glam metal. There is not a trace of seriousness on Rocket Ride, and one can argue it’s a step back. Why the high rating then? Because the melodies are great, and at this point Edguy writes probably the catchiest (and happiest) choruses in business. This is a fine album, although the occasional lyrical stupidity can be grating. Its contents can be loosely split into two halves. First five tracks are NWOEPM-by-the-numbers, very similar to Vain Glory Opera. The main riff in “Sacrifice” is a perfect blend of crunch and keys, but it quickly disappears in favor of usual Edguy sugar flow. The title track and “Wasted Time” are vintage Edguy with excellent and light-headed choruses. “The Matrix” is mid-paced dance-along, only slightly heavier than “Oops, I Did It Again.” “Return To The Tribe” makes you think you are back in 1997/98, in the time of Somewhere Out In Space and Legendary Tales. Starting from Track 6, the songwriting shifts closer to the realm of Bon Jovies and Warrants, although most of it is still good. “The Asylum” is a mid-pace chugger with a killer chorus. “Save Me” is a crappy pseudo-American ballad. “Catch Of The Century” and “Fucking With Fire” (a very stupid title, even by Edguy standards, but it r-r-rocks!) could have been on Slippery When Wet. So could “Out Of Vogue,” but it’s faster and more energetic than anything Bon Jovi has ever done (I only wish the scream “From the vogue!” was done more than once). “Superheroes” is dreadfully poppy. Much-maligned “Trinidad” I don’t have a problem with; it’s just not metal, but a Caribbean party rock tune. In short, this album is very enjoyable to those that just want to get good vibe from their music and have a good time. As Sammet unequivocally puts it: “We’re the Hair Force One!” No more, no less.
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