Edguy - Space Police - Defenders Of The Crown

Power Metal
Nuclear Blast
2014










1. Sabre & Torch
2. Space Police
3. Defenders of the Crown
4. Love Tyger
5. The Realms Of Baba Yaga
6. Rock Me Amadeus (Falco Cover)
7. Do Me Like A Caveman
8. Shadow Eaters
9. Alone In Myself
10. The Eternal Wayfarer

There was a time when I would have considered Edguy one of the top bands in the power metal scene, but that time becomes increasingly distant by the album. Age of the Joker got an okay rating from me, but it was not exciting, and the two before that fared considerably worse. With that said, it's easy to see why I only approached this one with passing interest going in. There's always the glimmer of hope a band can refind themselves though so I gave this one it's shot.

Sometimes you feel like you should have known better and Space Police - Defenders Of The Crown is certainly one such case. Sometimes I wonder why I even put myself listening to albums like this. I mean it was pretty easy to have an inkling that this would be entirely too goofy from the title of the album and the single Love Tyger. At least the last album had the kind of fun Robin Hood for a single which was lighthearted, but not so incredibly self parodying as to not be taken seriously.

Listening through this one I basically just heard a completely unexciting blend of uninventive power metal mixed with varying degrees of glam/cock rock nonsense and too much silliness popping up far too often. There are very few redeeming qualities to Space Police really and just when you think a song may get good it tends to take a turn just as quickly. What made early Edguy classic was the choruses, punch of the songs, and the epic overtones and those elements rarely show up here and then only briefly. Instead what we get is a whimsical pop rock vibe that contaminates even the songs that are more power metal oriented at their core.

The track Space Police starts off well enough for instance but then gets goofy as it progresses with the addition of spacey sounding keyboards and Tobias' strange warbling over poppier sounding music. Then there are pure throwaways like their cover of the already goofy Rock Me Amadeus, Love Tyger which sounds like pure 80s hair metal with power metal production, the poppy and goofy Do Me Like A Caveman, and a sticky sweet ballad by the name of Alone In Myself. The sad thing is that even the more pure power metal track Sabre & Torch fails to be exciting as the whole thing sounds forced with Tobias sounding strained as opposed to majestic or powerful. Defenders of the Crown also suffers from similar problems as the chanted chorus just comes off as uninventive and none too powerful. The Realms Of Baba Yaga also tries for more of a power metal approach, but comes off as too light hearted in sound and lyrics for the subject material as that pesky silliness pops into the song again.

Really, there are only two songs I didn't find myself internally complaining about too much and the first one, Shadow Eaters, didn't come until track 8 and then only attained a rating of being passable. It's a pretty average power metal song really, but by this point it just not sucking was noteworthy. The real kicker though is the fact track 10, The Eternal Wayfarer is actually pretty good. A slower intro builds up to a nice mid-paced roll coupled with a strong keyboard presence and a lot of epic flare. If more of the album was like this one I would be writing a very different review, but the rest of the album doesn't even come close to this level of quality. This is the one song here that really reminds me of why I used to like Edguy and conjures up memories of past glories like The Piper Never Dies and The Pharaoh. This is just destined to be a hidden gem that I rarely listen to based on all the crap surrounding it. Just good enough of a song to cause frustration over the rest of the album not pursuing this direction.

The only way to sum up this album is that it is pretty much to the modern era of power metal what hair/glam metal was to the 80s. This is just too goofy and stupid to be taken seriously or enjoyed. Tobias seems to think he's hilarious and fun but to me at least he just comes across as juvenile and stupid these days. Until he gets back to writing more serious material and lyrics I just have no interest in Edguy and I don't see it happening. Too much pop, not enough epic power.

Highlights: The Eternal Wayfarer

Rating - 1.5/5

Edguy - Age Of The Joker

Power Metal
Nuclear Blast

2011

1. Robin Hood
2. Nobody's Hero
3. Rock Of Cashel
4. Pandora's Box
5. Breathe
6. Two Out Of Seven
7. Faces In The Darkness
8. The Arcane Guild
9. Fire On The Downline
10. Behind The Gates To Midnight World
11. Every Night Without You

Edguy are just one of those sad stories. The kind where you had a band you really liked and then they pretty much went to crap. At least that's my own telling of their story. It seemed like just when this band was heading to the top of the power metal heap with the heavy, melodic, and epic Hellfire Club they just sputtered and died in the goofiness of Rocket Ride. Tinnitus Sanctus was likewise a disappointment with some pretty shitty glammed up rock tracks. Like a lot of people with bands they used to like but lost their way I held on to a little hope though and here I am listening to the new one.

After listening to, Age Of The Joker, I can say that this one is certainly a step in the right direction. I'm not sure I'm ready to say Edguy is back in full form, but after the abysmal last two albums this is satisfying to hear.

The album starts off on a good note with Robin Hood which is a classic Edguy epic track and makes for a solid single. Maybe not my favorite they've ever done, but a lot better than I've heard from the band in some time. This song pretty much sets the tone for this album. Not the best material the band has ever released, but more power metal and more of what I want. This is, on a formula level, the kind of Edguy I enjoy with the music sounding more serious and epic and the band having their 'fun' with the music video. When Tobias Sammet's goofiness takes over or the band gets more poppy/glammed rock and starts referring to Edguy as more of a rock act is when I tune out. I want to hear those Iron Maiden and Helloween tones of their earlier stuff and thankfully I do hear that here as the music is more grounded in power.

The rest of the album mostly follows this trend back to normalcy. This is one of those albums I find hard to condense my thoughts though so I am going to indulge in a bit of track by track. Nobody's Hero has a nice straight ahead, heavy power feel that is refreshing to hear and brings in some good energy. Rock Of Cashel and Pandora's Box represent the kind of Edguy I probably like best with a slower roll and a huge sound. I've always enjoyed their really epic sounding songs and these are pretty satisfying. At times Pandora's Box does get a bit of a twangy rock sound to the guitar, but it actually works pretty well in the context of the song. Just a little bit of an odd reminder of what Edguy is coming back from.

From there Breathe is a pretty good upbeat power track and Two Out Of Seven I find a bit lacking. That one just sounds like a little too euro poppy for me. The keyboard beat doesn't really do it for me. Faces In The Darkness follows it with a better sound that includes some softer moments, a nice heavy roll, and a good choral section. After that comes The Arcane Guild which blazes ahead at high speed, but with a chorus that's just a tad too over the top sugary sweet for me. Continuing on, Fire On The Downline is a slower one with moments of sounding like a ballad and where the upbeat moments remind me of something that could have been done by Survivor. Wrapping up the album are the decent epic Behind The Gates To The Midnight World and the ultra sappy Every Night Without You which is one extra track this album just didn't need.

Age Of The Joker is basically an album with it's ups and downs, but the downs are more palatable than the ones on the last couple and the highlights are solid. I'm just not ready to say this band is back in full form. The highlights here don't quite grab me as much as in the past on a songwriting level and there are some weaker points here and there. Still... this is an encouraging album to hear. Maybe Edguy does have some form of future in my listening after all.

Highlights: Robin Hood, Rock Of Cashel, Pandora's Box

Rating - 3.0/5

Edguy - Tinnitus Sanctus

Power Metal
Nuclear Blast

2008

1. Ministry Of Saints
2. Sex Fire Religion
3. The Pride Of Creation
4. Nine Lives
5. Wake Up Dreaming Black
6. Dragonfly
7. Thorn Without A Rose
8. 929
9. Speedhoven
10. Dead Or Rock
11. Aren't You A Little Pervert Too

There was a time when I'd have been really looking forward to a new Edguy album and considered them among the top power metal bands out there. However, after the glammed up piece of goofy trash that was Rocket Ride and the poppy disaster that was the last Avantasia I can't say I went into this one with a great deal of enthusiasm.

Well I'm not gonna waste any time here in telling you this album sucks. It may not be as ridiculous as Rocket Ride, but it's a far cry from Mandrake or Hellfire Club. The album starts off alright with the single Ministry of Saints which while not remarkably memorable does boast some nice heaviness at times. From there it's pretty much all downhill though with a series of songs that either bore or irritate me.

Sex, Fire, Religion would make for a good sleep aid but little else with it's slow roll and half heartedly chanted chorus. It's kind of like The Piper Never Dies if it completely blew. Other tracks like 929 and Thorn Without A Rose don't raise the fist, but I do feel something else rising from my stomach. Seriously, Edguy's done some sappy songs in the past I know, but on an album without many standouts these pop fluff tracks leave a real bad taste. The list of grievances isn't quite over yet though as I still need to mention the likes of Speedhoven and The Pride Of Creation which are so over the top it's painful. This is more of that Judas At The Opera sort of stuff that made me gag on the last one. I love epic tunes done right, but a song as sugary sweet as The Pride Of Creation is not what I'm looking for.

Finally, to close out this laundry list I just have to say the only way the other tracks are really worthy of mentioning is pointing them out as unmemorable filler. Not necessarily terrible, but with a number of songs I flat don't like and the rest that don't really leave an impression I won't be feeling the need to revisit this anytime soon.

Tinnitus Sanctus may be a step up from Rocket Ride, but it's a small one and the band certainly hasn't made it's way back to a mold I like it in. I'm still hoping for some good Edguy in the future, but I'm sure not going to be holding my breath.

Highlights: Ministry Of Saints

Rating - 1.5/5

Edguy - Rocket Ride

Power/Glam Metal
Nuclear Blast

2006

1. Sacrifice
2. Rocket Ride
3. Wasted Time
4. Matrix
5. Return To The Tribe
6. The Asylum
7. Save Me
8. Catch Of The Century
9. Out Of Vogue
10. Superheroes
11. Trinidad

Edguy's new album Rocket Ride has been worrying me for quite some time before I even listened to it. As a fan of the band, the direction that the EP hinted at worried the hell out of me and it would seem that maybe I wasn't even scared enough of what was to come. Let's put it this way... this band is minus at least one fan and likely many more when this album is released.

Edguy have established themselves as an epic power sort of band with big choruses and homages to bands like Iron Maiden and Helloween in the past. Driven by heavy sounding riffs and vocals that often resemble one Bruce Dickinson I've always thought of them as one of the stronger bands in power metal in fact and their ability to create that epic vibe has been amazing to me. On this release what we have is simply put a waste of talent. Instead of crafting powerful epics and big catchy choruses the band has opted to let their occasional goofiness spiral way out of control.

Imagine Lavatory Love Machine made into an album and that's kind of what you have here. Gone is the epic power band I used to love that took cues from Maiden/Dickinson and in it's place is something that sounds like a glam metal leftover. This album is disgustly commercial in a way that has long been gratefully left for dead. I swear the song Save Me could be on a monster ballads comp wedged between Warrant - Heaven Isn't Too Far Away and Slaughter - Fly To The Angels. Trinidad is also a particularly horrendous one that reminds me of a combo between later Aerosmith and The Beach Boys - Kokomo. We have an early contender for worst song of the year ladies and gentlemen. One of the worst and most fucking annoying songs I've ever heard in my life. The 'falalalala' backing vocal line had my jaw on the floor when I listened to this song. Couldn't even believe I was hearing this sort of pure shit from a band I used to enjoy. Even the heavier songs remind me of more upbeat glam songs and the lead single Superheroes sounds like something that could've been put out by Bon Jovi. The only track I find remotely enjoyable is the song The Asylum which after a mellow acoustic intro kicks in with a heavy, slow paced riff and epic style that reminds me of The Piper Never Dies. That is it though... the only song I enjoy in the slightest. One final note... one of the bonus tracks is called Fucking With Fire (Hair Force One)... I rest my case. RIP the Edguy I once loved.

Highlights: The Asylum

Rating - 1.0/5

Edguy - Superheroes

Power Metal
Nuclear Blast

2005

1. Superheroes
2. Spooks In The Attic
3. Blessing in Disguise
4. Judas At The Opera
5. The Spirit
6. Superheroes (Epic Version)

Edguy's last EP had some kick ass stuff and segued well into the fantastic Hellfire Club so the bar was set fairly high on this one. I really expected no less considering the band's been on a real roll and have risen towards the top of the power metal world. Well I can't really say I expected what was contained within this one...

The first word that comes to mind when listening to this EP is fruity. From the very beginning this one will probably leave you scratching your head if you're expecting the heavy riffs present in the past couple Edguy albums. I don't usually get into track by track but since it's just an EP I feel the need to indulge here as it's so different for the band.

The namesake of the album and first single, for instance, is a slower bass driven track and that's really no suprise since King Of Fools was the same. The suprise comes in the extremely gay sounding keybounds that creep up and the overly poppy chorus. This is really AOR sounding stuff and kinda reminds me of, and I hate to say this, Bon Jovi. Really commercial sounding and not typical of Edguy at all. From there we have a couple ballads in the forms of Blessing In Disguise and The Spirit and a piano driven, stripped down version of Superheroes which is also turned into a ballad. So half the EP right there is ballads and that's way more than I care to hear on a metal release. Judas At The Opera is a weird track featuring a guest appearance by Michael "metal sucks" Kiske. This one has gotta be the most overblown thing I've heard in awhile. Imagine the happiness of Helloween crossed with the bombast of Queen. The choral sounding vocals are straight out of the Queen textbook and this is pretty damn unlistenable to me. It's just too much. The only somewhat redeeming track here is Spooks In The Attic where the guitar is actually noticable but it also has a pretty overly happy chorus and some Stratovarius sounding keys.

In conclusion, this is just a really out of left field move for the band and will probably leave a lot of Edguy fans cold. I wouldn't recommend this one. Not unlistanable, but Too ballad ladden and commercial. Spooks In The Attic isn't bad and The Spirit is a good ballad with a celtic feel, but two songs isn't enough material for me to buy anything. All I can say is that I hope this isn't a sign of things to come and just something they had to get out of their systems.

Highlights: Spooks In The Attic, The Spirit

Rating - 2.0/5