(Rated this album with 6 out of 10) Reviewed by
wyldesteele
from Helsinki, Finland
Contrary to what the music fan from US said in the previous review, Edguy are from Germany, not Finland. Edguy has been building its ban base steadily and with this album especially the promotion seems to be at a higher level than before. They just started their first headlining tour and will tour across Europe with a spectacular stage show. Needless to say, I already have a ticket for their 4th December Helsinki show. As for the album, there's one word that is perfectly suited to describing it: solid. Apart from the sloppy ballad Wash away the poison and the lame bonus track, there are no weak tracks. Edguy builds a huge wall of sound, a carpet of sound to walk on and to build huge, melodic choruses on....just the way we like it. "The Pharaoh" is the outstanding track on this album, 10-minute epic that reminds me of 'Powerslave' in certain aspects. Don't get me wrong, it's an original, great song, not a copy-cat effort. "All of the clowns" is infectious, with a marvelous, melodic chorus that you will be humming for the rest of your days. "Save us now" shows that Edguy doesn't take itself too seriously at every turn, the song tells of the terrible Alien Drum Bunny. Hilarious....."Painting on the wall" is a strong number and so is "Fallen angels" (despite the worn-out title). Some of the songs are less than original, especially Nailed to the wheel, but all in all, the material is above average and will undoubtedly win the band many new fans, especially now that the band seems to be more heavily promoted. Needless to say, every band member is technically excellent with their instrument, with Tobias Sammet's huge voice soaring above the massive drum/bass/guitar-attack of the others. I think "Vain glory opera" is clearly their best album to date and if you like this effort, you should DEFINITELY give it a spin, too. I can't wait for the 4th of December!!
