For the Newer Edguy Fan

 

I was late to the Edguy party. I didn’t enter the Theater of Salvation until about 12 years after that album was released and as I was seeking out their albums, I stumbled upon this set which features “The Savage Poetry”, “Mandrake”, and some bonus material featuring live songs and b-sides. Besides the music, the set comes in the form of an old tome with the inside containing golden discs (hence golden edition), full lyrics, and comments from the band on the songs from the two full-lengths.

“Mandrake” is the definite superior album with the operatic bombast of “Tears of a Mandrake”, the epic ode to the great Egyptian kings with “The Pharaoh”, and the acoustic campfire storytelling of “Jerusalem.” The “Mandrake” disc contains two live bonus tracks in the aforementioned “Tears of a Mandrake” and “Painting on the Wall.” The former retains the grand atmosphere in the live setting and “Painting on the Wall” makes for a nice listen as it manages to remind me of “Super Mario 64” because Mario jumps into paintings to start levels.

It would have been a better call putting “Theatre of Salvation” as the first disc because then the best of Edguy would have been featured in this set, but AFM Records decided to go with “The Savage Poetry.” This is the full re-recording of the first album that came out in new millennium and has two versions of songs that were originally recorded in 1995 with “Key to my Fate” and “Hallowed.”

The bonus content has some hits and misses. I don’t understand the need to include single edits of songs as extra content. The edit of “Painting on the Wall” and “Tears of a Mandrake” are unnecessary. The listener already knows they will not be superior versions, so it’s just a waste of space. The normal version of “Painting on the Wall” is on the third disc too for whatever reason.

On the other hand, there are some cool b-sides to discover. “For a Trace of Life” is ballad and it’s a little depressing with the lyrics and melancholic acoustic guitar line. “But Here I Am” sounds like it was recorded in a garage and is silly with how many times the chorus is repeated. The final one is “La Marche Des Gendarmes” which is a goofy song combining an Irish beer party with Motown. To round off the bonus, a flat, live version of “Walk on Fighting” is included as well as “Wake up the King” live. This live rendition is much more energetic.

If you already own “The Savage Poetry” and “Mandrake” than there is no need to buy this edition unless you are a big fan and want to read the linear notes and stare at pictures. For the new entries into the Hellfire Club, this is a great introduction to the band. I would have preferred the inclusion of “Theatre of Salvation” over “The Savage Poetry”, but as they say beggars can’t be choosers.

Full Crimson Platter

Crimson Glory was one of the leading progressive metal bands in metal’s most beloved decade, the 1980s. Originating from the sunshine state, their silver masks that shadowed their faces was ironic as their music was vibrant with enthralling guitar lines and powerful, emotional vocals of the one and only Midnight. Metal Mind Productions has now released a set compiling their four studio albums along with one EP featuring “Astronomica” demos and also some live bonus tracks from a 1989 concert. This set is limited to 1000 and if you’re a new fan of the band or are no stranger to them, the set is a worthwhile purchase.

The five discs come in digi-packs similar to the limited ones released a few years ago, each with the same bonus tracks featured in those releases as well. The self-titled debut has “Dream Dancer” attached to it while “Transcendence” has a remix of “Lonely” as well as the music video for the song. All the albums were digitally remastered and they sound great. Loudness is not an issue and I found the bass to have a more pronounced effect to enhance the listening experience.

The standouts are the extra live bonus tracks featured in the last disc. While the original EP had two live bonus tracks, three more are tacked on and is very entertaining. Hearing Midnight belt out “Lost Reflection” live sent shivers down my spine and his introduction to songs were filled with vigor. I smirked to the intro to “Queen of the Masquerade” when Midnight spews “This is for all the bizarre, strange women out there.” The thumping bass solo beckoning the crowd to shout “Hail” in the middle of the song added some great interaction for the audience.

A 60 page booklet is included in the set featuring a biography of the band chronicling their beginnings up until Todd La Torre’s arrival in the group in 2010. All album credits are also issued as well as lyrics for all the songs and some band pictures to look that. There are also snippets of magazine articles and there was one that caught my attention for the wrong reason. Seeing as this is a box set celebrating the band’s career, I don’t know why there is part of a magazine article mocking and ripping the band after their release of “Astronomica.” It sticks out like a sore thumb and I have no idea why it was included in the booklet.

“In Dark Places…” is a wonderful boxset and it is great to have their full discography in a convenient set. It is a shame that they didn’t break through the barrier and become a huge success like Queensryche would, but they certainly left their mark on the scene. The price tag might be a little iffy considering it is a limited set, but there are outlets selling these for respectable prices. It’s Crimson Glory though, so it should not be a tough decision.

A Nice Collection

 

Helloween’s single box collection features the eras started by main man Kai Hansen transitioning into Michael Kiske help birthing the power metal genre. The singles contained here are sort of a like time capsule taking you back to the days where roaming record shops for these items was fun and also available. If you are a young listener like me who missed out on those times, then it’s awesome to be able finally have versions of these and being able to stare at the cool artwork when more effort was put into releasing singles.

The biggest addition to this box set is the inclusion of the “Helloween” EP. The tracks are featured on the expanded edition of “Walls of Jericho”, but it is nice to finally have the item and letting the tracks stand on their own merits. “Victim of Fate” is a great speed metal number where Hansen really wails with his vocals, while “Starlight” will always be a favorite because of the little jingle from the movie “Halloween III: Season of the Witch.” The other standout is “Warrior” which has hurdling guitar part and then some aggressive riffing that warrants head banging.

It is nice that some of the b-sides get their time to shine as Helloween have some strong songs that unfortunately did make some full-lengths. The best out of the bunch belongs to “Save Us” from the “I Want Out” single as the sticking riff and the drumming from Ingo Schwichtenberg is very impressive. The Markus Grosspoff penned “You Run with the Pack” is also a standout with some great guitar parts and should have definitely made “Pink Bubbles Go Ape.” By far the goofiest track is the cover of “Blue Suede Shoes”, but it is a fun listen and Kiske puts forth some good vocals for a song that really does not suit his talents.

The box set is rounded out by a booklet containing linear notes and separate credits for of all the singles presented in the set. All the discs are in slipcase form, but are not loose to the point where they come right out. All in all, there are seven discs with just over two hours of music. This is a must have for any Helloween fan and the price for this set is not bad either. Since this came out in 2006, it’s a shame that a second box has not come out covering the last of the Kiske era and the first half of the Andi Deris era. At least we can savor the riches when the pumpkin crew was starting to make their mark.

The Battle Drags On

The last Deep Purple album to feature both Ian Gillan and Ritchie Blackmore is unfortunately a pedestrian affair. Former Rainbow singer and Blackmore’s running mate Joe Lynn Turner came into the fold for a spell, but Gillan returned for a final go-around with Blackmore. “The Battle Rages On…” seems to be long forgotten and for good reason as the band sounds tired and Gillan sounds disinterested.

However, the opener and title track leaves a false impression as the battle rages with a strong riff and background keyboards by the great Jon Lord. A melodic chorus and the typical Blackmore guitar solo start the proceedings off on the right foot.

Problems begin immediately with the next track and slither in throughout the rest of the album. “Lick it Up” is a straight-up rocker with not one of the most memorable guitar parts and is mediocre by Deep Purple standards. “Talk About Love” and “Time to Kill” suffer from the same banal attributes and the worst part is Gillan sings like he knows these songs are crap.

Gillan delivers the most disappointing performance on this record. He sounds like he does not want to be there. The passion and character of his voice is not there. His singing on the next Purple record is way better than his work on here. On the aforementioned “Time to Kill”, his voice sounds tired and the closer “One Man’s Meat” he is completely emotionless. He at least shows some life and character on the cowboy rocker “Ramshackle Man” with some gun-toting vocal lines.

Amidst the boring tripe emerge two Purple gems that save the record from tanking. “Anya” is a beautiful song with maybe some foreshadowing by Blackmore showing where he was headed with his music. The acoustic, midnight fire guitar part transforms into a great riff featuring graceful chorus lines and perfectly conjures up the image of the mystical woman in the song. The other winner is another song about a woman with “Solitaire.” An enchanting, escalating guitar part immediately caught my attention and Gillan sings like a drone. I’m not sure if that’s what he was going for, but it goes well with the brooding tone.

In the end, there is not enough good songwriting and fails to capture the merits of a great band like Deep Purple. Blackmore and Lord do not even trade solos and have any moments together until the eight track “Nasty Piece of Work.” Blackmore even rips himself off with “One Man’s Meat” by taking the main riff from “L.A Connection” and inserting it here. The only time he lets loose with furious riffing and guitar theatrics is with “A Twist in Tale”, which shares similarities with “Dead or Alive” from the last Mk II album, but is not as good.

I don’t know if the boys decided to name “The Battle Rages On…” to describe how Gillan and Blackmore were working together again yet still hated each other, but no listener would win this struggle. On the band side of things, Gillan would win as Blackmore would quit mid-tour and since then he hasn’t looked back. With this final Mk II installment, the title track, the wonderful “Anya”, “Solitaire”, and “Ramshackle Man” will provide healthy listens. However, insipid rockers and a tired Gillan drag the album down as the band was clearly waiting for the battle to end.

Maiden Toronto

Friday the 13^th is usually held up as a day of bad luck and the movie franchise that depicted the serial killer Jason Vorhees. However, up in Toronto, Canada, 15,000 metalheads didn’t come together at Camp Crystal Lake for horrors, but they congregated for the appearance of Eddie, the mascot for Iron Maiden. This tour was to celebrate the time when one of their greatest albums was released, “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son.” The band set to recreate the video “Maiden England” that was produced around that time along with the set and of course the songs.

The night started off with a different beast though as Alice Cooper opened the festivities with a 45 minute set and wasted no time moving through his songs. It’s unfortunate he had to come on early as there is something wrong seeing Alice Cooper play while the sun is still gleefully shining. The most blatant tune left out was “Welcome to My Nightmare”, but he made up for it by blasting through favorites like “The Black Widow”, “Billion Dollar Babies”, and “Poison.” He also pulled two tracks from “Brutal Planet”, which is arguably Cooper’s heaviest album and it struck the right notes with the audience. “Hey Stoopid” was a nice inclusion, but my personal favorite from that album and of the show was “Feed My Frankenstein.” Of course, the song was featured in “Wayne’s World” and who could forget the classic scene when Wayne and Garth meet the band.

Cooper also seemed to take a page out of the Maiden playbook by employing three guitarists including a woman and she was most impressive. Though abbreviated, Cooper still was tied up in a strait jacket and still had his head chopped off. It was my first time seeing Cooper and he did not disappoint. I hope to see his full, headlining show someday.

Cooper whetted the crowd’s appetites for a bit, but it was so long before the “Maiden” chants started. The lead track off of “Seventh Son” led off the set in “Moonchild.” Bruce Dickinson is incredible after all these years. He keeps getting stronger and it’s unbelievable how he runs around the stage for two hours.

An unexpected inclusion was “Afraid to Shoot Strangers.” Usually, it is only the title track played from “Fear of the Dark”, but this was nice swerve. When the song picks up in the middle with the guitar break, the crowd began to roar after the stoic intro.

Two life-sized Eddie risers made their appearance and also one walked out during the “The Trooper” trying to attack guitarist Janick Gers. There were quite a sight to behold and along with a flawless set made this just about the best concert I have ever been to. “The Prisoner” was dusted off and intro along with video from the television show played. “Phantom of the Opera”, “Wasted Years”, and “Run to the Hills” all met with approval and most importantly, five of the eight “Seventh Son” songs were played. I personally would have loved to see “The Prophecy” live, but beggars can’t be choosers.

I highly encourage any Maiden fan to see this show. It is worth the price and it will be an unforgettable night. This Friday the 13^th was not filled with bad luck or crazed killers; there was only a monster named Eddie, Alice Cooper, and Iron Maiden.

Jon Lord: Master of the Keyboard

I am grateful that my dad introduced me to Deep Purple. He is responsible for bringing my attention to many wonderful bands as a kid. As my tastes matured and I started looking for music on my own, I became a bigger fan of Deep Purple and always marveled at the great musicianship all the band members possessed.

The passing of Jon Lord hits hard because he was one of the greats and of the musicians I grew attached to. As with many bands that came before my time, I wished I could have been alive in the seventies and experience “Machine Head”, “In Rock”, and “Burn” when they first came out. The way Lord attacked the keyboards and was able to create something so memorable was always astounding to me. There are also not too many people that could play alongside the great Ritchie Blackmore and dare him to come up with something that the master keyboardist couldn’t match. The interplay on the title track to “Burn” is the prime example of how those two would go at it and remains my favorite Deep Purple song.

There would be no Deep Purple without Lord. The man is responsible for making the ivories heavy and being like the Neil Peart of drumming. Both of them are the absolute best at their craft. The intro to “Lazy” remains a landmark moment on how to create a slick organ groove and the somber tone of “Child in Time” are memorable moments that I cherish as avid fan of the purple sound.

I never had the privilege of meeting Lord or seeing him live, but the comments from those who knew him and played with him say he handled himself like he handled the ivories: with class and dignity. It may seem silly to feel sad for someone you did not know personally, but Deep Purple were one of the foundations of me becoming a heavy metal fan and I have memories of sitting in the basement with my dad discovering Deep Purple for the first time. Thank you for the countless memories Jon Lord and your music will always be alive with this fan.

Purple Rainbow

After the famed Mark II lineup of Deep Purple came back together, all felt right again and they delivered an all-time classic in “Perfect Strangers.” Grand record sales and a successful tour ensued and they churned another album, but this time a bit uneven in “The House of Blue Light.” Throughout that time, vocalist Ian Gillan and guitarist Ritchie Blackmore decided they didn’t like each other again and now it was time for another incarnation of Deep Purple. Gillan was out and Blackmore turned to the guy he hired to bring his other band Rainbow commercial success, Joe Lynn Turner. Essentially, this was now a band mixed like a pack of Skittles. Bassist Roger Glover also played with Rainbow as Ian Paice and Jon Lord were the only members not to ride the spectrum.

In essence, this album is a mix of material that could be found on the last albums of Rainbow and also songs that still fight with the Deep Purple spirit. The opener “King of Dreams” has thumping keyboards and mystical guitars that suit Turner’s voice perfectly. In fact, Turner puts some of the strongest performances on this album.

Turner receives some unfair criticism at times about his voice and while he can croon with the best of them, he knows when to insert attitude and enhance the songs. “Fire in the Basement” has the blend of attitude and sharp singing that is also one of the stronger cuts on the album. “Truth Hurts” has Turner oozing emotion that is a combination of one of Purple’s best songs from the David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes years in “Mistreated” and Rainbow’s “Can’t Let You Go.” The team of Turner and the melancholic rhythm sparked by the bass and keyboard make for a great song.

Musically, Blackmore shows bite with his guitar work on the closer “Wicked Ways” with a driving rhythm and a nice touch of the violin sprinkled in to deliver a more striking gesture. “The Cut Runs Deep” did not connect with me the first couple times I listened to it, mostly because of the awful sounding voice shouting “the cut runs deep.” Otherwise, the guitar effects and the drumming make it a winner. “Fortuneteller” has a brooding, mysterious atmosphere about a lady who wields the cards of the future. The bombast of the chorus and the string of keyboard notes further add to the aura and is a very memorable song.

It’s unfortunate that all the songs could not be as good as “Breakfast in Bed” tries to sound like “Lazy” in the beginning with the keyboard, but quickly devolves into an inoffensive, AOR that is rather underwhelming. However, when “Love Conquers All” hits, I found myself in a true face-palm moment. Deep Purple doing a power ballad? Say it ain’t so. Deep Purple is much better than this and for them to try to hop on that train for more success is pathetic. Needless to say, the song is super cheesy and super sucks. The last bit of badness arrives in the form of the commercial, poppy “Too Much is not Enough.” It sounds like a Rainbow reject and I had enough after one listen.

“Slaves and Masters” is a solid Deep Purple album and Turner provides energy to a band that lost some spark with the last effort “The House of Blue Light.” I can’t see Gillan singing the material on the album, let alone the power ballad, but that’s a good aspect as Turner was not forced to sing something that may not have been comfortable for him. “Wicked Ways”, “Fortuneteller” and “Fire in the Basement” provide incentives for repeated listens and enjoy yet another version of Deep Purple.