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EDGUY - AGE OF THE JOKERLabel: Nuclear Blast RecordsRelease: 2011 Review Author: Alexiel Divine |
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Tobias Sammet is such a busy artist. Both with Edguy and Avantasia he’s been achieving great success worldwide composing an album after another. So, yes I definitely give him credit for the constant effort and the obvious charisma. The only thing that bothers me is that Edguy never really delivers anything exciting or terribly original. Also, Edguy’s latest release “Age Of The Joker” seems to lack true passion for music. “Robin Hood” is your average mid paced power metal song with intermittent epic vibe. Production and sound are certainly spotless and a lot of power metal lovers will fall for the radio friendly chorus and the technical guitar solo. Yet, nothing is truly electrifying and creative. On “Nobody’s Hero” the musical inspiration lingers towards traditional 80’s rock n’ roll. Guitar riffs and vocals are simplistic and super catchy rendering everything quite entertaining but still forgettable. The old school blues approach on “Pandora’s Box” reminiscent of Bon Jovi’s hit “Wanted Dead Or Alive” troubles my feelings towards this album. I’m torn between a deep appreciation for the courage to bring some novelty that deviates from the power metal standard song structure and the fact that this song doesn’t fit at all with the mood of the album. “Two Out Of Seven” combines 80’s vibe and old school power metal especially on the keyboards layers. Fundamental element of this track is the epic yet kind of vulgar (or sarcastic?) chorus. I’m still trying to figure out if the lyrics were supposed to be hilarious, regardless the result is nothing more than a bad joke. Edguy plays it safe with the classic power metal tracks “Breathe”, “Faces In The Darkness” and “The Arcane Guild”. These tracks are very similar and somehow redundant. In terms of songwriting and style everything here reminds of old Stratovarius stripped of what at that time could be considered a novelty. “Every Night Without You” is the rock ballad par excellence with a standard melodic guitar solo. It could be a pleasant tune but it is not strong enough to keep my interest alive. The truth is that “Age Of The Joker” could have been a solid effort but everything seems to be destined only to the band’s faithful fans which most likely will not be disappointed. Nevertheless, I believe that after all these years it wouldn’t hurt to add something more creative and challenging to the band’s recipe for success. http://www.edguy.net/ http://www.nuclearblast.de/ |
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