Demons & Wizards
- Touched By The Crimson King - SPV Records
10 Songs
Running Time: 49:24
The first thing that one must get out of their heads
when listening to Demons & Wizards is
that it has a life of its own, apart from whatever "supergroup" tag
one wants to clip to its ear. Yes, the Hansi Kursch is
the frontman
for Blind Guardian, and Jon Schaffer has been something of
a leading force in American power metal over the past decade,
but if the project
wound up sounding like the two bands slapped together and
run through a press, what would be the point, really? Detractors
will take exactly that position, while those fans who waited
nearly five years for this sophomore effort will snap it
up with full understanding of the effort involved in taking
time away from two full-time bands to create a separate musical
entity.
The syncopated choral chants and tight double-bass work that
begin 'Crimson King' speak volumes to the level of professionalism
the lineup on this album had going into the project. Bobby
Jarzombek's drumming is spot-on, and Schaffer knows enough
of his craft not to overplay at the expense of the song,
even going so far as to have Jim Morris (of Morrisound Studios)
reprise his role on the debut by taking over the chore of
guitar solos. A better move couldn't have been made, in my
opinion. Morris coming from an older school of technique
gives much of the solo work a heartfelt tone ala David Gilmour,
and goes a long way toward saving Demons & Wizards from
being cast as a two-man show of musical masturbation. Kursch
and Schaffer don't need Demons & Wizards to
tell them how skilled they are at their respective crafts.
They want
Demons & Wizards, because it lets a different part in
each of their personalities take its turn in the spotlight.
One need look no further than the bombast of 'Terror Train'
to see where this relationship benefits both parties, and
in turn, us. For his part, Kursch gets to explore more of
his minor range than would be allowed in the operatic near-speed
metal of Blind Guardian, and Schaffer gets
to loose the tight reins held on Iced Earth,
and rely on someone else for a change. Morris calls up the
spirit of Robin Trower for the
fluid leads in power ballad 'Seize The Day', while Kursch's
crystalline vocals carry the singalong chorus to the song's
end. 'The Gunslinger' moves from a haunting bass/vocal intro
to machine-gun attack in seconds, and blasts forward all
the way to the melancholic resign of 'Love's Tragedy Asunder',
which is more catchy than power metal has any right to be.
I've never been one to advocate the purchase of an album
for one song alone, but if I ever were, 'Dorian' is that
song. In its retelling of A Picture Of Dorian Gray by Oscar
Wilde, Demons & Wizards manages to create
one of the most memorable power metal songs of the past few
years. 'Dorian'
is theatrical without being laughable, epic without conceit,
and draws you into the story, just as the author of the original.
Musically, 'Dorian' is on par with anything Maiden's
done since reuniting, and I say that without a shred of irony.
The acoustically-dominated 'Down Where I Am' ends the original
material on Touched By The Crimson King,
which is brought to a close with a strange choice in covers,
that being 'Immigrant
Song' by Led Zeppelin. Thankfully, Demons & Wizards know
enough to not fuck with the masters, but do add their own
colour to one of Metal's first flagship songs in the form
of background vocals and Jarzombek's added drum fills in
the song's climax.
Honestly, any other band taking five years between their
first and second album would pretty much be rebuilding their
fanbase from scratch. In the case of Demons & Wizards,
however, they knew that (regardless of who was in the band)
the second album had to surpass the expectations of both
themselves and the fans. In an age of power metal overkill,
Touched By The Crimson King exudes class and shows us a band
moving deeper into a sound they can truly call their own.
www.demonsandwizards.com |
