Demons & Wizards Touched By The Crimson King

It's been five long years since the last Demons & Wizards record, though when you consider the day jobs of its two principle members, the delay is easy to explain. Vocalist Hansi Kursch spends most of his time fronting German metal institute Blind Guardian, while guitarist Jon Schaffer is the mastermind behind American upstarts Iced Earth. In the past half decade, both gentleman have had their hands full with massive concept records, retrospective DVDs and worldwide tours, but they were able to finally get together again and this collection of nine originals and one cover is the result. The title track gets things going, and it's probably the heaviest tune in the bands limited, but decent sized catalog thus far. Orchestral overtones and a choir backing face off against Schaffers galloping riffs and Kursch soaring vocals, and the ensuing battle is quite a spectacle. This one will definitely get your blood flowing. "Beneath These Waves" takes things down a notch, but it works, especially with the accompaniment of strings towards the end. "Terror Train" kicks the record back into full throttle with pure power metal rage, while "Seize The Day" and "The Gunslinger" are a bit more midpaced, though still full of energy. As can be expected, there are ballads. "Love's Tragedy Asunder" starts off slow, but snowballs into a nice cresendo at the halfway point, but "Wicked Witch" is nothing but acoustic guitars and pained vocals. This and "Crimson King" are my favorites here. Most bands can't do a whole of justice to a ballad, but Kursch and Schaffer have perfected it with their own respective acts, so it's not a surprise that it's well done here. "Dorian" is mostly a fist pumping track, but it's bridge is very majestic, as the band channels more Queen than any traditional heavy metal outfit. "Down Where I Am" is more acoustic based goodness, with the closer being a cover of "Immigrant Song" which I can't say too much about since I was never really a Led Zeppelin fan. The studio gloss is bright enough to blind, but it's standard issue when it comes to power metal, so the shine fits well, with studio head Jim Morris even contributing some solos on "Crimson King." The supporting players stand out, with drummer Bobby Jarzombeks' passionate playing, and Rubin Drakes' accomplished bassmanship really launching to the forefront more often than not. The artwork is rather cheesy, but what can you really expect from a band with a name like Demons & Wizards Same goes for the lyrics and general feel of the record. Bottom Line: If you try to approach this album for anything but what it is, you aren't going to like it. Yet in general, power metal is a subgenre that most extreme music fans are steadfast on one side or the other when it comes down to it. Not too much middleground available. Demons & Wizards are at the top of their game and this scene, so if you can accept the Dungeons and Dragons imagery, the overzealous riffs, booming vocals, amd cinematic nature of the music, you may find something to like here. This is not the best power metal album, current or catalog, but it's worth a listen for fans of the style and avid viewers of the "Lord Of The Rings" trilogy.