EDGUY — Theater of Salvation (review)

EDGUY — Theater of Salvation album cover Album · 1999 · Power Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
aiylyn
Grand !

Like melodic metal but think some of the stuff might be a little too cheesy for your tastes? Looking for a band that sounds like Iron Maiden without being a rip-off? Edguy probably fits the bill - fast, bombastic metal with melody (no screaming either) and great musicianship but they don't quite stray into the over-the-top territory that make some bands uncomfortable for the average listener. So if you're not a Mighty Warrior of Steel Fighting For Metal Glory, but like metal, check this band out. (If you are the aforementioned type, you probably already like this band!)

My one gripe with Edguy, (and by association, Avantasia) is that they tend to overexaggerate the transitions - there are a number of places where they hold chords for easily twice as long as good tastes mandates and as a result, a musical idea that would have been great as a subtlety is crammed down the listener's throat. That's it - my only gripe. And it's not all over the album, it's just in a few spots.

On the positive side, Tobias Sammet is an AMAZING singer. I can't stress this enough. He rules behind the microphone. Seriously. His vibrato is to die for. And, if the writings in the booklets are any indication, he is a great guy to meet in person. The guitar solos stay more in the hummable-melody area than the show-off shred stuff, although there is plenty of exciting leadwork to be found here. Very symphonic, and the last track is epic. Lyrically this, like most Edguy material, is a questioning of religious conventions and the issue remains mostly unresolved at the end, despite the title track's "positive" sounding final section. And for those who complain that power metal bands take themselves too seriously, let the last track play on after the song ends for a taste of Tobias's goofy sense of humor!

Bottom line, this is great German metal and truly deserves to be compared to the old-time greats. Great music, no ego, great fun, no pretention.
Share this review

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Hin helga kvöl Atmospheric Sludge Metal
SÓLSTAFIR
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Cycles of Suffering Black Metal
BURIAL OATH
Buy this album from MMA partners
Facilis Descensus Averno Death Metal
SAEVUS FINIS
Buy this album from MMA partners
Merciless Crossover Thrash
BODY COUNT
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us