Jay,
Heres the review as promised. Enjoy!!!
Much anticipation has been garnered on Edguys sixth studio album entitled "Hellfire Club". Although some fans did not particularly enjoy the bands "King Of Fools" E.P. released in February 2004 as a precursor to the new album, I can say here without question, Edguy is better than ever. This is without a doubt the best effort yet by a band that although young in years, seems timeless in talent.
1. "Mysteria"- A real in your face up tempo rocker that most assuredly has one of the most infectious riffs in metal today. A perfect balance of aggression, power, melody, and flow that is performed with reckless abandon by all members. Structured in simplicity yet performed with a depth and feeling never before heard. A great start to a seemingly perfect album.
2. "The Piper Never Dies"- A very heavily 70's influenced mid tempo song that really runs the gamut of hard rock/ heavy metal/ classic rock/ and everything in between. Without going into too much detail, a song that should translate very well live despite the track length coming in at just over ten minutes. Beautiful backing vocal harmonies on the chorus make this song a keeper and hopefully a fan favorite.
3. "We Don't Need A Hero"- Another in your face up tempo rocker from the get go. A nice blend of melody and power again that Edguy is so well known for. Great rhythm guitar parts and the backing vocal harmonies are infectious as well.
4. "Down To The Devil"- A beautiful song that starts with a nice piano intro and transforms itself into a mid paced rocker. These are the songs I love most about Edguy. Their effort to break the stereotypical hard rock/ metal formula is most evident here. The chorus is most infectious and if you listen closely you can hear the chug chug of bassist Tobias "Eggi" Exxel's bass guitar during the guitarist. This makes this song a favorite of mine.
5. "King Of Fools"- The title track of the aforementioned E.P. and my favorite song on the album. A mid paced rock song with a simple formula yet will appeal to multiple genres. Drummer Felix Bohnke is at his best here although some may disagree because of the lack of speed of the song. I feel that he captures this song perfectly without having to overplay. Vocalist Tobias Sammett croons flawlessly especially near the end of the track. This song alone is worth the price of admission to the "Hellfire Club".
6. "Forever"- An orchestra rich ballad that catapults Edguy into the stratosphere as far as arrangements go. An absolutely breathtaking stab at cheesy ballad songwriting. Deep and insightful yet amazingly choreographed and executed.
7. "Under The Moon"- Another up tempo rocker from the beginning. Great bass interludes by "Eggi" and vocal harmonies are amazing and abundant in the chorus! A very memorable track because of the intense rhythm guitars played flawlessly and with wild abandon by Jens Ludwig and Dirk Sauer. Drummer Felix Bohnke keeps the frantic tempo steady throughout, which seems like an awesome feat yet he makes it seem effortless.
8. "Lavatory Love Machine"- A very very close second favorite of mine on the album. This one lost to "King Of Fools" so marginally that its' not even funny. A silly concept lyrically although just a crushing song. The melodies on this tune are very beautiful and very "ear candy" like. It's a fun song and translates very well. This is the kind of song you would remember from bands like Helloween on "Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part 2" a la "Rise And Fall"! By the way I absolutely love lead singer Tobias Sammets role as the voice of the airline pilot in the middle. Very cool!
9. "Rise Of The Morning Glory"- A up tempo rocker all about the infamous male genetalia rising up inadvertently in the early morning hours. Another silly, funny yet crushing song. Its good that these guys can come up with good tunes AND good silly concepts. Great guitar work again by team Ludwig and Sauer. Drummer Felix Bohnke shows his amazing talent.
10. "Lucifer In Love"- A 32 second instrumental interlude. This interlude is also weirdly full of what it seems like muffled sounds of a woman. Very interesting.
11. "Navigator"- A low key mid paced rocker full of tone and depth. Very reminiscent of Iron Maiden in its structure and execution. But Edguy give this song more of a feel and a caliber of risk than Maiden would have. Edguy are more of the risk takers this time around. A very infectious track.
12. "The Spirit Will Remain"- The last proper track on the album. A breathtaking acoustic ballad that showcases lead singer Tobias Sammets range. The orchestra compliments his beautiful voice brilliantly. What a tremendous performance!!!
13. "Children Of Steel" ***European Bonus Track***- A re-recorded song taken from the demo days of very early Edguy. This tune precurses "Savage Poetry" and hints at what Edguy was up to the. They were doing EXACTLY what they are doing now only they are much more experienced now so are able to give it its proper respect. A very aggressive, powerful up tempo crusher!!! Nice of the boys to pull this out of the archives for the fans.
14. "Mysteria" (Featuring Mille Petrozza)***European Bonus Track***- A remixed version of the first song on the album with a different vocalist trading off with Tobias Sammett. Mille Petrozza is the vocalist for German thrash pioneers Kreator. Nothing else different about this track.
To summarize, Edguy has taken "Mandrake" and added elements of 70's music coupled with brilliant orchestration and songwriting to deliver a masterpiece of heavy metal thunder!!! Capitalizing on their previous releases, the band has grown into a forceful, aggressive, yet beautifully melodic unit. A testament to what bands should strive to be. My absolute favorite band on the planet delivers a perfect album in my eyes.- Sean
The Official Edguy Website
Rating: 10/10
http://www.metal-fan.net 
How is it different to previous efforts?
