Edguy – Rocket Ride
Nuclear Blast Records – NB 1615-2 – March 21, 2006
By Rodrigo Escandon
Listening to Rocket Ride has been a frustrating experience. I have always been an advocate of band’s who constantly evolve, change and push new boundaries. However, that doesn’t mean that I have to like the new direction that a band takes and that is the case with Edguy. I really should have seen it coming with Superheroes and to a certain degree with Hellfire Club but to me Edguy has changed for the worst.
One of the biggest problems I have had recently with Edguy is that usually you see a band mature through time and not grow more childish with each subsequent release as Edguy has done. Sure it started with “Save Us Now” in Mandrake but it continued with “King of Fools’, “Lavatory Love Machine”, “Superheroes” and now they provide us with more childish banter with “Fucking With Fire” and “Trinidad”, two songs that should be left as B-sides. It’s hard to believe that a band that once wrote a song against Christian doctrine with “Theater of Salvation” now writes songs about the sunshine and heat waves in Trinidad. To top it all off just like with Superheroes we get treated to another cartoonish cover.
Ok fine, you may say that I lack a sense of humor and that I don’t “get” this new humorous side of Edguy but unfortunately the problems don’t end there. Do you miss the 80’s and arena rock bands? If you do then you will definitely enjoy Rocket Ride otherwise this is just a waste of talent. “Save Me” sounds like something Bon Jovi would have written years ago and "Catch of the Century” reminds me of the Scorpions and don't even get me started with the dumb ranting by Tobias at the end of this song. As if you haven’t noticed it, these songs now follow a hard rock pattern and songwriting wise all you get is intro/verse/chorus/verse. Again, I have to refer to past albums to emphasize that the members of Edguy have showcased their talent but now they seem to be happy stuck in this simplified style.
This is truly unfortunate because there are a couple of instances where flashes of the old Edguy pop out. “Out of Vogue” is the speedy power metal song that we got used to hearing from this band and amazingly it includes some great guitar melodies, as opposed to a vocalized "guitar" solo in "Return to the Tribe". “Sacrifice” and “The Asylum” are the last two remaining solid songs but they sound too alike to “Navigator” and “The Piper Never Dies” in terms of song structure. I would rather hear those songs from Hellfire Club than these songs found in Rocket Ride.
It’s really a shame to see one of your favorite bands go a path that you don’t want them to go on but this is what Edguy has decided to do. I don’t like it and so I choose not to take a ride on their rocket. See, I do have a sense of humor after all.
5/10
UM’s Review Rating Scale
Edguy Official Website
Nuclear Blast Records Official Website
Nuclear Blast Records – NB 1615-2 – March 21, 2006
By Rodrigo Escandon
Listening to Rocket Ride has been a frustrating experience. I have always been an advocate of band’s who constantly evolve, change and push new boundaries. However, that doesn’t mean that I have to like the new direction that a band takes and that is the case with Edguy. I really should have seen it coming with Superheroes and to a certain degree with Hellfire Club but to me Edguy has changed for the worst.
One of the biggest problems I have had recently with Edguy is that usually you see a band mature through time and not grow more childish with each subsequent release as Edguy has done. Sure it started with “Save Us Now” in Mandrake but it continued with “King of Fools’, “Lavatory Love Machine”, “Superheroes” and now they provide us with more childish banter with “Fucking With Fire” and “Trinidad”, two songs that should be left as B-sides. It’s hard to believe that a band that once wrote a song against Christian doctrine with “Theater of Salvation” now writes songs about the sunshine and heat waves in Trinidad. To top it all off just like with Superheroes we get treated to another cartoonish cover.
Ok fine, you may say that I lack a sense of humor and that I don’t “get” this new humorous side of Edguy but unfortunately the problems don’t end there. Do you miss the 80’s and arena rock bands? If you do then you will definitely enjoy Rocket Ride otherwise this is just a waste of talent. “Save Me” sounds like something Bon Jovi would have written years ago and "Catch of the Century” reminds me of the Scorpions and don't even get me started with the dumb ranting by Tobias at the end of this song. As if you haven’t noticed it, these songs now follow a hard rock pattern and songwriting wise all you get is intro/verse/chorus/verse. Again, I have to refer to past albums to emphasize that the members of Edguy have showcased their talent but now they seem to be happy stuck in this simplified style.
This is truly unfortunate because there are a couple of instances where flashes of the old Edguy pop out. “Out of Vogue” is the speedy power metal song that we got used to hearing from this band and amazingly it includes some great guitar melodies, as opposed to a vocalized "guitar" solo in "Return to the Tribe". “Sacrifice” and “The Asylum” are the last two remaining solid songs but they sound too alike to “Navigator” and “The Piper Never Dies” in terms of song structure. I would rather hear those songs from Hellfire Club than these songs found in Rocket Ride.
It’s really a shame to see one of your favorite bands go a path that you don’t want them to go on but this is what Edguy has decided to do. I don’t like it and so I choose not to take a ride on their rocket. See, I do have a sense of humor after all.
5/10
UM’s Review Rating Scale
Edguy Official Website
Nuclear Blast Records Official Website
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