Power_Metal_Dom
Epic Metaller
Kings of Eternity maybe? That's the only conceivable candidate though! I'm getting the impression a lot of people didn't 'get' MoI, moved too far out of their comfort zones perhaps?
Kings of Eternity maybe? That's the only conceivable candidate though! I'm getting the impression a lot of people didn't 'get' MoI, moved too far out of their comfort zones perhaps?
Seems to me like a bored reviewer tarring PQ with the same brush with bands who do use heavily fantasy lyrics, because of the very melodic Power metal style. However..."typical fantasy lyrics"!
I'm not really someone to look deep into lyrics and try to interpret them. I'll often take them at their face value, and if they're good to sing along to and make sense, I'll love them. On occasions where I do explore lyrics and look into different interpretations and reasonins behind them, I love it, but it's not something I do very often. Perhaps they're the same type of listener? Not sure it's a quality to be looked for in a reviewer, but, there you go....it was interesting with MOI how most journalists/reviewers whose first language wasn't English really didn't "get" what I was on about with a lot of the lyrics.
Okay, so a few things.
1 - Ultimate Metal is FUCKING SHIT and I'm having to rewrite my entire post 'cause it wiped it.
2 - I'm that one bloke who both demanded For Evermore at every gig (along with Nick, that bloke who (genuinely) wore wigs to every gig) and kept referring to YOU KNOW WHO as "Parcelforce". You probably don't remember me, but sod it.
3 - Since I created this topic, I've listened to The Vigil, Hearts and Voices and MoI many times, so you must have done something right!
4 - I am BLOWN AWAY. Trying to recount everything I said before this FUCKING FORUM fucked my post, I luckily have enough emotion left to rewrite it... because that's the theme of the post, and the album.
Now don't get me wrong, the other PQ albums had emotions, but this album goes above and beyond. Whether it's the awesome adrenaline of Rising Anew (the perfect song to play while making a surprise run-in into a punch-up), the summery positivity of Survive, or the epic (in the real sense, not the crap web sense) metalness of the title track, this album has it all. I knew this was my album of the year thus far, but tonite, one unassuming little track proved it to me.
There are bigger songs on the album. The aforementioned Rising Anew, Survive, Blood Alliance, Sacrifice, Crunching the Numbers... but that's what makes this one so special, and indeed every song on the album: every song has a role. This song is the Little Song That Could, the underdog... it's there when you need it. It is Only In My Dreams. Not the most single-worthy, not the most heavy, but it is the absolute PERFECT mesh of music and lyrics. The musicianship, the lyrics and the conviction behind the vocals merge to create something more than a song: it's an experience. It's a story. It has character development, it allows you to visualise characters as it's sang. That, my friend, is special. And every single one of the songs from Blood Alliance has that power. As I said when I started this topic, if the other PQ albums were PQ the TV series, then Blood Alliance really is PQ the big budget bastard movie. And I say that as somebody who absolutely idolises the MND lineup and who has loved PQ since seeing you at Bloodstock 2003.
Cool music is one thing. the "mighty" Edguy (and I say that as a fan) make "cool music". Blood Alliance is a collection of music you BELIEVE in and you feel alter your emotions. That, my friends, is special.
I hate outdoor festivals, but damnit, I'm getting my Bloodstock ticket, because I WILL experience these songs live.
Well done, sirs. Well done.