And so the Demon and the Wizard gathered in the hall of the crimson king for their second collaboration, bringing elements from both their worlds and spicing it with a distinct sombre sound.
Being a huge fan of Blind Guardian and especially Iced Earth I have eagerly been looking forward to this second release under the Demons & Wizard moniker, finding the debut very good with a cool mix of different approaches.

Crimson King is one of the albums best compositions, starting off with furious guitar riffing, diverse bass notes and tight drum explorations. The mystic acoustic guitar mid-section is nicely expanded with Hansi's expressive vocals, so it begins all right then.

Beneath The Waves continues the positive direction where I really like the powerful chorus; the sensitive guitar solo sets in at just the right moment. The use of classical instruments and Hansi's mellow voice in the ending section conjure up a mesmerising mood, very suitably it reminds me of the peaceful effect of waves rolling towards a shore.

When we enter Terror Train the ride begins to get bumpy; the vocals seem distant and even though the rhythm guitar work is well played and extremely heavy the song lacks that thin thread keeping it together.

Seize The Day has the very characteristic Demons & Wizards acoustic guitar/vocal collaboration as a central element; the short but fitting leads inject a melodic edge to the song. Unfortunately the rather simple refrain is totally overdone.

After a slow start The Gunslinger once again means high tempo action, massive double bass drumming, a thick bass delivery and Jon's intense shredding lays the foundation for a solid track.

Love's Tragedy Asunder has a more groovy and mid-tempo nature. It's hard to put a finger on the problem with this song, mainly because there isn't anything directly wrong with it, its just one of those tracks that gets trapped inside its own standardness, the short emotional opening sequence being the minor exception.

A different approach is gone for with Wicked Witch, having a clear Blind Guardian feeling to it. Melodic piano passages, a light acoustic guitar and Hansi's soft voice are the three pillars holding this quite decent, but also a bit stationary song, above water.

The albums longest track is the 6 ½-minute Dorian, which has a progressive structure that works out well. Again the guitar work is amazing and I like the gloomy mood found in the mid-section, one that nevertheless becomes a bit stretched out.

Hansi's haunting voice does not always come to its right on this album, Down Where I Am nevertheless presents his abilities in great style. Another all in all good song with intriguing acoustics, but also with a build-up that never really reaches the next level, as could be said as a general remark towards this album, it's almost getting there.

I'm not impressed with the production either, the snare drum is thin and it's like the sound gets blurred from time to time, especially the vocals. The balance is good enough and we're not talking bad here, just far from fantastic.
The album has a specific unexplainable scent to it. Sedative, mellow and dark are words that come to mind. I certainly have to be in a certain state of mind to enjoy it fully. The grave scenarios are also apparent through the decent lyrics where depressing thoughts and dark magic's represents a couple of common themes.
Musically I have mostly dealt with the leading roles being the vocals and guitars; the drum and bass delivery is by all means also very professional and tight, bringing great creative processes to the package.

Judged from the expectations I have each time one of these two personalities put their minds to something, I would describe this release as rather thin, seen from a more isolated perspective it's an overall good album.
The first one had a clearer vision and much more close-knit songwriting, Touched By The Crimson King slips by too easily but from time to time it manages to present some unique passages.

Written by Tommy
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Show all reviews by Tommy

Ratings

Tommy: 6/10

Members: No members have rated this album yet.

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Comment by Mike B (Anonymous) - Thursday, June 30, 2005

This album is nowhere near as good as the first. The review is spot on. That being said, it was better than I was expecting. There are a few good songs on this disc.

Comment by Christopher (Anonymous) - Tuesday, July 5, 2005

Regrettably, I cannot disagree with what you have said in your review. I too am a fan of both IE and BG. I expected more from this second collaberation.

Comment by Darren (Anonymous) - Thursday, July 7, 2005

Despite agreeing with all your points above, I'd have to give it a higher score since the bits that do work well are quite simply the best things I've heard in a long, long time, especially on the vocal side of things.

Comment by ShinPFN (Anonymous) - Sunday, July 10, 2005

Well, everything you said is about right, except, maybe, on "Down Where I am", since I think there is no next level in the case of this song. It´s just one of tbe best song I´ve ever heard, gloomy and dark, emotional to an incredible level. If because of nothing else, the album is worth because of this last track.

Comment by Chris (Anonymous) - Tuesday, May 23, 2006

well, i personally think beneath these waves sucks, it just goes nowhere for the entire song, that aside, i think down where i am is the best emotional and moving track they've ever done, although it is SERIOUSLY lacking a good emotional guitar solo. Sieze the day doeshave a solo, but a great one, apart from that the song is great. All the songs apart from that are absolute kick ass, i love the drumming on gunslinger \m/