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We can't really talk about a "single collection" as there is only the stuff from the "King of fools" and "Superheroes" EPs as well as the "Lavatory love machine" single. The band even lost the exclusive song "Reach out" of the "Lavatory love machine" single and didn't put all the songs on this compilation. The material from the singles "La marche des gendarmes" and "Painting on a wall" are not even included. Stuff from the DVD EP of "Superheroes" has also not found its way on this compilation. They have also not put the early demos and EPs on this record so that the really interesting things and opportunities have been missed out here.
You can still purchase the "King of fools" and "Superheroes" EP and I would buy them individually. They have more interesting covers and a better booklet. The songs are mostly well done, especially the epic and funny "New age messiah" and the power metal speed killer "Judas at the opera" with Michael Kiske on guest vocals are worth buying them but don't go for this lousy compilation. It’s because of such great tracks that I didn't want to give such a low rating to this release. The only goal of this is to make a maximum of money and presents nothing exclusive or new at all to the true fans.
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It is not always easy to be an Edguy fan. After the incredible masterpiece "Hellfire club", they deliver us a cheesy but addicting pop song and this EP with a really horrible cover artwork. Many metal heads laughed about it and pointed at the fans and I can understand that. But after the first shock, I must admit that there are still some positive things to say about this release.
First of all, you get value for money and some new songs a few months before the album release date. There are some brilliant songs on this record that should have found their places on the regular album. "Judas at the opera" with Michael Kiske on the vocals is a fast and bombastic power metal tracks that reminds us of the early "Helloween" or "Gamma Ray" albums. But the song doesn't sound old fashioned or like a copy of it, this song is straight and also includes the typical Edguy humour. The chorus is extremely addicting and the whole song is just a masterpiece that grows more and more on me.
The other songs don't reach this level. The dark and bombastic gothic ballad "Blessing in disguise" is an interesting experiment and could have found its place on the last records from "Sirenia" or "Evanescence", only with strong and emotional male vocals. "Spooks in the attic" is a catchy and solid power metal song that won't disappoint any fan of this genre.
The other two songs are a boring cover version and two versions of the silly but catchy title track that I wouldn't recommend.
But half of this EP is really well done and interesting. Especially "Judas at the opera" and "Blessing in disguise" sound very fresh and interesting and should have been included on the later album. That's why I am very happy that I have bought this EP and any true Edguy fan must listen to these two songs.***
First of all, I think that the band should not have released two versions of the same single. They could have released such a DVD single for a possible second single from "Rocket ride" with the three live shootings, the documentary, the road movie and the video clips.
But well, this is the final product and so I have to listen to the childish pop song and title track once again. The song is pure kitsch, but at least very catchy and the music video shows us many beautiful bunnies at least. Now, let's talk business. The documentary and especially the road movie are quite entertaining and funny with an entertainer as Tobias Sammet. The most important factor for me to buy this version haven been and are the live songs. The stage is beautifully designed and the band kicks ass. "Mysteria" is a heavy and perfect concert opener and the other two songs, "Under the moon" and "Navigator" are also taken from the excellent "Hellfire club" album and have not been played live after the tour of that album and those to songs are worth buying this DVD alone. It's a positive fact that the band chose maybe the three hardest songs of that album and they all blow the "Superheroes" joke away. Especially Tobias Sammet does an amazing job on the vocals and the crowd does the rest of the job to make you enjoy those live shootings. That's pure, energetic and atmospheric power metal.
To keep it short, I would recommend this single DVD to everyone that didn't like the "Superheroes EP" but want to listen to three amazing live songs instead of new studio material. The other extra gimmicks are also worth the purchase at a very low price. You surely get value for money here!
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Almost three years after the original concert, a new Edguy live album has finally come out. This is the first negative point already. Of course, they haven't yet played songs from the actual studio album because of the delay, but that's not the only point why this album is a little deception.
Another bad fact is that the band played only fourteen songs. Some classics like "The headless game" or "The piper never dies" are missing but at least, the chosen songs are all quite good, even "Catch of a century", which was a quite boring song on the studio album, is a good live opener and works better than I thought. Personally, I would not have included "Avantasia" in the set list as it is not an Edguy song and Avantasia has started to do their own concerts but Sammet didn't know that at the time the concert has been shot.
The third and last negative point is that the drum solo has been cut off this record due to copyright issues as drummer Felix Bohnke plays drums to the Star Wars score. It isn't the band's fault that they didn't get the authorization of course, but they could perhaps have blend out the music, shorten it and just put the drum sound maybe.
Concerning the concert itself, there are some very positive points. The Brazilian crowd is enthusiastic as ever and Tobias Sammet does a great job as an entertainer and presents us once more his very particular humour which I personally like a lot. Even the presentation parts of each band member and sing-along games are not the usual boredom with him. The sound of the album is well done, energetic and authentic, nothing to criticize there.
To keep it short, this album is technically well done and Edguy give their best, but it comes out way too late, the set list is really too short and not entirely satisfying. On the special edition of the last studio album, "Tinnitus Santus", there is a bonus disc from an American concert where almost exactly the same songs were included. If you got this disc, you don’t really need this live album, only if you have skipped the purchase of the weak last studio album, you could go for this live album. There is nothing really new here! The crowd on this version is not as enthusiastic as the Brazilian one and Sammet's jokes have been cut off, but if you don't mind this, I would rather buy the special edition of the last album and not purchase this one for such a slightly difference of the content and such a big difference concerning the price. This live album is only a nice gimmick for the real Edguy fans that have the band's whole discography at home like me.***
I have already written a review for the double-disc version of this concert and criticized the short set list or late release date and adored Sammet's entertaining performances. This is the visual version of the record that is slightly better that the two discs.
First, you can see who the crowd is reacting towards the band and some scenes are really intense and emotional like the amazingly singing and almost crying girl during "Save me" and the cheering crowd who salutes the drummer Felix Bohnke. Sammet is running like a beaver on acid from the left to the right of the stage and is jumping all around. This man has a lot of energy and charisma and it is always interesting watching him. Concerning the stage, there are not many visual effects though and it is Sammet who does the entertaining alone by himself. Such a funny and crazy band could have put some more creativity and energy in the visual part of the concert, maybe some disguises and costumes at least.
The extras of the DVD are the normal stuff and include an entertaining road movie, a unspectacular interview with a track by track analysis and the complete videography that is worth to be watched because the band put many funny ides in that.
To conclude, I would rather purchase the DVD than the double-disc version of this live album because of the intensity of the concert and the videography. If you are just interested in hearing the songs live, you might as well already be satisfied with the bonus disc of the special edition of "Tinnitus Sanctus".
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While the band’s last studio album was rather a funny and entertaining hard rock album, the band chose to continue this direction, but headed for a more epic and darker hard rock album this time. That’s why most of the songs on this album a more serious and profound than the stuff on the previous record.
There are still some boring eighty’s style hard rock tracks like “9-2-9” or another Bon Jovi ballad “Thorn without a rose” on this albums, but thank God those songs are a few boring exceptions. Edguy are back with some epic power metal hymns that are much darker than before like the single “Ministry of saints” that takes some time to grow on you or the album’s best song “Dragonfly” with its epic chorals and hypnotically chorus. “Sex, fire, religion” is maybe the hardest and darkest song that the band has ever written and is one of the few songs that one could classify as metal songs.
The band also decided to go back to their roots on “The pride of creation”, an entertaining and funny energetic high-speed power metal song in the key of a classical “Helloween” song. And as always, the band presents us their typical humorous song in the end, this time it “Aren’t you a little pervert too”, a conservative American country rock song that has been transformed in a vulgar fun anthem, but I think that this song doesn’t fit at all with the rest of the album and is too childish, even for a band like Edguy.
All in all, I like the darker style of this album hard rock album, but there are still several fillers on it and there is no real album highlight like “Sacrifice” has been on the last record. This is definitely one of the band’s weakest albums so I can only recommend this stuff to the true Edguy fans out there. The bonus disc is a nice gimmick that could be worth buying this album, but I would also rather choose the live package “Fucking with fire”.
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On this album, Edguy goes back from their power metal hymns and almost does a completely hard rock album. Annoying kitsch glam rock like “Rocket ride”, Bon Jovi ballads like “Save me” or disco rock with keyboard experiments like “Matrix” or “wimps and poser” hard rock stuff like “Fucking with fire” dominate this album. This last song is a very cool party rocker and quite catchy while the keyboard dominated “Out of vogue” has a very addicting chorus and “Wasted time” very emotional lyrics and chorals as well as a catchy chorus. These three songs are the best hard rock songs on this album but stuff like “Rocket ride”, “Save me” or “Catch of teh century” are mostly boring and a big deception after the band’s essential masterpiece “Hellfire club”. While all of these songs show all a new side of Edguy and are at least creative, I miss somehow the old power and the emotions.
The band shows us though that they can still write excellent metal hymns like the amazing opener “Sacrifice”. This song is modern rock opera shortened to eight minutes and is very emotional. Tobias Sammet does an extraordinary job on the vocals, the dominating piano fits perfectly to the song, and the solos are filled with passion and energy. Why didn’t they do more songs like that on this album? This song alone is worth buying the album but the rest can’t maintain this high quality.
Of course, you have another funny song on this album. “Trinidad” is a mixture of an exotically seventy’s pop song, Caribbean folk music and eighty’s glam rock. Brain off, party on could be the slogan of this hilarious song and while serious and closed minded metal heads will criticize this song, Edguy fans will probably enjoy this experiment and album closer that is followed by the bonus track and poser rock hymn “Fucking with fire” that goes into the same direction.
To keep it short, this is a hard rock party album with a few hilarious songs and only a few intelligent and profound songs like the amazing opener that is maybe my favourite Edguy songs of all time. This album is not comparable to anything the band has done before, so let me warn you that you are better to like funny hard rock anthems when you really try out this album that has almost nothing to do with power metal anymore.