Demons and Wizards is what you would call a power metal "superband." Iced Earth's guitar god Jon Schaffer and Blind Guardians melodic singer come together to create very solid music. Producer Jim Morris fills in some on guitar and studio drummer Mark Prator takes the stool here.
DEMONS AND WIZARDS
8.5
Before we get started I would like to point out one thing very clearly. This album does not sound like Iced Earth. It does not sound like Blind Guardian. In fact it really does not even sound like a mix between the two. It has it's very own unique sound, which is very good, but does not quite measure up to the other two. With that said, we can get to the meat and bones of the issue...Is this worth your money! The answer is a most definite yes. This album is full of great music and very interesting lyrics. Some of the songs rip right along, like Heaven Denies(which is an incredible song) and Blood On My Hands. While others like Path Of Glory and The Fiddler On The Green rely heavely on beautiful melodies and slower heavier parts. Tear Down The Wall is a great epic song that has everything thrown in but the kitchen sink. Great acoustic parts, heavy mid-tempo stuff, a couple guitar solos and then a little bit of thrash to top it all off. Hansi's vocals fit excellent on top off all this to make a true power metal masterpiece! Winter Of Souls is another good one that is filled with tons of excellent tempo changes. My only complaint with this cd is that a couple of the tracks just seem...stale. Particularily Gallows Pole and Poor Man's Crusade. Both of them are pretty heavy, it just seems like they don't have any gas. They are not really bad songs, but they aren't songs that you look forward to hearing. You just listen to them because they are there. But aside from those two tracks everything else is great. I hope they do something like this again, because Hansi and Jon work very well together.
BEST SONGS: Tear Down The Wall, Fiddler on The Green, Heaven Denies /tie/ Path of Glory
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