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Rating: Demons & Wizards is a side project born in 2000 with the release of the eponymous album. In this group, there are indeed 'Iced Earth' and 'Blind Guardian' influences (Hansi Kursch, Bobby Jarzombek), respectively singer and drummer. But there's also Jon Schaffer, the guitarist of Iced.
This album unfolds in 10 tracks that are slightly repetitive. But now let's analyze the tracks. This album (the second for Demons & Wizards) opens with Crimson King accompanied by a great riff with a background of choruses that then give way to Hansi's voice with Jarzombek going wild with his double bass (the drums stand out too much in this album) to arrive at a much calmer central part.
We move forward with Beneath these waves a song that begins with the usual powerful riff and ends calmly. We switch to Terror train (riff+drum frenzied) and continue like this for four minutes with Hansi never disappointing. And we proceed with Seize the day a semi-ballad with a good solo by Schaffer. Subsequently comes The gunslinger where the sense of patriotism of Iced Earth resurfaces. We continue with Love's tragedy asunder which, unlike the second track, begins calmly and then bursts into great riffs, letting the 5 minutes and thirty seconds of this song slip by.
So we arrive at the album's best song (in my opinion) because it deviates from the others which are somewhat repetitive, I'm talking about the ballad Wicked witch, truly an excellent song. We reach Dorian, the longest song on the album with its 6 minutes and 36 seconds. You already know how the track goes (riff+riff) and the usual drumming of Bobby that crackles like a pistol. Finally, we arrive at the last two tracks, Down where I am and Immigrant song, a short song that nonetheless succeeds in its intent, which is to close this record beautifully.
The album is not a masterpiece but, after all, it is a side project and thus there's time to improve. Technically all three are excellent, but one could expect more from an album that came out 5 years after their first album. And a piece of advice: the drums even overpower the guitar and moreover, the voice is always distorted by those effects that Matthew Barlow of 'Iced Earth' also used. Nonetheless, even with its repetitiveness, it is a good album.
Let’s hope that their next album will be a small masterpiece.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Crimson King (05:47)
Show me your banner
Come show me your sign
The Crimson King's eye
Is the mark to reveal you are mine
I am your master
I will make your dreams come true
I'm your messiah
A twisted one as you may know
My right hands, my servants
My soldiers, my tools
Spread out the good news
Find my children and gather them all
We'll take all low men
All the hatred, evil souls
We share one desire
A wicked one as you may know
Touched by the Crimson King
Touched By the Saviour
The tower falls on Judgement Day
Touched By the Crimson King
Touched By the Saviour
Like it’s been written many years ago
I am the angel I am madness
I am the word I am the law
I am holding truth release your sadness
I am the key I am the door
Release!
Oh there is
War and evil
Whores and sinners
Take my hand and I show you
Where to go
Call me Flagg
I’m the Good Man
I’m the Dark Man
Take my hand and
I show you where to go
Release!
Come take my hand
To the promised land
Redeemer
Deceiver
The demon
The man in black
The universe is void
Just you and I
Let there be light
The stars will rise
Then fall again
Climbing to the top
An empty room
Is all there is
Oh I fear it is
Prophecies were made of you and I
The vision’s strong
But meanwhile keep on falling
Oh what a miracle is life
An even bigger one is size
It’s just the way it is
I fear it is
It’s just the way it is
Life’s a wheel nothing more
It goes round and around and a…
I am the ageless
I am “Legion�?
I’m your lord
I will bring terror
I’m a demon in disguise
The thrill of a thousand
Worlds dying at once
But my ultimate goal
Lies beyond the downfall
Touched by the Crimson King
Touched By the Saviour
The tower falls on Judgement Day
Touched By the Crimson King
Touched By the Saviour
Like it’s been written many years ago
03 Terror Train (04:46)
I’m awake so
You better feed me now
I won’t slow down
Once we have left this town
Rhymes and riddles
I’m still sleepy so
You must hurry
Please take your seats
You’ll stay with me
Be with me
I’ll be with you
I’ll be with you
No one really knows the pain I’m going through
My final ride is almost done
The world has moved on now it’s time to go
My final ride is almost done
Come lift my spirit up, I’m Blaine!
Come lift my spirit up, I’m Blaine!
I am nothing
But at train and
I assume that you don’t like me
I’m insane but
Not yet crazy
I will never let you go
Enjoy the ride you’ll stay with me
Stay with me
I’ll stay with you
I’ll stay with you
No one really knows the pain I’m going through
My final ride is almost done
The world has moved on now it’s time to go
My final ride is almost done
Come lift my spirit up, I’m Blaine!
Come lift my spirit up, I’m Blaine!
I am the one I am the one
The godlike terror train
The superior, artificial brain
Feel free to call me Blaine
I will roll on
Riddle de-dum, I’m best
Try me, try me,
I’ll never fail that test
Blue’s for girls and
Pink’s for me
Cause
I’m the mono
Don’t even dare to mess with me
No one really knows the pain I’m going through
My hate will last forevermore
The world has moved on now it’s time to go
My hate will last forevermore
Come lift my spirit up, I’m Blaine!
Come lift my spirit up, I’m Blaine!
Beneath the demon moon
05 The Gunslinger (05:15)
Songs to sing ?
Song of Turtle
And the Cry of the Bear
Awake
I can sense it
Still I?m afraid
Tower Road lies ahead
Commala-come-ka
Ka has come to me
Grey old fellow
If you finally failed the test
What would it mean?
We?re getting near
We?re getting near
Maid of sorrow
Your time goes by
Fade away
Fade
?Say thank, ya? for the beams are safe my friend
Long days and pleasant nights for you
Save me
The final chord
Don?t let it end like this
No, not like this
Tell me
When things were finally getting out of hand
It?s out of hand
Entangled, I am captured
You have put a spell on me
The last in line
The Gunslinger?s line
The sacrifice of innocence
This work needs to be done
Now blow the horn
Hail to the gun!
Done is done
Yes, there will be no taking back
Every journey must come to an end
All hail to the Gunslinger
Praise to the Dinh and the King
Beyond our reach, out of control
Save me
To touch the rose it will not bring release
No taking back
Come save me
There are other worlds
But surely none like this
The world has changed
Done is done
Yes, there will be no taking back
The word is the law
Law is Ka
The end of the road lies
Straight ahead it lies
I?m feeling pure
The end of the road lies ?
The sacrifice of innocence
The hailing of the gun
My way was death and madness
Now let the tower come
Done is done
Yes, there will be no taking back
And every journey must come to an end
All hail to the Gunslinger
Praise to the Dinh and the King
Beyond our reach, out of control ?
06 Love's Tragedy Asunder (05:28)
Here in the shadows
There's no wishing well
May the Blessed one forgive me
Like so many times before
There's no saviour at the door
It won't matter anymore
Touch me now while we reach the end,
I wonder where you are right now, right now,
Oh my dear
She still has sunshine in her weary eyes
A bed of roses to testify my love
A promise made, now I will make a try
There is no power in earth to tear us apart
Love's tragedy asunder
Oh, set your spirit free
Love's tragedy asunder
Do I believe
Deep in the shadows there's no release
[I believe] Deep in the shadows you won't find peace
[I believe] We live in a dreamworld, it's over now
I'll take your hand, our time is sure to come
On broken wings I try to fly
I'm sorry I will get it by
All praise and glory,
All praise and glory to love
I've buried sunlight when I shutter eyes
Dead leaves to dust, the seasons bloom
A glimpse of Heaven showed an angel cry
Tenfold the cries of Crack of Doom
Love's tragedy asunder
Wanted peace for me
Love's tragedy asunder
Will I be free
Love's tragedy asunder
Will I be free
Love's tragedy asunder
Falling misery
Love's tragedy asunder
Do I believe
Love's tragedy asunder
Still I believe
07 Wicked Witch (03:32)
There is a demon
An evil mind
Inside us
Oh I know, I know
We all know the rules
When water will be shed
The wicked witch is…
This is the end of all the miracles
Farewell to you yellow brick road
Everything she is asking for
It all belongs to her
Now she’s gone into nothingness
There she waits
Still I can hear her singing in the room
In the room I know she’s gone
I’ve thought “She’ll never fail,
All magic will be gone
The day she’ll melt away�?
This is the end of all the miracles
Still I hear her singing in the dark
Truth has changed, her voice it stays the same
Farewell to you yellow brick road
Still I hear her singing in the dark
While time goes on her voice will fade away
“They are all, they’re everything, they are mine
Silver shoes you’re mine, you are mine,
You are mine�?
Hate will live on
This is the end of all the miracles
Farewell to you yellow brick road
The wicked witch is dead …
08 Dorian (06:36)
Amuse me
Sweet son of love
Sweet son of death
Adore me
And keep in every word I've said
Time is a bitter foe
A bitter foe
Until the end
And grace is like you my friend
My handsome one
My handsome one
Dorian
Time is jealous
Time is pain
The gods will give
The gods will take
Youth will wane
As age will gain
We'll turn into ashes
Like ashes will turn into dust
Will turn into dust
Will fade will fade will fade
Dorian
Oh how sad it is
Time is jealous
Time is pain
Oh how cruel
For me to know
Each breath will take beauty away
If I stayed young and the picture
turned old
For that I would give everything
When our eyes first met
I should have left the room
I was growing cold and pale
Fatality
The picture's a mirror
But to whom does it belong?
Oh I damn the day
On that beautiful morning
Am I modern sinner
Or an ancient god
Pray I pray
Is there anything as pure as hate
For the prayer of my pride it has been answered
I can't free myself
From the spell of words
The twisted limbs, the gaping mouth, the lifeless eyes
Forever we are gone
You shall stay with me
I wonder if there's heaven
I wonder if there's heaven
There's nothing left of me
Dorian
Oh how horrible
All the damage you have done
Dorian
It's your beauty
Time will take
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Other reviews
By the panzer1
The album kicks off in grand style with 'Crimson King,' a truly epic and fierce track, probably the best of the entire work.
The decision to focus primarily on melancholic and touching atmospheres is a bold move, especially for a genre like power metal.
