DEMONS AND WIZARDS „Touched By The Crimson King”

Music: Progressive/Power Metal
Country: Germany/USA
Website: http://www.demons-wizards.com
Duration: 49.26 min.
Cool Songs: Dorian, Beneath the Waves, Love’s Tragedy Asunder

When vocal god Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian) and guitarist/song writer John Schaffer (Iced Earth) teamed up some 5-6 years ago for their Demons & Wizards project, I was excited by the prospect of what would result from their collaboration. Needless to say, the self titled debut disc was nothing short of brilliant. Not only did it effortlessly mesh the best qualities of their regular bands but it also embellished upon them with a darker, mystical atmosphere. It was thrilling stuff. Finding time to put together a follow up has obviously been a logistical nightmare, what with trying to sort out tour scheduling and parallel down times between Blind Guardian and Iced Earth commitments. So not before time, here it is ‘Touched by the Crimson King’. The expectations were understandably high.

My initial reaction to ‘TBTCK’ was ‘What the hell happened here?’ I know my slightly heightened expectations can often cloud my judgement at times, but right from the get go there seemed to be something amiss with this new album. Repeated sessions with the ten track affair has yielded a more favourable reception, however as far as matching the strength and consistency of the debut, it must be stated that ‘Touched…’ falls short of the mark. I’m thankful I spent a bit more time with it over the past week because its initial impact left me completely under whelmed.

Like the debut, ‘Touched..’ displays all of the qualities that make Blind Guardian and Iced Earth two of the most revered power metal acts in the game. From the signature staccato riffage of John Schaeffer and the glorious emotive power vocals of Hansi Kursch, it’s hard to deny the stellar musicianship on display here. Add drummer wonderboy Bobby Jarzombek to the mix and this aspect is heightened even further. Still, as great as these combined talents are, the bottom line for any album comes down to the songs. ‘Touched..’ has some excellent moments – the first three tracks set up pretty well and actually mask the stark variation and mood of the middle set of compositions. And ‘Dorian’ is possibly one of the strongest D&W tracks ever written. It is the rest that I am not so convinced about. Clearly, the middle part of the disc sees Schaeffer infuse a mellower, acoustic element to the D&W repertoire. The debut suggested as much – the awesome ‘Fiddler on the Green’ being a highlight. However, as melancholic as tracks like ‘Seize the Day, Down Where I Am and Wicked Witch’ are, I don’t necessarily agree that they work as songs. A lack of memorability is the problem. The more dramatic flourishes of ‘Love’s Tragedy Asunder’ is much more convincing, but on the whole the emotive thread that these tracks are intended to weave in the listener doesn’t quite hit the spot. It’s all good, but for a duo like Schaeffer & Kursch, sadly, it’s not quite good enough.

The other problem that I have with ‘Touched..’ is that its heavier power laden moments are set too much in one camp or the other. Take the title track – the bombastic chorus is pure Blind Guardian whereas the choppy repeating riff of ‘Terror Train’ could have appeared on Iced Earth’s Horror Show’. I understand that the flavour of both acts cannot possibly be avoided in act like this, so strong is their signature sound, however it’s a concern that never presented itself on the debut. ‘Touched…’ just seems to missing that crucial seamless blend this time around.

Ultimately, this album is an obligatory purchase for those who just cannot get enough of the BG/IE influence. Certainly fans of the debut will snapped this up on site just to see what has happened over the past five-six years. Flawlessly executed and produced with a real sense of compositional variation, ‘Touched..’ will please most who hear it. I still remain slightly disappointed by the overall impact of ‘Touched…’ but essentially, this album is a real grower and whilst it doesn’t have the consistency or song writing charm of the debut, there is enough on it to suggest that Schaeffer & Kursch have got another left in them. Let’s hope it’s not another six year wait.

note: 7.4 /10

Tracklist

1. Crimson King
2. Beneath These Waves
3. Terror Train
4. Seize the Day
5. The Gunslinger
6. Love's Tragedy Asunder
7. Wicked Witch
8. Dorian
9. Down Where I Am
10. Immigrant Song (Led Zeppelin Cover)