Demons and Wizards [Import]
Demons and Wizards [Import]
Track Listings
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1. Wizard
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2. Traveller in Time
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3. Easy Livin'
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4. Poet's Justice
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5. Circle of Hands
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6. Rainbow Demon
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7. All My Life
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8. Paradise
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9. Spell
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10. Why [Single Version][*]
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11. Why [Extended Version][#][*]
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12. Home Again to You [#][*]
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Editorial Reviews
Product Description
1996 remastered reissue from Castle of their 1972 album for Mercury with three bonus tracks added: 'Why' (Single Version), 'Why' (Extended Version) & 'Home Again To You' (the last two listed are also previously unreleased). 12 tracks total. A limited edition picture disc, it also features faithfully restored artwork.
Demons and Wizards,Uriah Heep,Castle Music UK,Album Rock,British Metal,Hard Rock,Heavy Metal,Pop,Popular Music,Prog-Rock/Art Rock,Rock
Average customer rating:
- One of signs of the Death of Rock & Roll
- very good
- Very good Uriah Heep album
- It made me a fan forever
- Splendid Album.
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Demons and Wizards
Uriah Heep
Manufacturer: Island / Mercury
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
| Alternative Rock
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General
| Rock
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Progressive Rock
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British Metal
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General
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Hard Rock
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Pop Rock
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Album-Oriented Rock (AOR)
| Classic Rock
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CDs $7 - $10
| Hard Rock
| Hard Rock & Metal
| Today's Deals in Music
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All Bargain Titles
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4-for-3 Classic Rock
| 4-for-3 Music
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4-for-3 Hard Rock & Metal
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4-for-3 Pop
| 4-for-3 Music
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4-for-3 Rock
| 4-for-3 Music
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4-for-3 All Music
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Similar Items:
- The Magician's Birthday
- Look at Yourself
- Argus (Remastered & Revisited)
- Uriah Heep Live
- Sweet Freedom
ASIN: B000001F43
Release Date: 1990-10-25 |
Tracks:
- The Wizard
- Traveller In Time
- Easy Livin'
- Poet's Justice
- Circle Of Hands
- Rainbow Demon
- All My Life
- Paradise/The Spell
Amazon.com
Demons and wizards and bears, oh my! After finding their musical stride with 1971's Look at Yourself, Uriah Heep followed up a year later with this, their first foray into the lyrical realm of dungeons, dragons, and whatnot. David Byron's intermittent falsetto is in full effect by the time the chorus comes thundering in on heavy hits such as "Easy Living" and "Traveler in Time." But the 'ard 'n' 'eavy Brit rockers also had their sensitive side, as evidenced by the more reflective Ken Hensley-penned tracks like "Circle of Hands" and "All My Life." --Billy Grenier
Customer Reviews:
One of signs of the Death of Rock & Roll.......2007-07-01
The absolute worse record of the seventies, but, in spite of that every metal head throws this up as a classic...Save your money....Give up on this one.....Belongs in the heap of "What the hell was I smoking ?" when i liked this. Really,really lousy stuff.......See for yourself....just dont, buy this junk..............
very good.......2007-05-25
While Uriah Heep seemed to always have a few songs that rubbed me the wrong way on most of their 70's albums, they did occasionally create a pretty consistently enjoyable album too. Salisbury is one, and I believe this is the other one (and maybe Return to Fantasy, though I'm not sure yet).
I don't think this band is quite the same as Deep Purple because Uriah Heep likes to instead rely on vocal melodies to carry the music, whereas Deep Purple was more of a guitar/bass/drums kind of band (even better as a live act).
Anyway, Demons and Wizards is a nice choice if you prefer solid vocal work from your early 70's hard rock.
Very good Uriah Heep album.......2007-05-14
This is the first band that I ever loved, I was eight years old when my brother won "Uriah Heep Live" in a contest on radio. I was listening to this album every day. The first album I bought was "The magician's Birthday" and a friend of mine, also eight years old, bought "Demons and Wizards". We both still enjoy listening those two albums, they are among the best from the band. In my opinion, these two albums have the most beautiful cover art ever made ! "The Wizard", "Circle of Hands" and "Paradise" are pretty good songs. Did somebody, like me, ever saw that "Circle of Hands" is based on the same chords than "In the court of the Crimson King" from King Crimson? Even if I know these two songs since a very long time, I didn't notice this very recently...
It made me a fan forever.......2007-05-14
This was the first UH album I've heard and it made me a true fan forever. They played progressive rock before "progressive rock" term was defined when a string of british and german bands hoped on the vagon. But it was more then just a label that you could afix to their music. If you like a good rock music and looking for something new from the 70's that you are not familiar yet, this album is a great start to explore Uriah Heep. I'm sure you will want to go and listen all previous work and a few follow ups. Even though I do follow their path even now, their best work was done in the 70's. Just enjoy it while you can get it on CD, or, even better, listen their LP's like me.
Splendid Album........2007-04-21
I'm listening to the album for the first time in many, many years, and those who talk about it holding up surprisingly well are dead-on. I'm a little nervous about what Paradise/The Spell is going to sound like, because my experience with that is from the vinyl version, and CD's often mutilate the soft texture that vinyl gives to some stuff. The album does not in itself have the same overall power as Led Zeppelin IV, but then again, Stairway to Heaven, Black Dog, and Rock and Roll have been played so much that they are mostly dead as impetus for creation. Paradise/The Spell has a beautiful structure to it that probably is superior in many ways to Stairway to Heaven, as noted by other reviewers.
Average customer rating:
- Jon Schaffer's crusade against guitar solos continues...
- Stunning
- Iced Earth and Blind Guardian Fans Will Love D&W
- 'Blind Earth'? More like 'Iced Guardian'
- Wow
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Demons & Wizards
Demons & Wizards
Manufacturer: Steamhammer Us [Spv]
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
General
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
Progressive Metal
| Progressive
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
General
| Hard Rock & Metal
| Styles
| Music
Pop Rock
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
Metal
| Hard Rock & Metal
| Rock
| Indie Music
| Stores
| Music
Progressive
| Rock
| Indie Music
| Stores
| Music
Similar Items:
- Touched by the Crimson King
- Nightfall in Middle-Earth
- Imaginations From the Other Side
- A Night at the Opera
- Something Wicked This Way Comes
ASIN: B000040OC4
Release Date: 2000-02-08 |
Tracks:
- Rites Of Passage
- Heaven Denies
- Poor Man's Crusade
- Fiddler On The Green
- Blood On My Hands
- Path Of Glory
- Winter Of Souls
- The Whistler
- Tear Down The Wall
- Gallows Pole
- My Last Sunrise
- Chant
Customer Reviews:
Jon Schaffer's crusade against guitar solos continues..........2007-07-11
Seriously though, my distaste for Schaffer and his never ending promotion of his own average rhythm guitar contributions aside, this album is brilliant. It is the perfect marriage of Iced Earth and Blind Guardian. I may not like Schaffer, but I won't deny that he knows how to write a good song. Again, my only complaint is the album's disappointing shortage of guitar solos, but then it's the songs that really matter, right? Demons & Wizards is a bona fide masterpiece in my book, and it is certainly heads and tails above the piece of crap that this band would release as a follow up.
Stunning.......2007-06-12
Every once in a while, the stars align and the two musicians with their own distinct styles are brought together to create some truly incredible music. I'm not necessarily likening Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer and Blind Guardian vocalist Hansi Kurisch to Lennon and McCartney, but in the world of progressive power metal, their Demons & Wizards collaboration is a pretty big deal.
Demons & Wizards has always represented the best elements of both Iced Earth and Blind Guardian, bringing together the blazing guitar riffs of the former and the fantasy elements and signature vocal style of the latter. The result is a sound that is equal parts early (translation: good) Metallica and Uriah Heep. The band's name is even taken from Uriah Heep's legendary Demons and Wizards album. This is a powerful metal album. Toss out the chanting intro and outtro tracks and you're left with 10 great metal songs that are on par with just about anything either Blind Guardian or Iced Earth has recorded.
Demons & Wizards is an instantly memorable album, and one you'll want to revisit time after time. It deserves a spot near the top of anyone's list of the best modern power metal albums, and is an absolute must-have for all fans of Blind Guardian, Iced Earth, Tad Morose, Brainstorm, Dragonforce, or any other modern power metal band.
Note: The limited edition version of Demons & Wizards comes in a nice digipack and features one bonus track, a blistering cover of Cream's "White Room". If you don't already own this album, you should definitely try to find this version. If you own the standard version, you might want to consider upgrading (I did), especially if you're a fan of interesting cover songs.
Iced Earth and Blind Guardian Fans Will Love D&W.......2007-06-04
It's come to my attention that many side projects and solo releases go unnoticed by fans. Yes, there's Ozzy Osbourne's and Dio's solo efforts which have impacted metal immensely, but for the most part, many side projects get little to no acknowledgement. I mean it's understandable not noticing those works, because the members in them were made famous partaking in their main band {Bruce Dickinson /Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden, Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, Robert Plant/Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, Tony Iommi of Sabbath, Hagar/Roth of Van Halen, Rob Halford of Priest, fill in the _____(blank)} and the list goes on and on. I'm here to talk about Jon Shaffer and Hansi Kursch of Iced Earth and Blind Guardian respectively, who also did a little side project called Demons and Wizards. If you don't know, Jon is the rhythm guitar god and main songwriter of Iced Earth who is known for his intellectual mind and his quick hands that make some LEAD guitarists look like amateurs. Hansi sports the powerful pipes that can be found within the underground power metal band Blind Guardian, and his unique and prominent voice sends chills down your spine and dares you to match his range. Now before obtaining this masterpiece...yes, masterpiece, I hadn't heard much of anything from Blind Guardian, but I was (and of course, still am) a HUGE fan of Iced Earth. In fact, looking up Iced Earth is how I came upon Demons and Wizards, and after some research and strong desire for Blind Guardian's releases, I thought D&W's self-tilted album would be a good starting point. Along with D&W, I ordered "Tales from the Twilight World", which seemed like a nice place to start my BG venture. When they finally came, nothing would have prepared me for what my ears would hear afterwards...
I was in heaven, I was literally in metal heaven! "Tales" is really, really great, but Demons and Wizards is pure magic. Those of you who are fans of Iced Earth WILL NOT be displeased, because Shaffer's deliverance of high-octane metal goodness reigns prominent within D&W, as he produces fast-paced riffs with plenty of melody and energy to go around. The guy's frickin' immortal, seriously, he scares me. His lightning fast guitar pieces on tracks like "Heaven Denies", "Poor Man's Crusade", and "Blood on my Hands" leave my fist punching the air and my head sore every time. But then, he's got lots of depth and passion too, penning emotional acoustic passages on songs like the awe-inspiring "Fiddler on the Green" and "Path of Glory". Oh, and let us not forget Kursch; the man has the ability to make you afraid of what he's talking about. How creepy is that? Also, his voice is very soothing and it penetrates the soul, but don't get too comfortable with that style, because he can soar with eagles and sing angrily as well. And with Morris on lead guitar and Prator on drums, you've got two talented musicians with flawless credentials.
The songs themselves are more-than-average, in both musicianship and in lyrical themes. A short 0:53 second intro called "Rites of Passage" starts off the album with Hansi getting his feet wet, when all of a sudden, "Heaven Denies" rips through your speakers. Shaffer just tears it up with his blistering hand-work and Kursch menacingly delivers some really cool vocals and lyrics. The chorus is especially special, for Hansi soars dangerously high and Prator rides the double-bass like a pony. Hansi screams towards the heavens to begin "Poor Man's Crusade", while Shaffer dishes out a galloping riff reminiscent of IE days. The chorus slows it down to a mid-tempo sludge-fest, but not for long. Track four is the beautiful and haunting "Fiddler on the Green" led by Jon's acoustic hands. Hansi creates beautiful and dark imagery alike, but I think the best part is when he loudly professes " I took him today. Would you mind, would you mind, would you mind, if I take you?" You have to hear this song; it's both dark and beautiful at the same time, and it's probably my favorite off the album. The solo is to die for as well. "Blood on My Hands" is thrash-metal taken to epic heights. The galloping riff, the head banging bridge, the well-ranged verse vocals, and the sing-along and pure high-speed chorus are all flawless. "Lost in time, I wonder why their lost in time, lost in time" remains one of my favorite lyrics off the album. I can not put into words how amazing this song is. The latter part of the album is exceptional also. "Path of Glory" contains some thought-provoking lyrics and acoustic passages, while "Winter of Souls" and "the Whistler" are epic metal at its finest. Both include sing-along and thrash-like chorus', and chilling vocals from one of Germany's most admired metalheads.
>Of all the underrated side projects out there, this one's one of the most special ones. Shaffer and Hansi working together is pure genius. Both are masters at their professions, and amazing songwriters. I think very strongly, in fact, that starting at this album before getting any other release from IE and BG would be a wise move, because it mixes both talents perfectly. Shaffer's trademark guitar style complementing Hansi's god-like vocal performance are enough to give any metal fan a rush.
'Blind Earth'? More like 'Iced Guardian'.......2006-10-01
So, you combine two of the most established and respected power metal bands in the world for an individual project -- pretty exciting, huh? Europe and America join forces. How sweet it should be.... 'should' be. While 'Demons and Wizards'' proves no stranger for raising glucose levels, it's probably going to give off a pretty undesirably effect when it's all said and done, not unlike that of a diabetic ingesting a bag of refined sugar. It'll taste like heaven for a glorious moment or two, but after that, you're basically f!#!#%.
Here's the thing -- I do like the overall sound 'Demons and Wizards' has developed for itself. I'm not a huge fan of 'Iced Earth' -- to be honest I've never dedicated enough time to listening to most their work -- but I am a huge fan of 'Blind Guardian', and one thing listeners should be leary of is walking into 'Demons' with expectations of an overt 'BG' feel. By and large, this is much more 'Iced' than 'Guardian', with thrashing, rhythmic guitars completely devoid of the buoyant disposition of the European madmen so many of us cherish. Thus, it's darker, and heavier; less concerned with a soaring sense of gracious melody, instead opting for a more jagged, coarse, and (welcomely) deadpan tone from beginning to end.
Here's the thing though -- though initially the concept of the band sounds terribly exciting, one must remember it's not really two bands pairing, but rather 'BG''s lead singer Hansi Kürsch, and, naturally, some of 'Iced Earth''s band members. Now, I'm pretty confident that Kürsch 'is' the chief director and, I suppose, prime creative force behind 'Guardian', but one questions that just a little when hearing 'Demons and Wizards'. Though Kürsch, in typical fashion for the singer, provides an earnest, gliding vocal performance which surely bears the counter-force to 'Iced''s raucousness, it's merely this vocally melodic sensibility that 'Demons and Wizards' brings with itself; the rest of the album is seemingly unaffected by a 'BG' presence. And, appropriately, Hansi's singing is toned down a bit, in doing so denying the unrelentingly hammy feel 'BG' can bring with it (in the most precious light possible). Nor, really, does he bring any real distinctly European aura with him. Personally, I find this not to be a bad thing, but one of interest and importance. That said, Hansi 'is' still in the recording studio here, and ultimately he does retain at least some of his tried-and-true sentiment. Thus, the combination of such a vocal soundscape, when thrown in the blender with the more traditional, American-metal sensibility of 'Iced Earth', is surprisingly pleasing to the senses, and I think it's this successful combination of two distinct demeanors -- despite the fact that 'Iced Earth''s influence is the far more protruding of the two -- that makes 'Demons and Wizards' worth checking out.
The album itself, though, is just too hit-and-miss, almost unforgivably so. There are moments that rival even the best of anything I've heard from either of the band's; the disc's opener, "Heaven Denies" (excluding the minute-long intro which precedes it), is an absolutely perfect example of these two styles gelling so well together; it is, musically, fast, hard, and grating, but with the support of Hansi's lively, determined chorus, it underpinned by some 'awesomely' piercing guitar work, impresses on just about every level. Actually, the whole song is nearly perfect in construction and, what this and a few others lead me to believe, sadly, is the tendency of 'Demons and Wizards' to dedicate loads of time and energy to specific songs, and then uttering mediocrity for the remaining neglecterino's which appear here -- sadly, some 70% of the material on the album. But, those that rock, whew -- "Fiddler on the Green", which is, musically, stark in contrast to the callous presence of virtually everything else found here, is a six minute, restrained opus which, lovingly, bears way to a hair-raising apex, concluding with a --rocking-- last half that would set ablaze the heart of, I'd guess, anyone with even the slightest curiosity or inclination to scope out the band.
Yet, the highlights, as good as they are, are simply towered over by the second-rate material, whose army is compromised of a much more intimidating size. When so much music on a disc is simply not worth hearing repeatedly, you sit on an unavoidable problem, and just sort of stare it in the face. It's not all that fun of an experience, I must say. The good stuff here thankfully makes 'Demons and Wizards' essential to any fan of 'Iced Earth' or 'Blind Guardian', because I have an impossible time imagining that group 'won't' be taken hold by the stunners here, but expectations should certainly be toned down a hefty amount, or disappointment is all too likely to ensue.
Wow.......2006-08-19
Take Iced Earth's godlike leader Jon Schaffer and Blind Guardian's godlike leader Hansi Kürsch, and you get something, umm, godly. As a fan of both amazing bands, I am really excited they did this collaboration. Jons guitaring is top notch, as well Hansi's Dickinson-like operatic voice. Its kind of like eating vanilla and chocolate swirl ice cream; best of both worlds.
All the tracks are good, but Heaven Denies, Blood on My Hands, Fiddler on the Green, and Poor Mans Crusade are stellar songs.
If you liked this, and are new to both bands represented here, get Blind Guardians Nightfall in Middle Earth and Iced Earth's The Dark Saga.
Average customer rating:
- A long time coming
- Buen material
- Really good
- Timeless Mysteries
- YES.
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Touched by the Crimson King
Demons & Wizards
Manufacturer: Steamhammer Us [Spv]
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
General
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
Progressive Metal
| Progressive
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
General
| Hard Rock & Metal
| Styles
| Music
Pop Rock
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
Similar Items:
- Demons & Wizards
- The Black Halo
- Nightfall in Middle-Earth
- A Night at the Opera
- A Twist in the Myth
ASIN: B0009UC7UM
Release Date: 2005-06-28 |
Tracks:
- Crimson King
- Beneath These Waves
- Terror Train
- Seize The Day
- The Gunslinger
- Love's Tragedy Asunder
- Wicked Witch
- Dorian
- Down Where I Am
- Immigrant Song
- Lunar Lament
- Wicked Witch (Slow Version)
- Spatial Architects
- Beneath These Waves (Edit)
Album Description
Can you think of a line that describes the emotional microcosm of a fan better than the initial words of Terror Train, one of the most impressive tracks on the new Demons & Wizards album, Touched By The Crimson King? "I´m awake, you better feed me now", sings vocalist Hansi Kürsch, hitting the nail on the head. Mind you, the international metal community has been wide awake ever since the self-titled Demons & Wizards debut arrived at the stores in 2000, waiting impatiently to be fed with more songs. The fact that they had to wait another five years is in the nature of things; after all, Hansi Kürsch's chief occupation is his band, Blind Guardian, while guitarist Jon Schaffer has launched several major projects with his main group, Iced Earth.
One the one hand, Touched By The Crimson King continues the artistic tradition of its two protagonists, Kürsch and Schaffer, and on the other it seems directly connected to the Demons & Wizards debut. "The common denominator that links the two albums lies in the fact that the tracks are constructed in a simpler style than the regular Blind Guardian and Iced Earth material", Kürsch describes of his new album. "At the same time, the music has more of an acoustic focus. You can tell that we approached the song-writing without any preconceptions. The term `mellow' springs to mind whenever somebody asks me to describe the mood on the album. Even when the Demons & Wizards debut came out, fans told us that the music is a symbiosis of its two creative forces. Some even said that parts of it sounded like early Blind Guardian and early Iced Earth. I think this description also applies to Touched By The Crimson King. The overall impression of the album is marked by a certain rawness, together with many atmospheric moods."
Customer Reviews:
A long time coming.......2007-06-12
After what seemed like an incredibly long wait, Blind Guardian vocalist Hansi Kurisch and Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer finally unleashed another Demons & Wizards album in 2005.Was it worth the wait, and did it live up to the standard set by the duo's incredible self-titled album? Read on...
Demons & Wizards has always represented the best elements of both Iced Earth and Blind Guardian, bringing together the blazing guitar riffs of the former and the fantasy elements and signature vocal style of the latter. At the same time, the songwriting excesses that both Schaffer and Kurisch indulge in with their respective bands are held in check here. To be sure, the songs on this album have that epic power metal quality, but they all clock in around 4-5 minutes. Schaffer's riffs are incredible as always, and Kurisch's vocals are amazing as well. When you add the heavy emphasis on fantasy fiction (Stephen King's Dark Tower saga is a central theme), the result is an album that sounds like a cross between early (translation: good) Metallica and Uriah Heep. The "proper" album closes with a powerful rendition of Led Zeppelin's classic metal anthem "Immigrants Song", which is worth the price of admission all by itself. These guys were born to cover this song!
On some levels, Touched by the Crimson King doesn't quite live up to expectations, but I think that's perfectly reasonable given the 5 year wait since the first Demons & Wizards album was released. First impressions count for a lot, and at first glance Touched by the Crimson King doesn't have the same immediate impact that the first Demons & Wizards album did. It's the kind of album that takes a few spins to really sink in, at which point you'll realize that Touched by the Crimson King is another high quality power metal album from a pair of extremely talented musicians who work very well together.
NOTE: The Special Edition version of Touched by the Crimson King features four bonus tracks. The alternate versions of Wicked Witch and Beneath the Waves don't really add much, but the songs Lunar Lament and Spatial Architects are as good as any other song on the album, and are well worth checking out.
Buen material.......2007-02-06
Siguendo sus trabajos aparte de Iced Earth y Blind Guardian, continuan haciendo buen material y mateniendo los riff pesados en una onda power metal.
Recomendado!!!
Really good.......2006-08-11
The long-awaited release of Demons and Wizards second album was worth the wait. This concept/theme album titled 'Touched by the Crimson King' is a fun power metal feast for the ears. Jon Schaffer of Iced Earth and Hansi Kürsch of Blind Guardian have joined forces once again to create music fitting for fans of both bands.
The opener, 'Crimson King' is a fantastic track that features heavenly vocals from Kürsch. Schaffer's riffs sound right out of an Iced Earth album. 'Seize the Day' is a track that could have been featured on Iced Earths, 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' album. This soft ballad is beautiful and emotional. Lunar Lament is a fast-paced rocker with fun riffs and a fun chorus. This song, plus the slow version of Wicked Witch, Spatial Architects, and Beneath These Waves were featured on the Limited Edition Digi-Pak release which I have.
Schaffer has had a long and storied career with Iced Earth, and his vision for Demons and Wizards have now successfully released two albums. In my opinion, the cover song, 'Immigrant Song' should have been left off, but the bonus tracks are great. I am awaiting Blind Guardian's new album due out in the Fall of 2006. Fans of Iced Earth, Blind Guardian and power metal in general should enjoy the music presented by the ever dedicated Jon Schaffer and Hansi Kürsch.
Timeless Mysteries.......2006-07-13
Enigmatic and alluring, this is a masterpiece of metal. With epic songs of imagination and emotion, this album has quickly shot up my personal charts, especially in combination with their self-titled first release. Hansi's haunting lyrical style is a perfect fit for the spectacular guitar work of Jon Schaffer. The music as a whole embodies the latest evolution of metal, by far the most superior style of music the human race has created.
YES........2006-07-02
the second Demons & Wizards album was a long time coming, and it rocks. The blistering chugging crunch of Schaffer's guitar and the best voice in metal, Hansi Kursch, were meant to be together. When "Crimson King" starts up, with its definitive gallop, choral exclamations, and Bobby Jarzombek's assaultive double-bass blasting, hang on to your azz otherwise it will be kicked into space. Hansi's vocals build and build until the huge multi-tracked chorus, which spirals down into a slow, grinding chug -- then an echoic acoustic passage that brings to song full circle, returning to the opening theme but with the intensity cranked as Hansi's voice starts to shatter glass with his blood-chilling screams. A brilliant opening track, worthy of the masterful "Heaven Denies" from the first album. And from there the quality is outstanding, combining muscular riffage and outstanding vocals, with high-flying drama and an ear for arrangement that works like magic. "Beneath these Waves" is a vengeful, determined mid-tempo cruncher, followed by the the non-stop muted gallop of "Terror Train". "Wicked Witch" is a gorgeous ballad with acoustic guitar, cello, and piano and elaborate vocal arrangements. "Down Where I Am" is this album's "Fiddler on the Green", where Schaffer's intuitive choice of chords and Hansi's voice demonstrates amazing power and subtlety. "The Gunslinger" and "Dorian" are mysterious, seething torrents of soaring drama and. "Love's Tragedy Asunder" is a classic metal soft-hard power ballad, and "Seize the Day" breaks the album's otherwise imprisoned, oppressed feeling with simple but incredibly atmospheric melodies and a grandiose chorus that will make you pick up your sword and staff and go on a journey into nowhere. This second Demons & Wizards has been almost universally hailed as inferior to the first -- but give it a chance... I think it is just as good for sure, and both of them together make for some of the best metal out there.
Average customer rating:
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Demons and Wizards
Uriah Heep
Manufacturer: Sanctuary UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
Progressive Rock
| Progressive
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
British Metal
| Hard Rock & Metal
| Styles
| Music
General
| Hard Rock & Metal
| Styles
| Music
Hard Rock
| Hard Rock & Metal
| Styles
| Music
Pop Rock
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
Album-Oriented Rock (AOR)
| Classic Rock
| Styles
| Music
Rock
| Imports
| Stores
| Music
Similar Items:
- Look at Yourself
- Salisbury
- Very 'Eavy...Very 'Umble
- Sweet Freedom
- The Magician's Birthday
ASIN: B0002ADY1A
Release Date: 2004-10-25 |
Tracks:
- Wizard
- Traveller in Time
- Easy Livin'
- Poet's Justice
- Circle of Hands
- Rainbow Demon
- All My Life
- Paradise
- Spell
- Why [#][*]
- Rainbow Demon [#][*]
- Proud Words on a Dusty Shelf [*]
- Home Again to You [#][*]
- Green Eye [#][*][Demo Version]
Customer Reviews:
Buy it!.......2007-06-13
No need to review - you should have it. If you don't - buy it
Average customer rating:
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Demons and Wizards
Uriah Heep
Manufacturer: Bmg
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
General
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
Progressive Rock
| Progressive
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Similar Items:
- Magician's Birthday
ASIN: B000FI8TBY
Release Date: 2007-08-07 |
Tracks:
- Wizard
- Traveller in Time
- Easy Livin'
- Poet's Justice
- Circle of Hands
- Rainbow Demon
- All My Life
- Paradise
- Spell
- Why [#][*]
- Rainbow Demon [#][*]
- Proud Words on a Dusty Shelf [*]
- Home Again to You [#][*]
- Green Eye [#][*][Demo Version]
Album Details
K2 24bit Japanese Digitally Remastered Limited Edition Issue of the Album Classic in a Deluxe, Miniaturized LP Sleeve Replica of the Original Vinyl Album Artwork. Includes Bonus Tracks Tracks 'why (Extended Version)', 'rainbow Demon (Single Edit)', 'proud Words on a Dusty Shelf (Outtake)', 'home Again to You (Demo)' and 'green Eye (Demo)'.
Average customer rating:
- The Ultimate Heep Album!
- Dark & mysterious
- Remaster has almost as much new music as the original.
- the best I've ever heard
- Uriah Heep's Classic Gets Remastered Plus 5 Bonus Tracks!
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Demons & Wizards
Uriah Heep
Manufacturer: Castle
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
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Hard Rock
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Rock
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Similar Items:
- Magician's Birthday
- Look At Yourself
- Salisbury
- Wonderworld
- Very 'Eavy...Very 'Umble
ASIN: B00007GXQB
Release Date: 2003-03-31 |
Tracks:
- Wizard
- Traveller In Time
- Easy Livin
- Poet's Justice
- Circle Of Hands
- Rainbow Demon
- All My Life
- Paradise
- Spell
- Why (Extended 1972 Version) (Bonus Track)
- Home Again To You (Previously Unreleased) (Bonus Track)
- Green Eye (Previously Unreleased) (Bonus Track)
- Rainbow Demon (Previously Unreleaed) (Bonus Track)
- Untitled Demo (Bonus Track)
Album Description
2003 reissue of the British hard rock band's 1972 album includes five bonus tracks, 'Why' (Extended 1972 Version, Previously Unreleased), 'Home Again To You' (Previously Unreleased Demo Version), 'Green Eye' (Previously Unreleased Demo), 'Rainbow Demon' (Previously Unreleased Single Edit), & 'Proud Words On A Dusty Shelf' (outtake). Castle.
Customer Reviews:
The Ultimate Heep Album!.......2006-01-16
"Demons and Wizzards" is usually regarded as one of the finest moments in Uriah Heep history; and with good reason that is.
The album features some of Ken Hensleys finest compositions, great inspired vocals from David Byron and the band is playing very tight. On many tracks the acoustic guitar has a prominent role, a fact that help give these songs a more timeless value. The title-track is the finest example of this; simply one the greatest Uriah Heep recordings ever. Like "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin a classic in early heavy rock; powerful and melodic.
It hard to bring out any other particular track from the album, as all they are so good that they deserve a mention.
"Easy Livin'" ,which is probably the first song most people come to think of when hearing the Uriah Heep name, is a high energy rocker and a sure live-favourite; great as ever.
Another song that must be brought out is "Circle of Hands". This track contains all virtues of Uriah Heep - a catchy melodic melody, a perfect arrangement, powerful vocals, great guitars and overall tight playing. A highlight for Ken Hensley as a songwriter; Hensley, by the way, had a part in writing all songs exept "Traveller in Time".
Five bonus-tracks are added to the original nine, and they are all fine tracks in their own rights; but obviously the perfection of the original album makes it hard for these additions to really shine.
The booklet is carefully worked through, featuring great background information, interesting notes about the recording sessions, detailed credits and lyrics.
A Uriah Heep classic given a deserved first class treatment!
Dark & mysterious.......2005-06-03
I love this friggin' album! Sometimes it's reminiscent of the first Sabbath, nice and gloomy. There really isn't a low spot on the album and the bonus tracks are certainly worth a few extra bucks, not to mention the sound quality.
Remaster has almost as much new music as the original........2005-04-06
In addition to the classic 8/9 songs of the original album, the 2005 has 5 bonus tracks. Of which only one is a repeat of an original song (Rainbow Demon).
Why is a great piece of early 70's psychdelia. It's a 12 minute track that could have been on the original album. The bass playing is fantastic, though even the band doesn't know who played bass on this track (Clarke, Thain, or even Newton.
Proud Words on a Dusty Shelf was originally on a Ken Hensley solo album, but David Bryon and the rest of the band add an extra dimension to it.
Home to You Again is another good rocker.
Green Eye is a little rough around the edges, but is still a good song.
the best I've ever heard.......2004-04-03
I've been looking for this album for 5 years, tremendously glad I found it, this is some of the best music that's ever been.
All the old albums by this band have the ring of truth to them, and they rock! Ken Hensley, Rock On, wherever you are!
Uriah Heep's Classic Gets Remastered Plus 5 Bonus Tracks!.......2003-07-21
When "Demons And Wizards" was released in 1972, Uriah Heep was quickly reaching stardom not only in their native England, but also in America. They had already released three excellent albums prior to "Demons And Wizards" and while it is one of Uriah Heep's best albums, it yielded only one hit in the U.S. with "Easy Livin". The album consists of some excellent acoustic guitar based tracks such as "The Wizard" and "Paradise" as well as some powerful electric guitar driven rockers such as "Traveller In Time", "Easy Livin'", "Poet's Justice", "Circle Of Hands","All My Life" and "The Spell". This "Expanded Deluxe Edition" of "Demons And Wizards" includes five bonus tracks, most of which were previously unreleased until now. "Why" is a ten minute track which highlights vocalist David Byron's vocals,Gary Thain's bass, and Ken Hensley's keyboards. "Rainbow Demon" is the single edit, "Proud Word's On A Dusty Shelf" is a nice pop type rocker and is an "out-take". "Home Again To You" and "Green Eye" again are unreleased tracks, both are interesting rockers. Uriah Heep continued to release some decent albums after "Demons And Wizards" going thru various member changes and continues to record today. But one thing is for sure, the definitive Uriah Heep lineup of Hensley, Box, Kerslake, Byron and Thain will always remain the best that there was. The sound quality of this version of "Demons And Wizards" is the best this reviewer has heard, with crisp highs, deep bass and higher output. The remastering surpasses the other remasters I've heard. If you enjoy classic seventies rock such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath then you owe it to yourself to add this cd to your collection.
Average customer rating:
- Stunning
- Blind Guardian meets Iced Earth
- Sheer Power Metal Brilliance
- Sheer Power Metal Brilliance
- Deadly combination.
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Demons & Wizards
Demons & Wizards
Manufacturer: Steamhammer
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
| Hard Rock & Metal
| Styles
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Progressive Metal
| Progressive
| Rock
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Similar Items:
- Touched by the Crimson King
- The Dark Saga
ASIN: B00004C8QH
Release Date: 2000-03-15 |
Tracks:
- Rites of Passage (Intro)
- Heaven Denies
- Poor Man's Crusade
- Fiddler on the Green
- Blood on My Hands
- Path of Glory
- Winter of Souls
- Whistler
- Tear Down the Wall
- Gallows Pole
- My Last Sunrise
- Chant
- White Room
Customer Reviews:
Stunning.......2007-06-12
Every once in a while, the stars align and the two musicians with their own distinct styles are brought together to create some truly incredible music. I'm not necessarily likening Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer and Blind Guardian vocalist Hansi Kurisch to Lennon and McCartney, but in the world of progressive power metal, their Demons & Wizards collaboration is a pretty big deal.
Demons & Wizards has always represented the best elements of both Iced Earth and Blind Guardian, bringing together the blazing guitar riffs of the former and the fantasy elements and signature vocal style of the latter. The result is a sound that is equal parts early (translation: good) Metallica and Uriah Heep. The band's name is even taken from Uriah Heep's legendary Demons and Wizards album. This is a powerful metal album. Toss out the chanting intro and outtro tracks and you're left with 10 great metal songs that are on par with just about anything either Blind Guardian or Iced Earth has recorded.
Demons & Wizards is an instantly memorable album, and one you'll want to revisit time after time. It deserves a spot near the top of anyone's list of the best modern power metal albums, and is an absolute must-have for all fans of Blind Guardian, Iced Earth, Tad Morose, Brainstorm, Dragonforce, or any other modern power metal band.
Note: The limited edition version of Demons & Wizards comes in a nice digipack and features one bonus track, a blistering cover of Cream's "White Room". If you don't already own this album, you should definitely try to find this version. If you own the standard version, you might want to consider upgrading (I did), especially if you're a fan of interesting cover songs.
Blind Guardian meets Iced Earth.......2004-10-30
Blind Guardian music, like Queen, is very busy music. They play a Melodious, Symphonic brand of metal whose music explodes at you and bombards you with multi-faceted ingenious melodies from all sides in fact it is so dense with layer upon layer of sound and with all those high pitched voices coming at you constantly from all over, that ones brain cannot absorb it all at one time. It needs time put everything in order, so that is why I recommend at least five or six plays to get used to their music.
So why am I talking about Queen and Blind Guardian?
I guess it's because Blind Guardian, who sounds a little like Queen, is half of Demons and Wizards. Which half I don't know. The other half is Iced Earth an Floridian Trash/Heavy Metal band of some note, which admittedly never appealed to me much until their last release, The Glorious Burden, which is so good I can't seem to get it out of either of my car stereos.
With a pedigree like that you'd think Demons and Wizards would be a slam dunk (did I hear that somewhere before?) five star review, right? Well not quite. As with Blind Guardian it took some getting used to, so I played it over and over until it grew on me, however though it grew on me, I still prefer straight Blind Guardian and Demons and Wizards though very good is not as good as Glorious Burden. Don't get me wrong this is a quality recording with the ten actual songs averaging 4.4 stars. The main thing is this album needs to be listened to. Like Blind Guardian it does not work as background music.
Highlights
After a brief intro ("Rites of Passage") the first song "Heaven Denies" sets a fast tempo with heavy drums with speed metal and the usual Blind Guardian vocal sound, however it dissipates as the song swings to a slow ethereal pace subsides at the three minute mark. A very nice touch!
The fourth track "Fiddler on the Green" starts with Hansi singing a slow folk sounding song with a nice melody and then at about the 3:40 mark the intensity starts to blow you out. This is like a reverse of "Heaven Denies" though not as fast and is followed by the upbeat "Blood on my Hands" a straight forward medium fast number with a catchy beat and a pleasant melody with Hansi and the usual background vocals.
A very nice introduction is followed by a variable tempo piece that is most representative of the classic Blind Guardian sound on the seventh track, "Winter of Souls". Another nifty varied tempo song, "The Whistler" follows again with familiar Hansi vox and backups accompanied by moderately heavy drums and guitars.
"Tear Down the Wall" is another variable speed number, which gets better as it goes. It starts out slow but it eventually warms up with a galloping beat and great vocals. Track ten, "Gallows Pole" is, in my estimation, the best song and the only five star number, though others are close.
It starts with Hansi's vox being electronically altered quickly switching to a hard rock sound but with a great refrain and melody.
CONCLUSION
Overall I'd say that Demons and Wizards leans more toward Iced Earth as far as heaviness is concerned but is fairly melodic and busy, as you might expect from Blind Guardian.
It should be noted that this album is a side project of good friends, Iced Earth's Jon Schaffer and Blind Guardian's Hansi Kursch. Some other band members and a couple guest artists joined in but not the full compliment of both bands.
Demons and Wizards is an interesting collaboration of two popular bands, Heavy Metal Iced Earth and Symphonic Metal Blind Guardian. I'd like to hear more from these guys!
Sheer Power Metal Brilliance.......2004-05-16
I'd have to start off by saying that this is most definitely not just another Iced Earth release with Hansi Kursch on vocals. I'm not quite sure where this somewhat popular opinion sprung from, but this album really seems to borrow more from Blind Guardian's 'theatrical' aspects if anything. The only tracks throughout this album that really support that argument at all are probably Poor Man's Crusade, and Tear Down The Wall, borrowing heavily from Iced Earth's big bag of power chords.
I would call myself a stronger fan of Blind Guardian than Iced Earth, but it seems to me that this album has accumulated a pretty bad rap from Blind Guardian fans in that it really has branched in a new direction, and they may feel very tempted to label it as Iced Earth with Hansi on vocals, which is truly unfortunate. Comparing it in this way to Iced Earth, while one of my favourite bands, really doesnt do this album justice.
What you ARE getting for your hard earned money with this album is the theatrical brilliance of Blind Guardian that we've all come to know and love, but with a darker and more melodic theme and to some extent a slightly slower tempo, in what i feel is just another evolution of said music further from BG's thrash/speed metal origins. In a time where most power metal bands seem to be following BG's lead and churning out a somewhat slightly inferior level of fairly generic stuff, its great to see said leaders of the genre out there trying something new.
The album really gets straight down to business, throwing us right in the deep end with Heaven Denies, a blazing assault of high tempo power that fans of both BG and IE will probably appreciate. Soon you'll encounter the Fiddler on the Green, and at this stage, the melodic brilliance of this album will really begin to shine through. The acoustic first segment of this song is really where Hansi's influence first begins to appear, and Schaffer really outdoes himself here with an incredible solo finish that will remain etched within my memory for decades to come.
Its just as well the Fiddler comes to an epic finish, because the album really comes to its peak with the next two tracks, Blood On My Hands, and Path Of Glory. Hansi's influence on the album is probably most evident at this point, although Path Of Glory does come to a finale somewhat reminscent of other Iced Earth releases.
Winter of Souls and the Whistler resonate strongly with Blind Guardian's slower and more melodic side, and while excellent songs, i feel they mostly serve to foreshadow the one of the album's most truly awesome tracks, Tear down the Wall.
The album comes to a somewhat dark finish with the final two tracks, Gallows Pole and My Last Sunrise. While initially still an interesting and heavy composition, i did eventually grow weary of Gallows Pole, and it would probably be the only track on this album that i ever find myself skipping. My Last Sunrise has had a somewhat opposite effect, for while i didnt really enjoy this track much at first, i can no longer get enough of it! It really grows on you, and is truly the darkest song across the album. Hansi's voice reaches new heights, and each individual word really carries the most incredible emotions that have to be experienced to be believed.
Overall, it has to be said that this is probably the one album that has lasted the longest across my vast power metal collection, while other BG and IE albums for example usually leave me blown away at first and slowly wear away with time, this composition truly never grows old, and it's managed almost half a year of damn near constant playtime without losing any of its original flair.
The single most worthwhile investment i've made in my life. Go. Find. Enjoy.
Sheer Power Metal Brilliance.......2004-05-16
I'd have to start off by saying that this is most definitely not just another Iced Earth release with Hansi Kursch on vocals. I'm not quite sure where this somewhat popular opinion sprung from, but this album really seems to borrow more from Blind Guardian's 'theatrical' aspects if anything. The only tracks throughout this album that really support that argument at all are probably Poor Man's Crusade, and Tear Down The Wall, borrowing heavily from Iced Earth's big bag of power chords.
I would call myself a stronger fan of Blind Guardian than Iced Earth, but it seems to me that this album has accumulated a pretty bad rap from Blind Guardian fans in that it really has branched in a new direction, and they may feel very tempted to label it as Iced Earth with Hansi on vocals, which is truly unfortunate. Comparing it in this way to Iced Earth, while one of my favourite bands, really doesnt do this album justice.
What you ARE getting for your hard earned money with this album is the theatrical brilliance of Blind Guardian that we've all come to know and love, but with a darker and more melodic theme and to some extent a slightly slower tempo, in what i feel is just another evolution of said music further from BG's thrash/speed metal origins. In a time where most power metal bands seem to be following BG's lead and churning out a somewhat slightly inferior level of fairly generic stuff, its great to see said leaders of the genre out there trying something new.
The album really gets straight down to business, throwing us right in the deep end with Heaven Denies, a blazing assault of high tempo power that fans of both BG and IE will probably appreciate. Soon you'll encounter the Fiddler on the Green, and at this stage, the melodic brilliance of this album will really begin to shine through. The acoustic first segment of this song is really where Hansi's influence first begins to appear, and Schaffer really outdoes himself here with an incredible solo finish that will remain etched within my memory for decades to come.
Its just as well the Fiddler comes to an epic finish, because the album really comes to its peak with the next two tracks, Blood On My Hands, and Path Of Glory. Hansi's influence on the album is probably most evident at this point, although Path Of Glory does come to a finale somewhat reminscent of other Iced Earth releases.
Winter of Souls and the Whistler resonate strongly with Blind Guardian's slower and more melodic side, and while excellent songs, i feel they mostly serve to foreshadow the one of the album's most truly awesome tracks, Tear down the Wall.
The album comes to a somewhat dark finish with the final two tracks, Gallows Pole and My Last Sunrise. While initially still an interesting and heavy composition, i did eventually grow weary of Gallows Pole, and it would probably be the only track on this album that i ever find myself skipping. My Last Sunrise has had a somewhat opposite effect, for while i didnt really enjoy this track much at first, i can no longer get enough of it! It really grows on you, and is truly the darkest song across the album. Hansi's voice reaches new heights, and each individual word really carries the most incredible emotions that have to be experienced to be believed.
Overall, it has to be said that this is probably the one album that has lasted the longest across my vast power metal collection, while other BG and IE albums for example usually leave me blown away at first and slowly wear away with time, this composition truly never grows old, and it's managed almost half a year of damn near constant playtime without losing any of its original flair.
The single most worthwhile investment i've made in my life. Go. Find. Enjoy.
Deadly combination........2002-04-07
Iced Earth's guitarist Jon Schaffer and Blind Guardian's vocalist Hansi Kursch (sorry, no umlauts) have been friends for years. Each being an admirer of the other's musical work, they eventually got together to coalesced their talents. Demons & Wizards is the result.
The obvious description for this outcome is that, well, it sounds like Iced Earth guitars with Blind Guardian vocals. More specifically, Iced Earth's monstrous, chugging rhythms with Kursch's unique, minstrel-like voice and epic vocal harmonies. That description, while superficially effective, seems to suggest that Kursch's voice is simply adhered to Iced Earth's style of metal riffery. Instead, the collaboration seems to have drawn out different elements of each man's artistic palette, integrated into something both new and familiar.
For one thing, the album is quite...dark. I think so anyway. The moaning intro "Rites of Passage" is a harrowing choral piece with evil, distorted guitar chords. "Winter of Souls" is bloody and unforgiving. Violent lyrics are found throughout, such as "Poor Man's Crusade" (which deals with the Crusades in the Holy Land) and "Fiddler on the Green" (about a murdered girl). The final trilogy of songs -- "Tear Down the Wall" to "My Last Sunrise" -- is about the story of Azrael. Kursch's vocals are styled in the de facto Blind Guardian way, but more vengeful to my ears. Schaffer's bone-crushing riffs, which were always pretty dark with Iced Earth, seem more so here.
Kursch's folk stylings manifest intermittently, especially on the powerful "Fiddler on the Green". The first minutes carry Kursch's bardic, elegaic dirge over pastoral acoustic guitar melodies, and in the final minutes the heavy distortion returns, layering an enchanting lead melody. A brief folksy passage appears in the mini-epic "Winter of Souls", which stands out for its tempo shifts, powerfully dark atmosphere, and majestic harmonies. "Blood on My Hands" brings in the driving rhythmic assault of double-bass and chugga-chugga guitars with a Blind Guardian-styled chorus. "Heaven Denies" is the crushing opener, which retreats at the end with an enchanting, quiet passage of acoustic guitar and ethereal vocals. "Tear Down the Wall" throws epic melodies and massive riffs at you, which becomes a clomping, incensed "Gallows Pole," which features some of the tastiest guitar harmonies you're likely to hear on a metal album. "My Last Sunrise" is slow, crushing, and mythic. Mark Prator plays drums, and he does a great job. People rip the guy because he's a session drummer or whatever. He's an awesome metal drummer though, session musician or not. He has a great feel for the songs, inserting a crushing immediacy with the double-bass or a spritely cymbal accompaniment to the quieter moments.
Fierce rhythmic power, powerful vocals, good songs...all the ingredients for a good metal album.
Average customer rating:
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Demons and Wizards
Uriah Heep
Manufacturer: Sanctuary
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
Progressive Rock
| Progressive
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
British Metal
| Hard Rock & Metal
| Styles
| Music
General
| Hard Rock & Metal
| Styles
| Music
Hard Rock
| Hard Rock & Metal
| Styles
| Music
Pop Rock
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
Album-Oriented Rock (AOR)
| Classic Rock
| Styles
| Music
ASIN: B000IY0G3E
Release Date: 2006-11-20 |
Tracks:
- Wizard
- Traveller in Time
- Easy Livin'
- Poet's Justice
- Circle of Hands
- Rainbow Demon
- All My Life
- Paradise/The Spell
- Spell
Album Details
UK LP sleeve
Average customer rating:
- A long time coming
- The two masters of Metal are back and at their best!
- No Sophomore Slump
- A mighty, boring deception!
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Touched by the Crimson King
Demons & Wizards
Manufacturer: Steamhammer
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
| Hard Rock & Metal
| Styles
| Music
Progressive Metal
| Progressive
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
Hard Rock & Metal
| Imports
| Stores
| Music
Similar Items:
- Demons & Wizards
- Karmacode
ASIN: B0009LNRNM
Release Date: 2005-06-28 |
Tracks:
- Crimson King
- Beneath These Waves
- Terror Train
- Seize The Day
- The Gunslinger
- Love's Tragedy Asunder
- Wicked Witch
- Dorian
- Down Where I Am
- Immigrant Song
- Lunar Lament
- Wicked Witch (Slow Version)
- Spatial Architects
- Beneath These Waves (Edit)
Album Description
The super group formed by Kursch & Schaffer are back with 'Touched By The Crimson King' which is marked by a certain rawness, together with many atmospheric moods. Produced by Jim Morris this CD features 10 tracks including 'Terror Train', 'The Gunslinger', 'Wicked Witch' & 'Crimson King'. Steamhammer. 2005.
Album Details
One the One Hand, "Touched by the Crimson King" Continues the Artistic Tradition of Its Two Protagonists, Kursch and Schaffer, and on the Other it Seems Directly Connected to the Demons and Wizards Debut. "the Common Denominator that Links the Two Albums Lies in the Fact that the Tracks Are Constructed in a Simpler Style Than the Regular Blind Guardian and Iced Earth Material", Kursch Describes his Album. "at the Same Time, the Music Has More of an Acoustic Focus. You Can Tell that We Approached the Song-writing Without Any Preconceptions. The Term `mellow' Springs to Mind Whenever Somebody Asks Me to Describe the Mood on the Album. Even When the Demons and Wizards Debut Came Out, Fans Told Us that the Music is a Symbiosis of Its Two Creative Forces. Some Even Said that Parts of it Sounded Like Early Blind Guardian and Early Iced Earth. I Think this Description also Applies to "Touched by the Crimson King".
Customer Reviews:
A long time coming.......2007-06-12
After what seemed like an incredibly long wait, Blind Guardian vocalist Hansi Kurisch and Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer finally unleashed another Demons & Wizards album in 2005.Was it worth the wait, and did it live up to the standard set by the duo's incredible self-titled album? Read on...
Demons & Wizards has always represented the best elements of both Iced Earth and Blind Guardian, bringing together the blazing guitar riffs of the former and the fantasy elements and signature vocal style of the latter. At the same time, the songwriting excesses that both Schaffer and Kurisch indulge in with their respective bands are held in check here. To be sure, the songs on this album have that epic power metal quality, but they all clock in around 4-5 minutes. Schaffer's riffs are incredible as always, and Kurisch's vocals are amazing as well. When you add the heavy emphasis on fantasy fiction (Stephen King's Dark Tower saga is a central theme), the result is an album that sounds like a cross between early (translation: good) Metallica and Uriah Heep. The "proper" album closes with a powerful rendition of Led Zeppelin's classic metal anthem "Immigrants Song", which is worth the price of admission all by itself. These guys were born to cover this song!
On some levels, Touched by the Crimson King doesn't quite live up to expectations, but I think that's perfectly reasonable given the 5 year wait since the first Demons & Wizards album was released. First impressions count for a lot, and at first glance Touched by the Crimson King doesn't have the same immediate impact that the first Demons & Wizards album did. It's the kind of album that takes a few spins to really sink in, at which point you'll realize that Touched by the Crimson King is another high quality power metal album from a pair of extremely talented musicians who work very well together.
NOTE: The Special Edition version of Touched by the Crimson King features four bonus tracks. The alternate versions of Wicked Witch and Beneath the Waves don't really add much, but the songs Lunar Lament and Spatial Architects are as good as any other song on the album, and are well worth checking out.
The two masters of Metal are back and at their best!.......2005-11-10
After buying and listening to their first released, I was thrilled when "Touched By The Crimson King" finally came out. For me, it was well worth the wait, for both of their other bands are my two favorites: Iced Earth (Jon Schaffer's band) and Blind Guardian (Hansi's Band). This release leans more over to Blind Guardian's sound with just a touch of Iced Earth, while the first album sounded more like Iced Earth, yet still having a completely different sound than the two respective bands. This cd combines heavy thrash style metal with epic, choir like vocals, thus having a very strong B.G. feel to them. My personal favorites are: "Touched By The Crimson King", "Love's Tragedy Asunder" "Dorian", and "Down Where I Am". Overall, this is a great release for anyone who is a fan of Iced Earth or Blind Guardian, and highly recommended to new fans of the two bands and also Metal in general.
No Sophomore Slump.......2005-10-09
Who would you say are the male vocalists with the most distinctive voices you can think of? I've been thinking about that and I've come up with three vocalists who not only are easily recognizable but also add so much to their music, you just know it would even be close to the same with somebody else.
First there is Type O Negative's, Peter Steel. Then we have the Scorpion's fabulous lead singer, Klaus Meine. Last but not least, and you may not have heard of him, is Hansi Kursch of the German symphonic power metal band Blind Guardian and Hansi can belt out those amazing vocals with the best of them. Hansi is a singer, that to the unsuspecting ear may mistake him for that other great unmistakable vocalist, the late Freddie Mercury.
Demons and Wizards is a collaboration between two superlative heavy metal band's leaders, Blind Guardian and Iced Earth and this album, Touched by the Crimson King, is the second album born of this prolific union. Each band can and does stand strongly on it's own but as a unit there strengths seem to be magnified and as I started to say Blind Guardian's main strength is their incomparable singer Kursch. The singing of Kursch just lights up the music like a billboard. Even Steel and Meine cannot, in my opinion, do what Hansi does.
The brand new Demons and Wizards album picks up where the self titled debut album left off. Touched by the Crimson King is sixty-six minutes of musical variety ranging from slow melodic ballads to super hard driving blockbusters. Borrowing from Jon Schaffer's Iced Earth style, we have speedy heavy percussion and guitar riffs galore, merging with the strengths of Blind Guardian, symphonic style, melodious backing vocals, lush layering of music so deep you can get lost in it, topped off by the indescribable vocals of Hansi Kursch, like a cherry on a hot fudge sundae.
Demons and Wizards is:
Hansi Kürsch - Vocals
Jon Schaffer - Rhythm, Bass, Lead and Acoustic Guitars
Guest Musicians:
Jim Morris - Guitar Solos and Backing Vocals
Bobby Jarzombek - Drums
Rubin Drake - Bass & Fretless Bass Guitar
Howard Helm - Piano and Backing Vocals
Kathy Helm - Backing Vocals
Tori Fuson - Backing Vocals
Jesse Morris - Backing Vocals
Krystyna Kolaczynski - Cello
Conclusion
For those who haven't picked up on it, this is a concept album, based upon the famous (or infamous, depending of your point of view) Gunslinger series of Stephen King.
I have read where at least one reviewer said he didn't like this as well as the original D&W release because it wasn't as homogenous as the first one. This is precisely why I like this one. I love the variety and the strong melodies that permeate this wonderful recording.
Just like a Blind Guardian album, there is too much too absorb here in one setting, This album gets better and better the more you hear it. I was going to give it a high three stars or a low four stars at first, forgetting my own admonitions from reviews past but no this is a great, great album. High five stars. If you like Iced Earth or Blind Guardian, don't ask questions, just buy it. If you like Heavy or Symphonic Metal, listen to samples if you must, then buy it and if you don't like it at first, give it at least four or five spins. If you still don't like it, you don't really like Heavy Metal.
A mighty, boring deception!.......2005-08-16
I really don't know what to say, I mean, I have been waiting for this album for like 5 years, and this is what I get?!?!?!?!
I mean, I am a huge Blind Guardian fan (more than Iced Earth), and an Iced Earth fan; but this album seems to be ONLY Iced Earth, and nothing with BG!
OK, so this is basically just an IE album with Hansi singing, but still this is a BAD IE. I mean, the guitars are simply terrible, they rarely change a few times in the whole album. Sometimes I thought I was hearing PUNK because of the few chords each song has!!!
I cannot express how dissapointed I feel, you barely notice Hansi's presence (musically of course), there are NO BG influences in this album, it's just Iced Earth, Iced Earth, and oh! Did I mentioned Iced Earth? Even so, I love IE,but if it were good IE I wouldn't complain, but IT'S NOT, so I'm pretty mad because I fell asleep a few times while listening to it.
CONCLUSION: For REAL fans only, and you still wouldn't like it because it's soooo boring.
Average customer rating:
|
Touched By the Crimson King
Demons & Wizards
Manufacturer: Scarecrow/SPV
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
| Hard Rock & Metal
| Styles
| Music
ASIN: B000PI6R72 |
Product Description
Limited Edition digipack version with four bonus tracks and poster. Track listing is 1. Crimson King 05:47
2. Beneath These Waves 05:12
3. Terror Train 04:47
4. Seize the Day 05:22
5. The Gunslinger 05:16
6. Love's Tragedy Asunder 05:28
7. Wicked Witch 03:32
8. Dorian 06:37
9. Down Where I Am 04:54
10. Immigrant Song (Led Zeppelin cover) 02:29
11. Lunar Lament 04:04 (Bonus Track)
12. Wicked Witch (Slow Version) 03:57 (Bonus Track)
13. Spatial Architects 05:46 (Bonus Track)
14.Beneath These Waves (Edit) 03:40 (Bonus Track)
Customer Reviews:
A long time coming.......2007-06-12
After what seemed like an incredibly long wait, Blind Guardian vocalist Hansi Kurisch and Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer finally unleashed another Demons & Wizards album in 2005.Was it worth the wait, and did it live up to the standard set by the duo's incredible self-titled album? Read on...
Demons & Wizards has always represented the best elements of both Iced Earth and Blind Guardian, bringing together the blazing guitar riffs of the former and the fantasy elements and signature vocal style of the latter. At the same time, the songwriting excesses that both Schaffer and Kurisch indulge in with their respective bands are held in check here. To be sure, the songs on this album have that epic power metal quality, but they all clock in around 4-5 minutes. Schaffer's riffs are incredible as always, and Kurisch's vocals are amazing as well. When you add the heavy emphasis on fantasy fiction (Stephen King's Dark Tower saga is a central theme), the result is an album that sounds like a cross between early (translation: good) Metallica and Uriah Heep. The "proper" album closes with a powerful rendition of Led Zeppelin's classic metal anthem "Immigrants Song", which is worth the price of admission all by itself. These guys were born to cover this song!
On some levels, Touched by the Crimson King doesn't quite live up to expectations, but I think that's perfectly reasonable given the 5 year wait since the first Demons & Wizards album was released. First impressions count for a lot, and at first glance Touched by the Crimson King doesn't have the same immediate impact that the first Demons & Wizards album did. It's the kind of album that takes a few spins to really sink in, at which point you'll realize that Touched by the Crimson King is another high quality power metal album from a pair of extremely talented musicians who work very well together.
NOTE: The Special Edition version of Touched by the Crimson King features four bonus tracks. The alternate versions of Wicked Witch and Beneath the Waves don't really add much, but the songs Lunar Lament and Spatial Architects are as good as any other song on the album, and are well worth checking out.
Music Track:
- Don't Be Fooled By the Name [Import]
- Down Incognito [Live]
- Drugs, God & the New Republic
- Eagle Has Landed [Import]
- Elements, Pt. 1
- Eucalyptus
- Fall [Limited Edition] [Import]
- Femme Fatale
- Fifth Angel
- Foot Fetish [Enhanced]
Music Track
music track
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