Touched By the Crimson King [Import]
![Touched By the Crimson King [Import]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000A38R20.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg)
Touched By the Crimson King [Import]
Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Album from the Heavy Metal Project featuring Jon Schaffer (Iced Earth) and Hansi Kirsch(Blind Guardian). "Crimson King", "Beneath These Waves", "Terror Train", "Seize the Day", "The Gunslinger", "Love's Tragedy Asunder", "Wicked Witch" and More.
Touched By the Crimson King,Demons & Wizards,Jvc Japan,Heavy Metal,Pop,Rock
Average customer rating:
- A long time coming
- Buen material
- Really good
- Timeless Mysteries
- YES.
|
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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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.
Average customer rating:
- A long time coming
- Yet another masterpiece.
- Boring cd...
- Demons and Wizards is Back
- Great, but missing something
|
Touched by the Crimson King
Demons & Wizards
Manufacturer: Steamhammer Europe
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
Progressive Metal
| Progressive
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
General
| Hard Rock & Metal
| Styles
| Music
Hard Rock & Metal
| Imports
| Stores
| Music
Rock
| Imports
| Stores
| Music
Similar Items:
- Demons & Wizards
- Nightfall in Middle-Earth
- Imaginations From the Other Side
- Batallions of Fear
- Horror Show
ASIN: B0009LNROG
Release Date: 2005-07-04 |
Tracks:
- Crimson King
- Beneath These Waves
- Terror Train
- Seize the Day
- Gunslinger
- Love's Tragedy Asunder
- Wicked Witch
- Dorian
- Down Where I Am
- Immigrant Song
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 special Limited Edition CD features 10 tracks including 'Terror Train', 'The Gunslinger', 'Wicked Witch' & 'Crimson King' plus the bonus tracks 'Lunar Lament', 'Wicked Witch' (slow version), 'Spatial Architects' & 'Beneath These Waves' (edit) all in a killer Digi-pak with extra artwork. 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.
Yet another masterpiece........2007-01-20
For those of you familiar with Demons & Wizards, I have but one thing to say: Buy it now. You won't regret it.
If you don't know who Demons & Wizards are, let me introdice them to you. The band is composed by Hansi Kürsh (lead singer of Blind Guardian) and Jon Schaffer (lead guitar of Iced Earth). This is the second album they have produced together under the name of Demons & Wizards, the first one was excellent too.
Now, this album is based on the saga written by Stephen King, The Dark Tower. The music is, as usual, technical and melodic at the same time. Most of the songs are hard and powerful. I would like to be able to compare this album to something else, but I can't really see something similar, maybe a mix of Iced Earth with something else.
This is an excellent album and, if you're a metalhead, it's a must to have.
Boring cd..........2005-11-19
Very dissapointing album for true Iced Earth and Blind Buardian fans!!! Nothing like "Heaven Denies" and "Blood On My Hands" from their debut album. So the bottom line is, this is not worth buying!
Demons and Wizards is Back.......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.
Great, but missing something.......2005-08-22
Demons & Wizards' concept sounds great: Blind Guardian's and Kursch and Iced Earth's Schaffer writing & playing together sounds like it could be the greatest amalgam in heavy metal , right? Unfortunately the concept falls short once more. The album has good songs, but every song sounds too much like one band or the other, it never sounds like a real symbiosis among two of the greatest metal bands. But don't get me wrong, the album is pretty good, but nothing out of the ordinary. If you are a fan of Iced Earth, Blind Guardian or both, go for it! You will like it, but don't expect to anything outstanding.
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!
|
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:
- Japanese Import
- excellent album from two metal masters
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Touched by the Crimson King
Demons & Wizards
Manufacturer: Jvc Japan
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
General
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
Progressive Metal
| Progressive
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
General
| Hard Rock & Metal
| Styles
| Music
Similar Items:
- Demons & Wizards
ASIN: B000A38R20
Release Date: 2005-09-19 |
Tracks:
- Crimson King
- Beneath These Waves
- Terror Train
- Seize the Day
- Gunslinger
- Love's Tragedy Asunder
- Wicked Witch
- Dorian
- Down Where I Am
- Immigrant Song
Album Details
Album from the Heavy Metal Project featuring Jon Schaffer (Iced Earth) and Hansi Kirsch(Blind Guardian). "Crimson King", "Beneath These Waves", "Terror Train", "Seize the Day", "The Gunslinger", "Love's Tragedy Asunder", "Wicked Witch" and More.
Customer Reviews:
Japanese Import.......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 Japanese import version of Touched by the Crimson King actually has fewer tracks than the domestic Special Edition, which features four bonus tracks. Unless you enjoy throwing your money away, you're much better off with the cheaper version.
excellent album from two metal masters.......2007-05-26
Demons & Wizards consists of Hansi Kursch of Blind Gaurdian and Jon Schaffer of Iced Earth. it is reminiscent of what Iced Earth would sound like if they were joined by a choir. it should inspire Iced Earth fans and Blind Gaurdian fans to have a good listen.
Music Track:
- Turmoil [Explicit Lyrics]
- Vent
- Via Dolorosa
- When up Turns to Down
- Whiskey in the Jar #1 [Import] [CD-single]
- Within the Veil
- 666: The Number Of The Beast - A Tribute To Iron Maiden
- Abigail
- Ain't Misbehavin'
- All Kinds of Problems
Music Track
music track
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