EDGUY — Age of the Joker (review)

EDGUY — Age of the Joker album cover Album · 2011 · Heavy Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Stephen
Coming up with a significant improvement over the last 'Tinnitus Sanctus', Edguy is back on track again on 'Age of The Joker', molding and shaping their music based on their glorious power metal days and melodic hard rock. There's a similarity with 'Rocket Ride' in terms of sound, but to judge which one is better is kinda difficult, looks like a balance competition to me. The maturity in writing is depicted in some lengthy beefy songs, also seemed to be infused with Sammet's Avantasia edge, and Edguy at the same time still able to pump out catchy songs to grab the attention of the non-metal fans.

'Robin Hood', the first single and a tale of Nottinghamshire's heroic thief, ran in a high-speed tempo with classic Maiden feel and overall a great song to start but somehow too long at 8 minutes. The 5-minutes single version on the 2nd disc is better I think. 'Nobody's Hero' is furious and melodic, an example of Edguy's superior heavy metal side. 'Rock of Cashel' has an interesting Celtic traditional interlude and also a good track.

'Breathe' has a happy vibe, still good but 'Two Out of Seven' is much better. Dripping with commercial element, the song flows with such a splendid chorus. 'Pandora's Box' and 'Faces In The Darkness' are two obvious fillers here and the weakest part of this album, although after several spins, they're not horrible like my first thought. 'The Arcane Guild' is the most metal track here, reminds me of their early 'Theater of Salvation' days, definitely one of my fave. 'Fire On The Downline' is surprisingly great to me, perhaps another proof that Sammett is highly capable of creating beautiful MHR/AOR tracks, and the enchanting closing ballad, 'Every Night Without You' only strengthen my opinion.

Overall, a solid comeback by the band after being sloppy in 'Tinnitus Sanctus'. I rated this as strong as 'Rocket Ride', but both albums have their own strength and weaknesses, and I might prefer this over ‘Rocket Ride’ at the end of the day. The 2CD-version is nice to have although not essential, but enjoyable with its nice and diverse songs selection. Great album!
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