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Edguy - Theater Of Salvation review



Reviewer:
9.5

361 users:
8.35
Band: Edguy
Album: Theater Of Salvation
Release date: January 1999


01. The Healing Vision
02. Babylon
03. The Headless Game
04. Land Of The Miracle
05. Wake Up The King
06. Falling Down
07. Arrows Fly
08. Holy Shadows
09. Another Time
10. The Unbeliever
11. Theater Of Salvation
12. For A Trace Of Life [Japanese bonus]
13. Walk On Fighting [live] [Japanese bonus]
14. Fairytale [live] [Japanese bonus]

Question: what makes a great band? Answer: great albums! So after the not really well acclaimed "Vain Glory Opera", the German power metal band Edguy had to reach another level of quality to interest the masses. Well, 1999's "Theater Of Salvation", the title says it all. That was the album that made them enter the very protected circle of famous power metal bands. Leaded by their extravagant [I should say crazy] front man and singer Tobias Sammet, this young band played a traditional power metal. However, their songs are something more complex than the usual cliches about power metal [and I don't dare to write names here but... You know Halloween, Gamma Ray, Hammerfall... Damn...]

At first, this album was like a whole new experience for me, but I was a little bit disturbed by Tobias' voice. But that was at first. Then, you learn to do with it, and finally, you happen to love that voice! How do you feel about yourself after that? I don't know? But that's not the point here.

After the short piano intro, the melodic fury of 'Babylon' grabs you and the follower 'The Headless Game' produces the same effect. Hard to describe but good to listen, you know what you ought to do! Then 'Land Of The Miracle', which is my favorite ballad ever. Back to power metal business with 'Wake Up The King', 'Falling Down' and 'Arrows Fly'. So many great songs on the same album, that's almost too many to be true. But it is. And the best is yet to come.

'Holy Shadows' makes "Theater Of Salvation" worth checking out by itself. Acoustic guitars mixed with heavy riffs, perfect keys, great vocals... A great, great moment. 'Another Time' is another tremendous ballad, maybe a little too calm, but still beautiful [and so sad...]

'The Unbeliever' and the epic 'Theater Of Salvation' compose the grand finale of this amazing album. While it is hard to make any song catchier than 'The Unbeliever', 'Theater Of Salvation' is a long [around 12 minutes] and superb composition, in which the vocals are simply fabulous. Both of these songs are one of those you never forget, believe me!

After all that, if you're still not convinced, you either have three bonus tracks on the European release, including a good live performance of 'Walk On Fighting' [from "Vain Glory Opera"] or the funniest hidden track I have ever heard on a CD, on the US release. It's some kind of funny sounding keyboards with crazy voices that lead you to laugh like crazy. Well, well, Toby, I though you were a very serious fellow [lol]!

"Theatre Of Salvation" is an amazing album. Once you've overcome the peculiar voice of Tobias Sammet [if you need to], you're going to enjoy that CD without any limit. Enjoy!


Rating breakdown
Performance: 9
Songwriting: 10
Originality: 8
Production: 9





Written on 04.10.2003 by Bringing you reviews of quality music and interesting questions such as:

"A picture is worth a thousand words. How many words is a song worth?"

I have only got so much patience and skills, you do the math.


Comments

Comments: 9   Visited by: 107 users
01.11.2006 - 12:37
Braxil
Account deleted
Simply Edguy's finest hour. "Another Time" I don't care for that much, but it's by no means a bad song. Babylon, Wake Up The King, and The Unbeliever are standout tracks.
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25.07.2007 - 00:55
Arcaliz666
Account deleted
One of the Best works of Edguy.

Best Tracks: The Headless Game, Arrows Fly, Theater Of Salvation
Killing Tracks: Falling Down, Babylon, Land Of The Miracle

Also "For A Trace Of Life", one of the Japanesse bonus track It's very good.
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26.08.2007 - 03:32
PowerMetal
Account deleted
Tobias' voice definitely takes some getting used to but once you love it, it's great. Also it's Helloween, not Halloween. Good review though.
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04.11.2008 - 08:59
Uirapuru
Liver Failure
Exellent album. good review
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member of the true crusade against old school heavy metal, early 80s thrash, NWOBHM, traditional doom, first and second wave black metal, old school death metal, US power metal, 70s prog rock and atmospheric doomsludgestoner. o/
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27.11.2008 - 16:59
Rating: 8
Powerslavex
Alexskywalker
Nice review, my favoutite Edguy album
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25.09.2009 - 12:25
Rating: 9
Ellrohir
Heaven Knight
I would doubt a bit, but i think i should call this album "best by Edguy"
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My rest seems now calm and deep
Finally I got my dead man sleep


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26.12.2011 - 02:17
Rating: 10
F1fan56

Edguy at their peak of power metal. Fantastic album - perfect from start to finish. Sammet's vocals are utterly incredible. Good review.
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19.01.2017 - 00:47
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Written by F1fan56 on 26.12.2011 at 02:17

Edguy at their peak of power metal. Fantastic album - perfect from start to finish. Sammet's vocals are utterly incredible. Good review.


his voice is OK, yes but lather he has crappy song writers
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Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
[image]
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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21.01.2019 - 22:57
Rating: 10
NortheRnmost

Pre-Avantasia era metal by Sammet. A peak in Edguy discography, a truly amazing album. Vain Glory Opera has its moments, although lackluster production and Stratovarius influences were evident, but Theater of Salvation is bigger, more polished and simply better in every way. Without this album there would be no Avantasia. "Land of the Miracle" and the title track could be from Metal Opera Pt2, if I wouldn't know better, and the Japanese bonus track "For a Trace of Life" is probably the best song on the album.
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