Band:	Edguy
Album:	Hellfire Club
Style:	Power metal
Release date:	March 15, 2004
A review by:	Dream Taster

01. Mysteria
02. The Piper Never Dies
03. We Don't Need A Hero
04. Down To The Devil
05. King Of Fools
06. Forever
07. Under The Moon
08. Lavatory Love Machine
09. Rise Of The Morning Glory
10. Lucifer In Love
11. Navigator
12. The Spirit Will Remain
13. Children Of Steel [bonus]
14. Mysteria [feat. Mille Petrozza] [bonus]

The long-awaited album from Edguy, finally entitled "Hellfire Club" [originally "Mysteria"], is once again a terrific masterpiece of German Power Metal. Successor to the magnificent "Mandrake" and the live album "Burning Down The Opera", this new album marks the beginning of a deal with Nuclear Blast after a long period with AFM Records.

But changing label didn't make Edguy music any different and it's a blessing! Same style, Tobias Sammet still has that amazing voice and a few innovative variations give some songs a new look.

Like "Mandrake", this album opens with a majestic track, 'Mysteria', one of the best songs of the CD. A long composition called 'The Piper Never Dies' follows and it is probably the most epic song of "Hellfire Club"; powerful, full of great moments and? heavy! Then follows 'We Don't Need A Hero', catchy chorus, fast tempo, intrepid solos courtesy of Jens Ludwig and Dirk Sauer. It's another fine track. One could say it's a typical Edguy song, soul and heart.

'Down To The Devil' could appear as a basic heavy metal anthem at first but soon unveils to be an excellent song, maybe even the best on "Hellfire Club". It includes, in my opinion, the best guitar work of the album. Also a great introduction and an original piano break enhances that song.

'King Of Fools' was already featured on the EP preceding the album and it's exactly the same version. Cool and powerful but 'Down To The Devil' would still be my pick. The mandatory ballad is here, 'Forever', in a pure Edguy style. "Hellfire Club" was announced more aggressive than "Mandrake", and it is indeed. A song such as 'Under The Moon' is here to prove me right.

With 'Lavatory Love Machine', the joking side of the band is once again underlined. The song if funny but not unforgivable. It's going to be one of these songs very cool on stage though! 'Rise Of The Morning Glory' is truly typical of Edguy. Without being indispensable to the album, it gives a good Power Metal kick to it.

'Navigator' on the other hand is another highlight on "Hellfire Club". A very catchy chorus once again, a really good track. Another ballad concludes the album, 'The Spirit Will Remain'. A perfect exercise for the voice of Tobias, almost a cappella [the orchestra is somewhere in the background]. A good choice to end this fine album.

Now the black mark is that the use of the orchestra on this album is almost inaudible and you could even miss that fact! The production is so aggressive that the orchestra sounds like it was another band using it to record in another room; unlike on 'Holy Water' from the King Of Fools EP, which gave me higher hopes for this album to sound more symphonic. Next time, don't forget to turn the microphone on?

Despite the rather inaudible use of an orchestra, which sounded promising, "Hellfire Club" is another great album of Power Metal tainted with Edguy savoir-faire. While some might point the closeness to their previous album "Mandrake", positive spirits are to observe that this album is another great release from the "Edguys".