Metal Reviews

This morning, I wanted to buy some new music and had to choose between this and The Black Halo. After CAREFUL thought, I went ahead and bought this album (disclaimer: I still have yet to really listen to D&W's s/t debut). Overall, I think's it's an excellent album... once you've listened to it a few times. It does take a few listens to really get into, and the Led Zeppelin cover (while competent) sounds VERY out of place on the album IMO. Also, I don't know why the bonus tracks were "bonus" tracks since they're actually two of the album's best songs IMO.

Overall, hit from me. So, what does everybody else think of it?

Miss from me, but I'm also not a fan of Iced Earth either. You should have gone with The Black Halo, IMO.

Big hit. I love this album! And I agree, "Spatial Architects" and "Lunar Lament" are both killer songs! The "slow" version of "White Witch" and "Immigrant Song" should have been the bonus tracks, along with the "Beneath The Waves" radio edit. Those would have been fine as bonus tracks. Why they chose the other two is beyond me. Regardless, an awesome album.

Favorite tracks: "Love's Tragedy Asunder" and "Dorian."

Kind of between for me. I love the self titled, Blind Guardian and most Iced Earth, and this one has a few good songs, but all in all, its just a boring experience for me (can't stand the production, which doesn't help much either). Agree with Nessy- you should have gone for Black Halo.

Yeah, I'm with Brahm. And plus, the self-titled has Fiddler on the Green. You can't go wrong there!

Hit!

I love this CD! I've had it since it's release. Hansi and Jon are a great pairing.

The S/T is one of my favorite albums of all time. It was also among my first metal purchases while I was getting into the genre about 5 or so years ago.

So of course I expected something amazing from the 2nd album and I guess I shouldnt have, it is a good album, some great songs on it, but even its best song is only slightly better than the worst song from the first album.

Im gonna say hit anyways because I still can enjoy the majority of it. Though it was quite a disappointment back when I first heard it.

That's because Jon hasn't figured out how to use Pro-Tools well enough. Everything is thin lately, since he's been using it. A lot of musicians are fucking up like this lately.

I agree with everything you just said

I like it different to first one still a strong album with a more polished sound great drumming with Bobby Jarzombek.

I must confess that im no big fan of either John or Iced Earth, and this album is somewhere in the middle for me. What works for me with this album is the slower songs and the ballads, really top notch stuff imo - but the faster songs are almost unbearable with riffing that sounds boring and generic to me.

It's a hit, even if it is inferior to the self-titled album in almost every way. I think it's a great album, I was a little disappointed at first but that was just because my expectations were sky high. Favorite tracks: Love's Tragedy Asunder and Down Where I Am. Dorian is great as well, though the slow part in the middle could have been a bit more interesting. The title track could have been amazing but I just don't like the way the chorus sounds, I dunno, I prefer how they did it on the debute with just layer after layer of Hansi singing.

Still one of the best releases of that year. But I will admit that I'm a total Iced Earth junkie.

I guess what I find most odd about this album is that it really is essentially Hansi singing over Iced Earth songs/riffs. That in and of itself isn't a bad thing (being a fan of both BG and especially IE), but it does take some getting used to since I'm so used to hearing Barlow and Owens at the mic with that same style of music in the background. Crimson King is probably the most Blind Guardian-esque song on the album (reminds me of their ANATO material). But Terror Train sounds like it could just as easily be on an IE album.

Meanwhile, Immigrant Song is, again, totally out of place on the album. Though I'll admit, part of it is that it's one of the few songs Jon Schaffer actually plays with standard E-tuning.

Yeah I agree, I think it's a bit of an awkward mix with Hansi singing over IE riffs.

Instant hit. I fucking loved this album right away, and found tracks like Beneath These Waves and Down Where I Am very moving and addicting. I got the line "Somewhere Deep Within" burnt deep inside my brain and couldn't help playing the song over and over and humming to that exact line when not playing it. Those two tracks along with the crushing titletrack is among the best of the band without a question. Only Fiddler On The Green and Blood On My Hands come close to it in my opinion.

At first I even thought it was better than the selftitled, but after a while I realised that the debut is better suited for repeated listens.
I still like both albums a lot though.

I'm an Iced Earth and Jon Schaffer fanboy though, and it seems to me that those who aren't doesn't appreciate this album as much as those who are.

Hit. Very solid album. Both D&W albums are pretty equal to me.

I said this a long time ago, but had I heard those two albums for the first time today, I'd probably agree with you. I honestly don't feel that musically there's a big difference between the two. I just think that the debut blew us away because it was new and fresh, while the Crimson King simply met our expectations. We knew what was coming with this last album. For the most part, both sound like Hansi singing for Iced Earth if you ask me. I think if Crimson King came out first, we'd all have the same opinions now, but reversed (follow me?). Haha.

I totally agree. While I thought the debut verged on perfect (95 to 100). This album falls in the 85-90 range) and still qualifys it as a hit!
I love most all the songs, especially the slower to mid-paced.

Miss. Not a major miss, it just didnt live up to my expectations (I was hoping for a little more musical input by Hansi), and I find it really hard to listen through the entire thing in one sitting now.

Both albums are to me solid hits, easy. I probably like the second more out of the fact that i happened to be reading the Dark Tower series at the time, so obviously some songs tied in with what i was reading. But the ST is still just as brilliant, in my opinon