EDGUY - MANDRAKE
AFM Records/The End Records - 2001
By Rodrigo
Let’s get one thing clear.
Mandrake should not be compared with
The Metal Opera, the solo release of Tobias Sammet.
Edguy and
Avantasia are two completely different entities and comparisons are probably inevitable due to fact that both releases came out this year. For those of you who are looking for the second
Avantasia album you need to wait until next year until it is released because
Mandrake is not that album. Instead
Mandrake is
Edguy’s fifth studio release and it finds the band at a more mature, darker and heavier sound. The constant comparisons to
Helloween that constantly came up with
Theater of Salvation should also be forgotten because
Edguy has combined the best elements of the past with a new direction that could make
Mandrake their best release.
The first obvious change is that overall speed of the band has substantially slowed down. Songs are no longer moving at the speed of which the band used to play. Plus the faster songs like "Golden Dawn" sound quite different to older songs like "Babylon". The fast harmonic melodies that had become an
Edguy staple are also used very sparingly. The guitars solos on "Golden Dawn" are really awesome especially the double solo by Jens and Dirk but it still sounds different. With the sound being much heavier it has allowed Tobias to try out a more rough singing style and that is true in the heaviest
Edguy song to date "Nailed to the Wheel". This is not evident in the beginning with the acoustic intro but at 1:10 this point becomes very clear. The guitars are trashy and heavy and during the chorus is when Tobias sings in that rough soaring manner. "Fallen Angels" is another song featuring heavy guitars and the singing by Tobias is excellent.
Other musical elements are also incorporated into the songs like the Irish Celtic inspired beginning in "Jerusalem" as well as the Eastern vibe in "The Pharaoh". In "Jerusalem"
Edguy does a great job in combining acoustic elements with the heavier sections. "The Pharaoh" is just about 10 minutes long and it is one of the highlights of the album. The overall tempo is slow and the heavy aspects of music and singing are also present. The chorus is very memorable and I had no problem quickly singing along with it. A really awesome part of this song is the one from 5:54 to 7:15. Its a really dark and haunting part featuring the bass and drums played slowly with background chanting and storm sounds as well as Jens coming in with a very cool minimal guitar melody.
With all these different changes there are still some things that are still present from past albums. The first being that the majority of the choruses are still sung by choirs. Keyboards are still found in "Painting on the Wall" and "Wash Away the Poison" which is the only ballad in
Mandrake and it is quite a good one. It does follow the similar path as previous
Edguy ballads but it does distinguish itself. It is also a welcome breather from the other songs. Finally, the funny side of the band (remember the bonus part at the end of
Theater of Salvation) is still present with "Save Us Now". Try and read the lyrics and tell me you can’t laugh at the silly aspect of them. Even the music has a funny kind of sound to it.
There is a limited edition pressing of
Mandrake that includes the bonus track "The Devil & The Savant" and I implore all of you to try to get your hands on this version because this song is one of the best
Edguy songs. I have no idea why it wasn’t included on the original track listing but whatever the case this is one phenomenal song.
Is this the best
Edguy album? That is a tough question to answer right now due to the fact that this album just got released and it still is very fresh on my mind. But the more times I listen to it I am getting more and more convinced that
Mandrake will become my favorite
Edguy album.
AFM Records Website
The End Records Website
Edguy Official Website
Edguy - Mandrake
