Edguy- Space Police: Defenders of the Crown Review

Band: Edguy

Album: Space Police: Defenders of the Crown

Label: Nuclear Blast

Genre: Power Metal

Country: Germany

Release Date: April 18, 2014

Over the last three albums, Edguy has kind of been in a little bit of a slump.  "Rocket Ride", "Tinnitus Sanctus", and "Age of the Joker" were mediocre albums from a band that's way beyond mediocre.  They weren't bad, but they weren't as good as the band could be.  When you listen to the band's earlier releases which was straight up power metal and then their last three releases, the music wasn't heavy or entertaining enough.  As I looked at the cover of "Space Police: Defenders of the Crown", I wondered if this would be the album that would break Edguy out of their slump.  Then, I pressed play.  I was not disappointed.

Right off the bat, Edguy showed that they were taking no prisoners with the heavy "Sabre and Torch" which sets the tone for the entire album.  The song is heavy and they lyrics call back to the kind of lyrics Edguy wrote when they began and longtime fans will appreciate them.  Tobias' vocals have changed, but that isn't a bad thing because he sounds great.  The album rolls right on to my favorite song of the entire album which is "Space Police" , a fun-filled galactic space ride of a song.  The chorus is excellent and I thought to myself: This is the Edguy that has been missing since "Hellfire Club".  "Defenders of the Crown" is more of the same, fantasy inspired lyrics with a powerful chorus that gives it an epic feel.  The boys are finally back!

There are some tongue in cheek songs such as "Love Tyger" and "Do Me Like A Caveman" which has lyrics that sound more like 80's Hair Metal songs but they are still good in their own right.  There's also a cover of Falco's "Rock me Amadeus" which is more album filler than anything else and is easily forgotten.  The album's final song, "The Eternal Wayfarer", was a fitting conclusion to a very good album with a few minor missteps

Edguy is not the same band the were when they started.  They were just a straight up Power Metal band but now they have meshed Hard Rock into their music.  That's not necessarily a bad thing because they do deliver an album that is the perfect balance of Power Metal and Hard Rock.  There have been some fans that have written them off after the three disappointing albums that I have mentioned before but they were wrong to do so.  They should give Edguy another chance because they will be pleasantly surprised.

Tracklist:

1. Sabre & Torch
2. Space Police
3. Defenders of the Crown
4. Love Tyger
5. The Realms of Baba Yaga
6. Rock Me Amadeus
7. Do Me Like A Caveman
8. Shadow Eaters
9. Alone in Myself
10. The Eternal Wayfarer

Total Playing Time: 54:26

Rating: