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Demons and Wizards - self-titled - reviewed by: Nailer

Track Listing
1. Rites of Passage (intro)
2. Heaven Denies
3. Poor Man's Crusade
4. Fiddler on the Green
5. Blood on My Hands
6. Path of Glory
7. Winter of Souls
8. The Whistler
9. Tear Down the Wall
10. Gallows Pole
11. My Last Sunrise
12. Chant (outro)
===================
13. White Room (Cream cover)
Well, if you haven't been living in a cave devoid of underground metal like I have for the past few years you'd know that Demons and Wizards is a project involving guitarist Jon Schaffer of Iced Earth and vocalist Hansi Kursch of Blind Guardian. Let me address both sets of fans:

Iced Earth fans--Can't get enough of that galloping, dark guitar work. Step right up and get your hammer-riff injection. Hansi's vocals may take a bit of getting used to with his slight German accent, but he sings solidly with confidence and conviction.

Blind Guardian fans--Can't get enough of that vocalist you love so much? Whooo, boy, you'll get your daily dosage with this disc. The pretty choruses are there and you'll easily be transported to a Celtic-inspired land that is as sinister as it is beautiful.

My synopsis of the songs:

Rites Of Passage - musical intro
Heaven Denies - Fallen angel bitching about not being able to get into Heaven anymore.
Poor Man's Crusade - Killing in the name of Jesus is bad, kids.
Fiddler On The Green - Beware the nice man in the field. The pretty song he plays for you will be your last.
Blood On My Hands - I've been a bad, bad boy. Now I'm doomed. Oops.
Path Of Glory - Loser discovers spirituality. Happens in prisons all the time.
Winter Of Souls - Rent the movie "Excalibur" and all will be clear.
The Whistler - Somebody tell me what this about.
Tear Down The Wall - Gnome is disappointed and destroys his Universe. Sucks to be them.
Gallows Pole - "O, that this too too solid flesh would melt Thaw and resolve itself into a dew!" --Hamlet
My Last Sunrise - Death, Take me. Love, your begotten Son.
Chant - monk stuff

Over all I think the first half of the disc outshines the second half with a greater amount of ballsiness and rage to the songs. Some of the latter ones dragged for me and I found myself felling the ennui and wanting to fast forward. Nothing earth-shattering is here, but there is a compliment to the styles of both men that should please the devotees of both bands and bring more than a few metalheads into the field to be entranced by these tales of death, suffering, bitterness and loss. Get the special cd if you can for the cool inside popup version of the Fiddler On The Green cover.


Prime Cuts: Heaven Denies, Poor Man's Crusade, Fiddler On The Green

--Nailer 2.5.03
About this Writer:
Frank Hill // Frank Hill has been at this site since its slimy, crying birth in '03. He was born on National Metal Day--11/11 and will turn his hearing aids up to 11 when he's 111. He secretly listens to a lot of old Country and Doo-Wop tunes and wants to start a cyberband with lead vocals by Robot Plant. He is still trying to figure out what Judas Priest meant by "paratamize you". If you read this, then he salutes you.

Maximum Metal Rating Legend - Click for Full Details
5 Excellent - Buy it and say a prayer to the metal gods that you were tuned on to this masterpiece. A classic.
4-4.5 Great - Almost perfect records but there's probably a clunker or a lacking somewhere to keep it from perfection. You won't feel bad about dropping some bones on these.
3.5 Good - Most of the record is good, but there may be some filler. This is the OK range where you'd search for the record on sale or used.
3 Average - Some good songs, some bad ones at about a half/half ratio. Could show skills but be dull overall. Redeeming qualities for indy bands are effort and passion. Majors that don't try or suck outright end up here.
2-2.5 Fair - Worth a listen, but best obtained by collectors. There is much better metal out there.
1-1.5 Bad - Major problems with music, lyrics, production, etc.
0 Terrible or an otherwise waste of your life and time.

Note: Reviews are graded from 0-5, anything higher or not showing is from our old style. Scores, however, do not reveal the important features. The written review that accompanies the ratings is the best source of information regarding the music on our site. Reviewing is opinionated, not a qualitative science, so scores are personal to the reviewer and could reflect anything from being technically brilliant to gloriously cheesy fun.

Demos and independent releases get some slack since the bands are often spent broke supporting themselves and trying to improve. Major releases usually have big financial backing, so they may be judged by a heavier hand. All scores can be eventually adjusted up or down by comparison of subsequent releases by the same band. We attempt to keep biases out of reviews and be advocates of the consumer without the undo influence of any band, label, management, promoter, etc.

The best way to determine how much you may like certain music is to listen to it yourself.



ALL FULL REVIEWS FOR: DEMONS AND WIZARDS
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Demons and WizardsDemons and Wizards
2000
Frank Hill2/5/2003


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