Tracks:

Crimson King
Beneath the Waves
Terror Train
Seize the Day
The Gunslinger
Love's A Tragedy Asunder
Wicked Witch
Dorian
Down Where I Am
Immigrant Song

It's been awhile, but finally we have a new Demons & Wizards album. Even before I heard this disc I knew I would like it. What's not to like? Jon Schaffer of Iced Earth taking care of the music, and Hansi Kursch of Blind Guardian on vocals; wet dreams are made of these.

I'm just as excited today as I was the day I picked up the first D&W disc. As far as I'm concerned you can't hear enough from either of these two masters of metal. Time and again they have proven their worth, and in today's world where so much music is utter crap, it is nice to know certain people can be counted on to consistently produce quality material. Hails to Jon and Hansi!

Being a fan of Stephen King, I instantly recognized how some of these song titles might relate to his Dark Tower series. Without a lyric sheet to study I can't be sure, but while not a concept album, I think these songs have to be about that epic series: Crimson King, Terror Train (about Blain the pain perhaps?), and The Gunslinger. There may be more, but the titles don't imply as such; I'll have to study the lyrics more. It's been awhile since I read the last Dark Tower book as well.

Yeah, so this disc sounds great. It's kind of like Christmas in June to have this treat to hold us over until the next Iced Earth and Blind Guardian releases. Jon's guitars sound crushing when called for, and beautiful when clean. Hansi's voice sounds wonderful as ever.

And what is this? The last song on the disc is a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song." Hansi doesn't wail the "aaaaaaAAAAAAaaaaaaa" part as high as Robert Plant, but so what. This version totally rocks. The guitars are so much chunkier than the Zep version, making this heavy metal classic even heavier.

So now that I've listened to the whole thing, I'm not surprised that I am able to tell you that this disc kicks major ass. It rocks and it's mellow; the best of both worlds as far as I'm concerned. So put down that Necrophagia or Raging Butt Plug or whatever it is you have in your hand there, and pick up this disc up and learn what makes metal great. Revel in the glory of the Crimson King.