Magic

This is Axel's last CD with vocalist Jeff Scott Soto and it is the best with Jeff on vocals. The whole CD drummer Jörg Michael delivers double beats except in songs such as the epic "Magic" and ballads "The Clown Is Dead" and "The Eyes Of The Lost".

All fast songs due to the double beat in the drums look like the same but with simply magic by Axel which composes really well you can enjoy the CD all over with great tunes, the fast songs which stands out are "Playing With Fire" with an amazing guitar work by Axel, and the best one is "Prisoners Of The Sea" with an amazing and catchy chorus which in a live concert could have 5 more minutes with the crowd singing along.

And to follow great epics from previous CD's such as "Land Of The Giants", "Casbah" and "Black Moon Pyramid", the song "Magic" is once again another great one done by the magician of epic songs. The ballads in this CD are really good too with Jeff's vocals but what reminds the most in both ballads are the solo parts.

Through out ARP’s tenure among the traditional metal faithful they have had a rather steady evolution. Although the pedestrian power metal fan who owns one or two of their albums would categorize them as a hold over from the late 80s who rode the gravy train of melodic bands who lived on double bass drum beats, the more educated follower of their music knows better. This album, along with the one that follows it titled “Oceans of Time”, are the closest to Power Metal that ARP has ever gotten. And the primary reason for this lay not in Axel’s guitar playing, which has remained constantly melodic and heavy throughout his career, but in the varying styles of the other instrumentalists.

Jorg Michael is the primary reason for the power metal association, both for his tendency to shine on the faster tracks, and the machine-like precession that he exhibits constantly. This is a trait that is common to most of the more well-known German Power Metal drummers such as Gamma Ray’s Dan Zimmerman, Iron Savior’s Thomas Knack, and former Helloween kit master Uli Kusch. Jorg is not quite interchangeable with these drummers, but he shares enough in common with them to lump him in with them in terms of style. Particular tracks where Jorg’s playing shines include “Nightmare”, “Playing with Fire, the title track, and “Light in the Sky”.

Former Rising Force vocalist Jeff Scott Soto is another force on this album that needs consideration. Although he doesn’t fit the mold of today’s Halford/Kiske mold of the ideal power metal singer, he is more than capable in the upper limits of the male range, though his voice is not quite as powerful it used to be. I do prefer Gioeli’s voice to Soto’s as far as the ARP catalog goes, but I get a very pleasant sense of nostalgia when listening to albums like this. Stand out tracks highlighting Soto’s versatile voice include “The Clown is Dead”, “The Eyes of the Lost”, the title track, and “Light in the Sky”.

Keyboardist Christian Wolff is probably the lesser force in the fold as he only appeared on one album between the atmospheric approach to keys taken by Julie Greaux on the previous two albums and the virtuoso approach of current synth extraordinaire Ferdy Doernberg. Wolff tends more towards the Greaux approach to keyboards, though he does do a nice job on the prelude “Swamp Castle Overture” and provides some rather somber piano playing for the epic ballad “The Clown is Dead”.

As far as tracks that stand out for their overall power, it’s tough to really pick a stand out amongst the faster tracks. If I had to pick a favorite among the cookers it would be a toss up between “Nightmare” for it’s incredibly powerful chorus and “Light in the Sky” which is very similar to Yngwie’s I’ll See the Light Tonight. However, “Playing with Fire” has an exceptional drum intro and overall guitar performance. The title track is a great homage to Sabbath’s Heaven and Hell, though not as blatantly so as the 2004 homage known as “Disciples of Hell”. “The Clown is Dead” is a very long, yet powerful and tear jerking ballad loaded with plenty of melodic guitar treats. “The Eyes of the Lost” is one of my favorite ARP ballads, although there isn’t anything musically extravagant to it when compared with the various ballads done with Gioeli, the way the lyrics interplay with the music is quite moving.

In conclusion, this is a bit different from the more recent releases, which feature a much more stable and radically different lineup. There is a good deal more speed on this release on this album, as was the case with the previous two and “Oceans of Time”, all owing to Jorg Michael’s more metric approach to drumming. I can recommend this one strongly to fans of power metal and traditional metal alike, there is plenty here for both.