EDGUY: Tinnitus Sanctus

Produced by Sascha Paeth

Released: November 14

Edguy is one of those most rare of bands, one that has remained consistently good regardless of what direction they choose to head into. After perfecting their power metal phase with the mighty Mandrake, the band has borne the brunt of criticism for the overtly rock moves they've made since. Hellfire Club remains a deeply contentious pieces of work, with fans old and new either hating it with a passion or praising it as among their best. Even the dubious Rocket Ride had its enjoyable moments, although most punters rightly pointed out that Edguy was in danger of pushing the envelope too far with its disastrous jokey reggae songs and irritating electro-pop experiments.

Tinnitus Sanctus probably won't please all of those who preferred it when Edguy sounded more like Helloween, but it is closer to the darker side of power metal than they have been since Mandrake. This follows the same heavy rocking vein of the last two albums, but they've (all but) dispensed with the goofyness and instead come away with a heavier and more mature creation. Apart a silly ditty about incest done in a mock-hillbilly style -- sensibly tucked away at the end of the album -- virtually all of the irreverent humour of Hellfire Club and Rocket Ride appears to have been stripped away. In its place is a more sombre tone, with Tobias Sammet's lyrics exploring some religious themes on a few of the tracks. As mentioned, there is a darker aspect in the music also, with Sammet singing in a deeper-than-usual register a lot of the time. There is a few concessions to their power metal past evident here and there too, like the choruses of "Sex Fire Religion" and the overall speed of some songs that remains.

Overall, this latest offering is solid as a complete package without a particular highlight, although "Speedhoven" with its older-Edguy style speed metal parts and the opening song "Ministry of Saints" are stand-outs. "Aren't You a Little Pervert Too?" departs from the feel of the rest of Tinnitus Sanctus quite markedly, tacked on the end just to show that Edguy hasn't lost their strange sense of humour in their transition back to the serious side of metal again.

This is not the return to Edguy's power metal days as many would like, but as a development toward a middle ground, Tinnitus Sanctus should please many.

1. Ministry of Saints
2. Sex Fire Religion
3. The Pride of Creation
4. Nine Lives
5. Waking Up Dreaming Black
6. Dragonfly
7. Thorn Without a Rose
8. 929
9. Speedhoven
10. Dead or Rock
11. Aren't You a Little Pervert Too?

Rating: 78%