Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Edguy
Label: Nuclear Blast
Released: 2017
Running time: 150:11
Rating: 4.5/5
»Monuments« is a new compilation release from the much-loved German power metal and hard rock merrymakers Edguy. The eternally upbeat, exuberant quintet from the town of Fulda, always up for a good laugh, proudly presents a discographic cross-section of the most interesting and representative moments of their career, marking their first 25 years, in what is basically an unchanged lineup.
The double CD, for which Edguy picked material from every album except »Kingdom of Madness«, is the kind of compilation that, beyond the standard »best of« formula, gives the listener more. Edguy have thrown in five brand-new songs and a rare demo recording from the time they were cutting the first (!!!) version of their album »The Savage Poetry«, which was later, in 2000, seriously reworked and finally released.
In short, Edguy never disappoint. Well, at least not usually. This time too, Edguy really pulled out all the stops with this compilation. What adds especially big value is the bonus DVD, which contains the band’s complete show in São Paulo, Brazil, from 2004, part of the »Hellfire Club« tour. It captures a time of huge drive and big ambitions, when Sammet still wasn’t struggling to hit the vocal heights he wants, the way he has been for the last few years. The DVD also includes eight video clips that Edguy released over the first two and a half decades of their career.
So the release marks the band’s 25th anniversary, and they’ve already confirmed a run of shows across Europe this fall, where Edguy will of course play picks from every era of their career. In other words, the contents of the »Monuments« compilation.
As for the new songs, there are five of them, lined up back to back on the first of the two CDs, and they show where the band is heading musically. Basically, nowhere . They stay right where they are. So. On these tracks Edguy deliver their »classic« approach to songwriting, just as we’ve come to expect from them. They bring that striking melodic hunger, bombastic catchiness, combined with an exemplary and infectious dose of riff punch, and a well-packed, front-and-center, decidedly expressive vocal from Tobias Sammet. Once again there’s that cheeky pinch of snarky mockery, even boyish swagger , which has been the band’s trademark all through their career.
All of this also defines the selected material that made it onto this compilation, and it shows that Edguy know how to build hugely dynamic arrangements within their songs. The band decided not to put the tracks in chronological order, and instead mixed them up.
»Monuments« also came out in several different formats, including vinyl and an expanded five-disc edition, which also comes with a hefty hardcover book stuffed with a rare photo gallery of the band. It’s a release that all longtime fans will have to buy, and one that is far more than welcome for anyone who doesn’t know the band yet and isn’t sure where to start discovering them.
Lineup
Tobias Sammet – vocals
Jens Ludwig – guitar, dobro
Dirk Sauer – guitar
Tobias “Eggi” Exxel – bass
Felix Bohnke – drums
Production
Sascha Paeth & Edguy
Track List
Disc I
01. Ravenblack
02. Wrestle The Devil
03. Open Sesame
04. Landmarks
05. The Mountaineer
06. 9-2-9
07. Defenders Of The Crown
08. Save Me
09. The Piper Never Dies
10. Lavatory Love Machine
11. King Of Fools
12. Superheroes
13. Love Tyger
14. Ministry Of Saints
15. Tears Of A Mandrake
Disc II
01. Mysteria
02. Vain Glory Opera
03. Rock Of Cashel
04. Judas At The Opera
05. Holy Water
06. Spooks In The Attic
07. Babylon
08. The Eternal Wayfarer
09. Out Of Control
10. Land Of The Miracle
11. Key To My Fate
12. Space Police
13. Reborn in The Waste
Disc III [Live DVD]
01. Mysteria
02. Under The Moon
03. Navigator
04. Wake Up The King
05. Land Of The Miracle
06. Lavatory Love Machine
07. Vain Glory Opera
08. Fallen Angels
09. The Piper Never Dies
10. Babylon
11. King Of Fools
12. Chalice Of Agony
13. Tears Of A Mandrake [feat. André Matos]
14. Out Of Control
Video Clips:
15. Love Tyger
16. Robin Hood
17. Two Out Of Seven
18. Ministry Of Saints
19. Superheroes
20. Lavatory Love Machine
21. King Of Fools
22. All The Clowns
