Demons & Wizards - Demons & Wizards
1999 Steamhammer

Track Listing:
1.  Rites Of Passage
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

Line-Up:
Vocals:  Hansi Kürsch
Guitars:  Jon Schaffer, Jim Morris
Bass:  Jon Schaffer
Drums:  Mark Prator

Website:  www.demonsandwizards.de

Peace Sells' Rating:  A-
Overall Rating:  A-

Also be sure to read:
Iced Earth - Night Of The Stormrider by Follow The Hollow

special guest Peace Sells' Review:
I think everyone in the power metal scene has heard of Iced Earth and Blind Guardian.  They are no new names to the genre, as are Jon Schaffer and Hansi Kürsch.  Schaffer, being the guitarist from Iced Earth, became great friends with Hansi Kürsch, the lead singer of Blind Guardian.  As a consequence, they teamed up to form their side project, Demons & Wizards, and wow what a product they created.  Demons & Wizards are not only fast and aggressive, but the main ballad here, 'The Fiddler On The Green', might be one of the best songs on the album.  It all came together on this one, a statement I unfortunately cannot make about their sophomore album, Touched By The Crimson King.

The guitars and vocals are what obviously drive this band.  They are performed exceptionally well, but one thing I found the most appealing surprise was the drumming.  It is blistering fast, precise, and brutal.  The use of the double bass is not only astounding, but it adds a completely new dimension to the material.  Simply put, this album is a must have for any Blind Guardian or Iced Earth fans.  Well, scratch that, this album is a must for any power metal fans.

Song summaries include...

1. Rites Of Passage - An intro to 'Heaven Denies', with a background chant throughout the entire piece.  Short, not even a minute, but not exactly necessary.  It's hard to judge intros, so this one won't get a grade.

2. Heaven Denies - This song rips from the first seconds.  Kürsch's vocals are top notch here, and when the chorus blasts in, the guitars absolutely shred.  After three minutes, the song slows down for the remaining two and a half, and is slow and soft.  After such an electrifying start, this almost contradicts the first half of the song.  Not to say it's bad, but I'd rather have the blistering pounding continue throughout the song.  A

3. Poor Man's Crusade - After such a great opener, this piece comes on.  While not bad, it sure isn't a 'Heaven Denies'.  The chorus lacks the extra oomph to make it great, and while the guitars are solid, they fall a bit short.  When Kürsch sings "Let's kill them all, let's kill them all" is pretty cool, though.  B-

4. Fiddler On The Green - Inspired by two true events that happened to Hansi, this one has an acoustic opening, and right from the get-go you know this one is going to be good.  Kürsch is in top shape here, as his vocals are soft and melodic.  The guitars rip, and when the song finally explodes at the 3:35 mark, Kürsch's vocals soar to a level that is remarkable.  The guitars fit the mood perfectly, and Kürsch delivers an effort that, for the rest of the album, will not be matched.  The guitar soloing at the end is only bitter sweet icing on the cake.  A+

5. Blood On My Hands - Pounding drums and hard guitars start this one, but this might be my least favorite on the album.  After 'Fiddler On The Green', this is only a letdown.  The drumming saves this one to an extent.  C

6. Path Of Glory - A slow beginning that leads to heavier guitars that come in with no pay off.  This one is only a shade better than 'Blood On My Hands', with a nice guitar solo at the 3:07 mark.  That's the only positive thing I can say about this one, it's just so average.  B-

7. Winter Of Souls - A nice beginning and leads into a pretty good chorus.  Kürsch's vocals are solid right here, and the guitar melodies are strong.  The song gets really good at the 4:10 mark and never looks back.  A solid song, not great but not bad.  B

8. The Whistler - Slow song before busting out of its shell with a vengeance.  This song shreds everything in its way, and when it bursts into the chorus, it takes no prisoners.  Absolute brilliance, Kürsch delivers a great performance once again.  This might be my favorite track of the entire album, that or 'Fiddler'.  This is what power metal should be like.  A+

9. Tear Down The Wall - Once this song gets going, this is another amazing song.  It's brilliant from the beginning, and I'll be the first to admit I've had this song jammed on repeat on a couple of instances.  A+

10. Gallows Pole - You know this song is going to be heavy from the beginning.  When it crashes down, Kürsch sounds like he's out on a mission to destroy something.  Heavy throughout, this is how to make music.  A

11. My Last Sunrise - The last real track on the album, and they saved a good one.  A solid song throughout, and when Kürsch delivers his scream half way throughout, it sends chills down your spine.  Good way to end an album.  A-

12. Chants - A 48 second outro with just a couple of people chanting.  I have no clue why they added this, as this is completely superfluous.  Doesn't detract from the album, but by no means adds to it.  D

special guest Peace Sells' Rating:  A-

Discography (last updated 6.15.06):
Demons & Wizards - 1999
Touched By The Crimson King - 2005