EDGUY „Rocket Ride”

Country: Germany
Website: www.edguy.nu
Label: www.nuclearblastusa.com
Music: Hard Rock/Power Metal

Edgy apparently is becoming one of the big guns on today’s Metal scene. They have a unique blend of fascinating song writing skills, thrown in with a little bit of humor. Overall this album is a melting pot of influences with no shortage of ability to produce huge sing along anthems, which I think is seriously lacking in today’s metal scene. Rocket Ride is the bands seventh studio album and it proves that these guys are enjoying themselves immensely!

Spawned in Fulda, Germany in 1992 during grunge explosion and yet not ruined by it! Four ambitious fourteen-year-old boys, Tobias Sammet, Jens Ludwig, Dirk Sauer, and Dominik Storch, started out as a high school cover band who played Deep Purple, AC/DC, KISS, and Iron Maiden tunes soon become a creative quartet known as EDGY who wrote, arranged, and performed their own brand of traditional heavy metal when there were few souls brave enough to do so.

I would dare say that this album is a tribute album. But are the songs cover tunes? Nope, but there are plenty of influences found here. I'll take a look at this one track by track.

The album opener, “Sacrifice” easily a song that I think could have been included on the metal opus Operation Mind Crime by Queensryche. The song takes you on an emotional roller coaster of aggression and melody. One of the best songs on the album!

“Rocket Ride”. After driving hard and fast the song drops into a soft melodic interlude and then slowly builds back to the hard driving momentum the songs starts out with. Only other Rocket Ride song I know is KISS' written by Ace! Hmmm….

“Wasted time” is similar in style and presentation of “Sacrifice” which is a good thing since “Sacrifice” is so good. A few hints of Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden style can be heard in the vocals. Maybe the title helps with this association?

Next up the blockbuster movie inspired “Matrix” slows things down a bit for the album with some futuristic synthesizer effects that adds a lot of atmosphere to this song.

One of the better songs, “Return to the Tribe” speeds things back to full throttle, take note at the end of song is a vocalized “guitar solo”, which comes off sounding really cool as the guitar really sounds like its talking and laughing!

“Asylum” starts out very soft and slow and builds to a mighty crescendo before the end of the song. Head banging riffs that may have you jumping and down and raising your fists along with this song!

The albums ballad, “Save Me” is definitely hard to get into after listening to the rest of the albums heavy stuff. A little too slow and sleepy for me.

“Catch of the Century” comes off as a fun hard rocker, not as fast as other tracks here, and a little egotistical giving it a very enjoyable 80's feel. Tobias Sammet starts screaming at the end of the song impromptu professing of his great abilities to please the ladies! Very Funny.

“Out of Vogue” a little more of the maidenesque influences here. Hard driving crunching guitars with a very atmospheric intermission that breaks the song up a bit which is followed up by another amazing dual guitar solo.

Another movie inspired song, “Superheroes” has really cool bass intro of the “Batman Theme” that pops up again in the song! This song has a real 70's AOR arena rock feel even though it’s a little cheesy in the lyrics but seriously its all in fun!

Heading toward the end of the album “Trinidad” stands out as something that has a real David Lee Roth era Van Halen feel to it. Containing a fun bombastic sing along chorus and easily one of the most infectious songs on the album. Again this song is more upbeat hard rock than Power Metal. “Trinidad”is replete with Roth style hoots and howls and talking interludes endeavoring to catch the attention of the ladies. Also, if you listen close at the end there is a little sound byte from the Serious Sam II video game. Hello!

The retro styled “Fucking with Fire” is an unabashed tribute to 80's Hair Metal scene reminding me of bands such as Black'N Blue, Wildside, and Bulletboys. Good hard rockin' upbeat melodies and exuding decadent decadence! Good fun and a great song!

Armed with an unbeatable tongue-in-cheek attitude, and truckloads of talent to back it up, it’s
virtually impossible not to be swept up in the good cheer this album exudes. Similar to witnessing a majestic fireworks show, Rocket Ride will first mesmerize you, then bedazzle you, and at the end of the album, make you feel like you just participated in an amazing celebration of the human spirit that soars high above your youthful heart’s wildest fantasies!

note: 8/10

Tracklist

01. Sacrifice
02. Rocket Ride
03. Wasted Time
04. Matrix
05. Return to the Tribe
06. The Asylum
07. Save Me
08. Catch of the Century
09. Out of Vogue
10. Superheroes
11. Trinidad
12. Fucking with Fire (Hair Force One)

Line-up

Dirk Sauer – Guitars
Tobias “Eggi” Exxel – Bass
Tobias Sammet – Vocals
Felix Bohnke – Drums
Jens Ludwig – Guitars