“Touched by the Crimson King” è il secondo episodio del combo Hansi Kursch e Jon Schaffer. Ammetto di aver ascoltato pochissimo del loro album di esordio, ma sicuramente si sta parlando di un bel passo avanti. È un album power metal (un po’ particolare per la verità), che riesce ad unire bene le sonorità di Blind Guardian e Iced Earth, di cui i personaggi sopra citati sono rispettivamente cantante e chitarrista e che delinea un suono personale ben strutturato.
Si inizia subito alla grandissima con “Crimson King”, un brano davvero epico e cattivo, probabilmente il migliore dell’intero lavoro. Ottimo il ritornello ed efficacissima ed ispirata la parte acustica interna. Hansi e Jon danno da subito il meglio di loro, il primo più che altro con una interpretazione giocata, come nell’intero album, e diciamo pure come sempre, non tanto sulla tecnica, ma sull’emozione e sull’aggressività, e Jon con l’esecuzione di riffing precisissimi e potenti, e con delle basi solide e veloci.
“Beneath the Waves”, calma subito le atmosfere dure dell’inizio per portare l’atmosfera su qualcosa di più malinconico, drammatico. Anche “Terror Train”, nonostante sia la composizione più dura dell’album, mantiene quel qualcosa di inquieto, di nostalgico. Questa scelta, che si sente in ogni canzone, può essere data dai temi trattati nelle particolarissime lyrics, che prendono spunto in parte da ”La Torre Nera” di Stephen King, autore alquanto apprezzato dal vecchio buon Hansi.
Un altro tratto particolare del lavoro è senz’altro il costante utilizzo di cupi arpeggi acustici, che si notano subito nella traccia successica : l’ottima semi-ballad “Seize the Day”, nella appassionante e bella “Love’s tragedy asunder”, nelle sorpassabili e alla lunga noiose “Gunslinger” e “Wicked Witch” e nella carina, anche se sa di già sentita, “Down Where I Am”.
“Dorian” è invece un ottimo connubio tra potenza, mistero e inquietudine. Diversi i cambi di tempo, per lo più azzeccati. Potrebbe essere uno degli apici del disco se la parte intermediaria non fosse così lunga e ripetitiva.
Troviamo infine una inutile cover di “Immagrion Song” degli Zep: la classica canzone “usa e getta”, da ascoltare un paio di volte e poi cestinare.
A differenza di tantissimi lavori power è da notare anche l’assenza di assoli sparati. Come qualcuno già saprà Jon (anche quando compone negli Iced Earth) preferisce puntare più sulla parte ritmica che nella solistica, anche perché non si sente sicurissimo e abilissimo per gli assoli. I pochi che comunque compaiono (suonati da Jim Morris), come appena detto non puntano sulla velocità ma sulla calma e sulla emozionalità, e restano comunque più che buoni.
In generale un lavoro elevato (in alcune occasioni elevatissimo), piacevolissimo, ascoltabile e prodotto benissimo. La scelta appunto di puntare molto su atmosfere malinconiche e toccanti si rileva coraggiosa, soprattutto per un genere come il power metal, che punta soprattutto nella frenesia, nell’aggressività e nella velocità, ma che alla lunga risulta diventare monotona e statica. Insomma… “il classico bell’album che non rimarrà nella storia”…

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01   Crimson King (05:47)

Show me your banner
Come show me your sign
The Crimson King's eye
Is the mark to reveal you are mine
I am your master
I will make your dreams come true
I'm your messiah
A twisted one as you may know

My right hands, my servants
My soldiers, my tools
Spread out the good news
Find my children and gather them all
We'll take all low men
All the hatred, evil souls
We share one desire
A wicked one as you may know

Touched by the Crimson King
Touched By the Saviour
The tower falls on Judgement Day
Touched By the Crimson King
Touched By the Saviour
Like it’s been written many years ago

I am the angel I am madness
I am the word I am the law
I am holding truth release your sadness
I am the key I am the door
Release!
Oh there is
War and evil
Whores and sinners
Take my hand and I show you
Where to go
Call me Flagg
I’m the Good Man
I’m the Dark Man
Take my hand and
I show you where to go
Release!
Come take my hand
To the promised land

Redeemer
Deceiver
The demon
The man in black

The universe is void
Just you and I
Let there be light
The stars will rise
Then fall again
Climbing to the top
An empty room
Is all there is
Oh I fear it is
Prophecies were made of you and I
The vision’s strong
But meanwhile keep on falling
Oh what a miracle is life
An even bigger one is size
It’s just the way it is
I fear it is
It’s just the way it is

Life’s a wheel nothing more
It goes round and around and a…
I am the ageless
I am “Legion�?
I’m your lord
I will bring terror
I’m a demon in disguise
The thrill of a thousand
Worlds dying at once
But my ultimate goal
Lies beyond the downfall

Touched by the Crimson King
Touched By the Saviour
The tower falls on Judgement Day
Touched By the Crimson King
Touched By the Saviour
Like it’s been written many years ago

02   Beneath These Waves (05:12)

03   Terror Train (04:46)

I’m awake so
You better feed me now
I won’t slow down
Once we have left this town
Rhymes and riddles
I’m still sleepy so
You must hurry
Please take your seats
You’ll stay with me
Be with me
I’ll be with you
I’ll be with you

No one really knows the pain I’m going through
My final ride is almost done
The world has moved on now it’s time to go
My final ride is almost done

Come lift my spirit up, I’m Blaine!
Come lift my spirit up, I’m Blaine!

I am nothing
But at train and
I assume that you don’t like me
I’m insane but
Not yet crazy
I will never let you go
Enjoy the ride you’ll stay with me
Stay with me
I’ll stay with you
I’ll stay with you

No one really knows the pain I’m going through
My final ride is almost done
The world has moved on now it’s time to go
My final ride is almost done

Come lift my spirit up, I’m Blaine!
Come lift my spirit up, I’m Blaine!

I am the one I am the one
The godlike terror train
The superior, artificial brain
Feel free to call me Blaine

I will roll on
Riddle de-dum, I’m best
Try me, try me,
I’ll never fail that test
Blue’s for girls and
Pink’s for me
Cause
I’m the mono
Don’t even dare to mess with me

No one really knows the pain I’m going through
My hate will last forevermore
The world has moved on now it’s time to go
My hate will last forevermore

Come lift my spirit up, I’m Blaine!
Come lift my spirit up, I’m Blaine!

Beneath the demon moon

04   Seize the Day (05:22)

05   The Gunslinger (05:15)

Songs to sing ?

Song of Turtle
And the Cry of the Bear
Awake
I can sense it
Still I?m afraid
Tower Road lies ahead
Commala-come-ka
Ka has come to me
Grey old fellow
If you finally failed the test
What would it mean?
We?re getting near
We?re getting near
Maid of sorrow
Your time goes by

Fade away
Fade

?Say thank, ya? for the beams are safe my friend
Long days and pleasant nights for you

Save me
The final chord
Don?t let it end like this
No, not like this
Tell me
When things were finally getting out of hand
It?s out of hand

Entangled, I am captured
You have put a spell on me
The last in line
The Gunslinger?s line
The sacrifice of innocence
This work needs to be done
Now blow the horn
Hail to the gun!

Done is done
Yes, there will be no taking back
Every journey must come to an end
All hail to the Gunslinger
Praise to the Dinh and the King
Beyond our reach, out of control

Save me
To touch the rose it will not bring release
No taking back
Come save me
There are other worlds
But surely none like this
The world has changed

Done is done
Yes, there will be no taking back
The word is the law
Law is Ka

The end of the road lies
Straight ahead it lies
I?m feeling pure
The end of the road lies ?

The sacrifice of innocence
The hailing of the gun
My way was death and madness
Now let the tower come

Done is done
Yes, there will be no taking back
And every journey must come to an end
All hail to the Gunslinger
Praise to the Dinh and the King
Beyond our reach, out of control ?

06   Love's Tragedy Asunder (05:28)

Here in the shadows
There's no wishing well
May the Blessed one forgive me
Like so many times before
There's no saviour at the door
It won't matter anymore

Touch me now while we reach the end,
I wonder where you are right now, right now,
Oh my dear

She still has sunshine in her weary eyes
A bed of roses to testify my love
A promise made, now I will make a try
There is no power in earth to tear us apart

Love's tragedy asunder
Oh, set your spirit free
Love's tragedy asunder
Do I believe

Deep in the shadows there's no release
[I believe] Deep in the shadows you won't find peace
[I believe] We live in a dreamworld, it's over now
I'll take your hand, our time is sure to come

On broken wings I try to fly
I'm sorry I will get it by
All praise and glory,
All praise and glory to love

I've buried sunlight when I shutter eyes
Dead leaves to dust, the seasons bloom
A glimpse of Heaven showed an angel cry
Tenfold the cries of Crack of Doom

Love's tragedy asunder
Wanted peace for me
Love's tragedy asunder
Will I be free

Love's tragedy asunder
Will I be free
Love's tragedy asunder
Falling misery
Love's tragedy asunder
Do I believe
Love's tragedy asunder
Still I believe

07   Wicked Witch (03:32)

There is a demon
An evil mind
Inside us
Oh I know, I know
We all know the rules
When water will be shed
The wicked witch is…

This is the end of all the miracles
Farewell to you yellow brick road

Everything she is asking for
It all belongs to her
Now she’s gone into nothingness
There she waits

Still I can hear her singing in the room
In the room I know she’s gone
I’ve thought “She’ll never fail,
All magic will be gone
The day she’ll melt away�?

This is the end of all the miracles
Still I hear her singing in the dark
Truth has changed, her voice it stays the same
Farewell to you yellow brick road
Still I hear her singing in the dark
While time goes on her voice will fade away

“They are all, they’re everything, they are mine
Silver shoes you’re mine, you are mine,
You are mine�?

Hate will live on

This is the end of all the miracles
Farewell to you yellow brick road

The wicked witch is dead …

08   Dorian (06:36)

Amuse me
Sweet son of love
Sweet son of death
Adore me
And keep in every word I've said
Time is a bitter foe
A bitter foe
Until the end
And grace is like you my friend
My handsome one
My handsome one

Dorian
Time is jealous
Time is pain

The gods will give
The gods will take
Youth will wane
As age will gain
We'll turn into ashes
Like ashes will turn into dust
Will turn into dust
Will fade will fade will fade

Dorian
Oh how sad it is
Time is jealous
Time is pain

Oh how cruel
For me to know
Each breath will take beauty away
If I stayed young and the picture
turned old
For that I would give everything

When our eyes first met
I should have left the room
I was growing cold and pale
Fatality
The picture's a mirror
But to whom does it belong?

Oh I damn the day
On that beautiful morning
Am I modern sinner
Or an ancient god
Pray I pray
Is there anything as pure as hate
For the prayer of my pride it has been answered
I can't free myself
From the spell of words
The twisted limbs, the gaping mouth, the lifeless eyes
Forever we are gone
You shall stay with me
I wonder if there's heaven
I wonder if there's heaven
There's nothing left of me

Dorian
Oh how horrible
All the damage you have done
Dorian
It's your beauty
Time will take

09   Down Where I Am (04:54)

10   Immigrant Song (02:28)

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Altre recensioni

Di  Hellring

 L'album non è un capolavoro ma comunque si tratta di un side-project e quindi c'è tempo per migliorare.

 La batteria sovrasta addirittura la chitarra e inoltre la voce viene sempre distorta da quegli effetti.