Here's a release that practically came out of nowhere and is damn good, although not surprising when you consider who is involved. Angel of Eden is the new band project put together by guitarist Roger Staffelbach (Artension) that also includes singer Carsten 'Lizard' Schulz (Evidence One, Domain), keyboard ace Misteria (Winterlong, Bruce Dickinson, Rob Rock ), and drummer Rami Ali (Evidence One). Bass on the album is played by none other than Steve Di Georgio (Death, Control Denied, Sadus, Testament, Iced Earth, Sebastian Bach), so you really do get a sort of all-star affair here. The music on The End of Never is melodic neo-classical power metal, long on stunning instrumental parts and memorable vocal melodies. The great thing here is that although this appears to be Staffelbach's baby, the CD is by no means a typical guitar shredder album, but a real band effort. Tunes like "Dreamchaser", the title track, "Keys to Avalon", and "The Battle of 1386" (with guest vocals from Artension/ex-Royal Hunt singer John West) all contain plenty of guitar crunch but also catchy melodies and loads of symphonic keyboards. Fear not though, Roger does find moments to let loose and rip, like the instrumentals "Return of the Pharoah (Pt. 1)" & "Towards the Light" (the latter featuring some sick duels between Staffelbach and Mistheria) and the ripping power metal frenzy of "Stampede", a tune that also sees drummer Ali firing away with plenty of speedy fills. Also included is a bonus cover of Yngwie Malmsteen's "You Don't Remember, I'll Never Forget", complete with Schulz doing a great job singing the parts originally done by Mark Boals. In fact, despite all the musical fireworks on this album, it really succeeds thanks to the solid vocals from Schultz, who should be a much talked about talent in the genre for years to come.
The End of Never is a very promising debut for Angel of Eden. Let's hope that this is no mere project and the band can keep the momentum going from here, as this release is a hell of a lot more interesting and enjoyable than the last few Artension CD's.
Track Listing
1. The End Of Never
2. Dreamchaser
3. Angel Of Eden
4. Return Of the Pharaoh
5. The Battle Of 1386
6. Into the Black
7. Return Of the Pharaoh
8. Keys To Avalon
9. Stampede
10. Towards the Light
11. You Don't Remember, I'll Never Forget (bonus Yngwie Malmsteen cover)
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