Edguy is one of the rising stars of the power metal genre, following the mold of legends such as Iron Maiden and Helloween. In a span of just ten years, the band has put out six albums, each showing a growing musical sophistication. Edguy singer and mastermind Tobias Sammet even found time during this prolific stretch to record two all-star metal albums "Avantasia" and "Avantasia Pt 2", which united legendary vocalists of the genre into a concept rock opera. The albums garnered widepsread attention throughout Europe, and put Tobias and Edguy on the map of bands to watch.

Coming off of the success of "Avantasia", Edguy signed a record deal with metal giant Nuclear Blast. For the first time, Edguy would have the same worldwide attention and distribution of bands with higher profiles. Their first record under the contract, 2004's "Hellfire Club", showed that the band was more than up to the task. Containing the band's signature guitar work and soaring vocals, the album found it's way onto many critics best-of lists at the end of the year (2nd on my own).

Edguy isn't resting on their laurels. Less than a year after the release of "Hellfire Club", the band is back with a new EP, a teaser for their nest album, due in the Spring of 2006. Is the band working themselves too hard, or are they good enough to be able to crank material out at this kind of pace?

"Superheroes" opens the EP, and is the first single from the forthcoming album. This is also the only song on the EP which will appear on the album. Introduced by a keyboard line, much like classic "Vain Glory Opera", so song opens into a bass driven verse. Sammet sings in a controlled and low voice, setting up the chorus, which kicks in with a decided lack of flair. The choirs are pushed far to the back, and the melody fails to take off. Furthermore, the guitars are far more bassy, and less sharp than previous albums. The bridge brings in a string section, before kicking into a last round of the chorus, which has yet to develop a strong identity. The song is trying to be "King of Fools" from the last album, but doesn't build up the same level of excitement as that track.

"Spooks in the Attic" begins with a typical Edguy guitar riff before introducing more keyboards. Again, the guitars are far too bassy and unclear for this band. They don't sound quite muddy, but they aren't as natural as before. Tobias explores the upper registers of his voice during the voices, before a large choir kicks the chorus into gear. While the chorus is sweeping, the keyboards in the background are distracting and far too new-wave for the genre. Unlike the first track, this one features a melodic guitar solo that is the norm for Jens Ludwig. Unfortunately, there's nothing about the solo which stands out as special.

"Blessing in Disguise" opens with a string section, followed by a solo piano. Sammet enters with a low and soft vocal, introducing a wandering melody for the verse. Two muted strums of the guitars launch the soaring chorus into the speakers. The choir is bombastic, epic, and everything Edguy should be. This track sounds the most like the early days of the band, before they embraced more traditional metal styles. A more 80's sounding melodic guitar solo follows, and takes off with a much better flair than in the previor track. After a short piano interlude, the chorus kicks back in, sounding larger than ever, as the piano closes the song out in an odd choice.

"Judas at the Opera" is an uptempo melodic rocker that the band could probably write in their sleep. Sammet's voice sound in good form, having more of an edge than most in the genre. The chorus features a well done choir section forcing a roaring melody that may have been done at a slightly higher speed than neccessary. Lyrics have never been Sammet's forte, and in this song we get another example of why that's the case; "You want me, French frying" A sing and response bridge introduces a new element to the EP, and works very well. After an overlong string section, we are treated to guest vocals from Michael Kiske, former singer of Helloween. He adds nothing to the track except for name value. On the plus side, the guitars have refound their punch and now sound much more clear.

"The Spirit" begins with fingerpicked acoustic guitars and Sammet's low vocal. After a minute, the shorus kicks in with the full band and a choir. The melody is rolling and effective, as it the bouncy and syncopated guitars underneath. The second verse introduces a Renaissance style picked line over the strummed acoustics, creating yet another new atmosphere for the band. The guitars have again refound their typical sound, returning the band to a lighter and more fun sound. Ludwig appears to be playing the same solo from "Blessing in Disguise", with the only noticable difference being the addition of a cliche pinch harmonic. (Note: this song is a cover)

"Superheroes (Epic Version)" is a darker and more atmospheric version of the first track. Instead of keyboards and roaring guitars, the verses are given a solo piano treatment, which fits the melody far greater than in the single. The chours continues with the piano, introducing a string section alongside. The melody is given more room to breathe in this setting, and is far more effective. Tobias' voice also sounds better in this version, as though he stifles it when the tempo gets too high.

The bottom line on this EP is that it's nowhere near as good as the EP that preceeded "Hellfire Club". With that EP, it could have been argued that all of the songs on it, save the joke song "Bonus Track", were good enough to be included on the actual album. I would have a hard time justifying that claim with this EP. Even though it's written for the expressed purpose of being the single to get on the radio on tv, "Superheroes" the track is incredibly weak. It has the slick production neccessary, but the melody is not 'hit worthy'. Even in the band's playing, it sounds as though they know the song isn't good enough to lead out a new album of material.

It's always good to get new material from Edguy, but I have to wonder if they might have rushed this EP, and the forthcoming album, a little bit. These songs sound unfinished, and the production on the first two tracks leaves me baffled. Nothing on this EP is bad, but not enough of it is great. "Blessing in Disguise", "The Spirit", and "Superheroes (Epic Version)" are all fantastic songs that deserve a place in the Edguy cannon, the same cannot be said of "Superheroes", "Spookes in the Attic", or "Judas at the Opera", which tries far too hard for the minimal results it achieves.

That's really the problem right now; Edguy is simply trying too hard to justify their place in the metal world.

Rating: 78/100