Like virtually every band of their ilk, Germany's curiously named
Edguy clearly view
Iron Maiden's
Live After Death as the archetypal heavy metal concert album. And since
Edguy clearly wants to be
Iron Maiden even more than most of their peers, it was only natural that their first live opus, 2003's
Burning down the Opera, would follow their heroes' blueprint -- double-disc set; ample liner notes; a technical sheet; and a gazillion photos -- down to the last letter. Recorded during 2001-2002, this tour saw these symphonic metal prodigies (still barely entering their twenties despite having five studio albums already in the can) conquering territories as distant as Australia and Brazil.
Burning down the Opera judiciously visits every stage of
Edguy's prolific career. Anal-retentive fans of the band's anal-retentive precision-metal will no doubt be thrilled by the grandiose fantasy anthems ("Fallen Angels," and "Babylon"); analytical progressive workouts ("Tears of a Mandrake," and "The Pharaoh"); the occasional power ballad ("Land of Miracle"); and all-around magnificent musicianship throughout; listeners probably won't even notice (or care about) the noticeably studio-enhanced audience participation portions of the program. While we're on the subject, vocalist Tobias Sammet manages to out-cheese
Bruce Dickinson with his energetic, yet irritating, stage presence, which includes leading his troops through the namesake track of his outrageous operatic side-project
Avantasia. But then, these qualities are exactly what serious
Edguy fans would wish for in a live album. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia