Year: 2020
Total Time: 01:04:45
Label: Century Media
The collaboration between Hansi Kursch (BLIND GUARDIAN) and Jon Schaffer (ICED EARTH) began in the late 1990s. As DEMONS & WIZARDS, they’ve released their debut album in 1999 followed by “Touched By The Crimson King” in 2005. Both albums were reissued last year, perhaps indicating some intentions of the band to reunite. The band’s live performances in 2019 confirmed this, opening up the fans’ appetite for fresh material.
After numerous delays and press releases, the band’s third album is here! In a welcoming comeback, Schaffer and Kürsch include drummer Brent Smedley, guitarists Jake Dreyer and Jim Morris, and bassist Ruben Drake, along with numerous supporting bands, including the PA’dam Chamber Choir. In addition, Morris contributed to the production along with Charlie Bauerfeind, Tommy Geiger and Joost van den Broek.
The album opens with “Diabolic”, a simple and dynamic track, a proper choice to introduce us into it. As always, the riffs are definitely Schaffer-ish, but there’s a lot more melody and subtlety to the album than maybe in any ICED EARTH album yet. “Invincible” and “Wolves In Winter” offer bonus points throughout the album, but also to the sound and logic of D&W. Finally, we have “Children Of Cain”, the biggest song in the album, since it is more than ten minutes long. It’s a complex piece full of details and changes to its atmosphere, incorporating folk and acoustic elements, among other surprises. Because of its cinematic tone, it is the perfect way to close the album in an epic way, giving the best possible ending to this long-awaited album.
“III” is an album that probably needs a lot of listening and patience. No, not all songs are instant classics and it may take a while before you can make a final verdict on them. Perhaps the most impatient will reject or criticize the album after a fast listen, but its content is not made for quick consumption. I can say that the magic and the chemistry between the “Demon” and the “Wizard” are intact after fifteen years and I sincerely hope we don’t have to wait so many more years to see them again on tour or before their next release. Whatever the future holds, all we can do right now is to enjoy the return of DEMONS & WIZARDS, with its pros and cons…
Rating: 7/10
Editor: Fanouris Exintavelonis
Related Link: DEMONS & WIZARDS – Facebook Page
