Metal Underground.com

It was the troll heard across the world….Tobi Sammet declares that he has made the greatest power metal album ever as he names the song titles from the upcoming new album “Space Police – Defenders of the Crown.” Fans gleefully played into it, some taking everything Sammet had to say with a tongue planted in cheek and others dreading that he has finally lost it for good: “Do Me Like a Caveman?” “Love Tyger?” Oh there was a fair amount of butthurt from the purists from all that. I don’t have to hear the cries from the “originators” who lament for “Savage Poetry” or “Vain Glory Opera.” I was there too, but along the way people seem to forget about the “fun” side of heavy metal. It seems that if you aren’t shoe gazing with a frown – looking down at your guitar that you practice for 24/7 and can miraculously perform material that sends shivers through Yngwie Malmsteen’s astounding ego - then you can't come to the cool party. Sammet writes better songs and more infectious melodies on “Space Police” than any other Edguy album combined…and YOU.

So does it shock anyone if I blatantly proclaim that this Edguy album is as close to perfect as Sammet has come, short of Avantasia? I can hear shouts of “Mandrake” and “Hellfire Club” alongside adjectives like “blasphemy” and “lunatic.” No album in the history of Edguy has dealt this much ferocity combined with comedy since “Rocket Ride,” and that was half the album this is. With very few cringing moments, “Space Police” is the unwitting hit of 2014, and while many are unlikely to get beyond Tobi’s sense of humor, keep in mind that he does it consciously and with flippant care for serious heads. It is precisely this childlike approach that I appreciate so much from the man...proving not all great musicians and composers have to have on their "serious face" to be deemed great. Look at Devin Townsend - does anyone have more fun than him? This is a musical genius as well.

It isn't as if suddenly one day Sammet woke up and decided to be a goofball. This type of cartoonish act while boasting a total metallic attack with a raging ego has been the modus operandi for a long while now. But despite all the complaints…everyone still comes out and to see the shows and buy the albums, disguising their inner child with outward disgust at the risk of looking foolish to the cool crowd. But there is a simple reason for this: the albums are actually good. “The Age of the Joker” took a lot of heat for being boring, trite, and devoid of interest – calling for cries from the beloved to stop the torrid pace of material for fear of burnout. Sure, “Joker” took a bunch of spins and maybe the songs were a bit lengthy for what they are, but it still was a pretty great album. Hopefully, with time it will be looked at better. In difference, “Space Police” seems to have closed the gaps and at many times goes direct for the power metal jugular that the song titles don’t seem to portray.

“Sabre & Torch” is one of the most boasting and blasting power metal anthems ever penned by Sammet. Right after, juxtaposed, is a seemingly “lighter” tune with a “poppy” keyboard that unveils one of the coolest and most memorable tracks on the album – the title track “Space Police” (note the trolling joke revealed in the lyrics: "What the shine of my ego looks like from a distance...and what do they know about me?"). Suddenly, the genius of the “Tobi-troll” reveals himself, and ah-ha - he really did make one of the greatest power metal albums! Now all that’s left to piss off the lyric hounds - people who cannot seem to get beyond silliness to enjoy music for what it is. “Defenders of the Crown” is another straight up power metal crusher - a riff with a twist! “Love Tyger” may be a sappy hard rock track – but it kills any Steel Panther look-a-like. “The Realms of Baba Yaga” is yet another galloping riff, in which Sammet sounds strikingly like Bruce Dickinson towards the end. Right about now you realize the joke is on you. This is exactly what Sammet trolled you about!

“Rock Me Amadeus” is a hysterical rendition of the Falco classic, with the best of the rest in “Shadow Eaters” and the epic "Eternal Wayfarer," which along with the ballad “Alone In Myself” sounds very closely like Avantasia. "Alone In Myself" is especially fooling, as I was certain Magnum’s Bob Cately would start singing. And what of “Do Me Like a Caveman?” Well, outside of the joking title, the song is excellent.

Defying physics, Sammet continues to pump out the material at both a dizzying pace and of the highest quality. "Space Police" is one of the most engaging and exciting albums to come from Edguy in years. So please go ahead and scoff, fire back comments to the undisputed king of social media and give into your hatred….Tobi is goading you to do it! Meanwhile, I'll have the attendant add more butter to my popcorn as I listen the latest adventures of the “Space Police – Defenders of the Crown."