Hellfire Club (album)
Encyclopedia
Hellfire Club, released April 6, 2004, is the sixth album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
power metal
Power metal
Power metal is a style of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. The term refers to two different but related styles: the first pioneered and largely practiced in North America with a harder sound similar to speed metal, and a...
band Edguy
Edguy
-Demos, AFM years :Edguy was founded in 1992 by 14-year-old students Tobias Sammet, Jens Ludwig, Dominik Storch and Dirk Sauer. The name "Edguy" was an affectionate epithet for Mr. Edgar Siedschlag, their math teacher at the time. In 1994, the band released two demos, Evil Minded and Children of...
. The music of the band is supported by a German orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
, the Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg
Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg
The German Film Orchestra Babelsberg is a symphony orchestra based in Potsdam, Germany. It was founded in 1993 by Klaus Peter Beyer. The orchestra derives its name from the legendary Babelsberg Studios in Potsdam-Babelsberg, a city part of Potsdam today, where notable films such as Metropolis, Dr...
.
In contrast to their previous albums, Hellfire Club owes more to the sound of Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
than their biggest influence Helloween
Helloween
Helloween is a German power metal band founded in the mid 1980s by members of Iron Fist and Powerfool. The band was a pioneering force in the European Power Metal movement and their second and third studio albums, Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt...
, both in vocals and in music. The first track "Mysteria" opens with the introduction "Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome - to the Freak Show!", followed by a guitar riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
that is unusually dark and heavy for Edguy's standards and is very similar to some Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
riffs. The rest of the album generally follows this scheme, with a few exceptions:
- "We Don't Need A Hero" is a very fast, upbeat song with the anthemic quality typical for the band.
- The mid-tempo song "King of Fools" was the first single of the album and provided the band with the opportunity to have a TV appearance in the German Pro7 McChart Show, which was heavily criticised by fans who sensed a sellout.
- "Lavatory Love Machine" is one of the band's several joke songs and is unusual in that it is more accurately described as hard rockHard rockHard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
than heavy metalHeavy metal musicHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
. The similarly joke lyrics, featuring much over-the-top innuendo (the song is about Tobias sitting in an aeroplane headed for Brazil that is going to crash and him having sex in the toilet with the stewardess) sparked some controversy, but most fans attribute the lyrical content to Sammet's somewhat surreal sense of humour. - "The Spirit Will Remain" is an operatic ballad wherein Tobias sings before a purely orchestral backdrop.
The bonus track "Children of Steel", originally an early demo, was re-recorded for this album. The bonus track version of "Mysteria" features Mille Petrozza
Mille Petrozza
Miland "Mille" Petrozza is a German guitarist and singer. He is best known for being the lead vocalist of the band Kreator...
of the German thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
band Kreator
Kreator
Kreator is a thrash metal band from Essen, Germany, formed in 1978, but formalized in 1982 under the name Tormentor. They originally performed a speed metal style with Venom influences. Their style of music is similar to their compatriots Destruction and Sodom, the other two big German thrash metal...
on lead vocals.
Track listing
All lyrics by Tobias Sammet. All music by Tobias Sammet except where noted.- "Mysteria" – 5:44 (music: Sammet/Ludwig)
- "The Piper Never Dies" – 10:05
- "We Don't Need a Hero" – 5:30
- "Down to the Devil" – 5:27
- "King of Fools" – 4:21
- "Forever" – 5:40
- "Under the Moon" – 5:04 (music: Sammet/Ludwig)
- "Lavatory Love MachineLavatory Love Machine"Lavatory Love Machine" is a single taken from German power metal band Edguy's album Hellfire Club.-Track listing:# "Lavatory Love Machine" - 4:24# "Lavatory Love Machine" - 4:35# "I'll Cry for You" - 3:45# "Reach Out" - 4:05...
" – 4:25 - "Rise of the Morning Glory" – 4:39
- "Lucifer in Love" – 0:32
- "Navigator" – 5:22 (music: Sammet/Ludwig)
- "The Spirit Will Remain" – 4:12
- "Children of Steel" (Bonus track - 2004 version) – 4:03
- "Mysteria" (Bonus track featuring Mille PetrozzaMille PetrozzaMiland "Mille" Petrozza is a German guitarist and singer. He is best known for being the lead vocalist of the band Kreator...
of KreatorKreatorKreator is a thrash metal band from Essen, Germany, formed in 1978, but formalized in 1982 under the name Tormentor. They originally performed a speed metal style with Venom influences. Their style of music is similar to their compatriots Destruction and Sodom, the other two big German thrash metal...
) – 5:32 (music: Sammet/Ludwig) - "Heavenward" ('Navigator' demo version) - 5:17 (music: Sammet/Ludwig)
Hong Kong bonus disc
A special bonus disc containing 13 additional tracks was also released with the album in Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. Among its tracks are all the tracks from the King of Fools EP (other than "King of Fools" itself, which is on disc 1), the 2 bonus tracks mentioned above, an alternative version of "Falling Down" and 5 live tracks, including one by Tobias Sammet
Tobias Sammet
Tobias Sammet is the vocalist and primary songwriter of the German Power metal band Edguy, as well as the creator of the metal opera Avantasia and a member of the metal project Final Chapter. He also made guest appearances on the Rob Rock album Holy Hell and the metal opera Aina...
's side project Avantasia
Avantasia
Avantasia is a heavy metal project created by Tobias Sammet, vocalist and frontman of the band Edguy. The project's title is a portmanteau of the words "avalon" and "fantasia" and describes "a world beyond human imagination"...
: "Inside".
- "New Age Messiah" (as featured on the King of Fools EP) – 6:00
- "Children of Steel" (as above) – 4:04
- "Mysteria" (featuring Mille PetrozzaMille PetrozzaMiland "Mille" Petrozza is a German guitarist and singer. He is best known for being the lead vocalist of the band Kreator...
) (as above) – 5:32 - "The Savage Union" (as featured on the King of Fools EP) – 4:15
- "Falling Down" (alternative version) – 4:37
- "Holy Water" (as featured on the King of Fools EP) – 4:17
- "Introduction" (live) – 1:01
- "Tears of a Mandrake" (live) – 7:55
- "Painting on the Wall" (live) – 4:39
- "Inside" (live) – 4:17
- "Fairytale" (live) – 6:22
- "Life and Times of a Bonus Track" (as featured on the King of Fools EP) – 3:23
- "Heavenward" (Navigator Demo Version) - 5:16
Personnel
- Tobias SammetTobias SammetTobias Sammet is the vocalist and primary songwriter of the German Power metal band Edguy, as well as the creator of the metal opera Avantasia and a member of the metal project Final Chapter. He also made guest appearances on the Rob Rock album Holy Hell and the metal opera Aina...
- Lead/Backing Vocals; Keyboards - Jens LudwigJens LudwigJens Ludwig is the lead guitarist and co-founderof the German power metal band Edguy. Jens has played nearly all the band's lead parts and guitar solos since their inception and is the only member of the current line-up other than Tobias Sammet to have any songwriting credits...
- Lead Guitars; Backing Vocals - Dirk Sauer - Rhythm Guitars; Backing Vocals
- Tobias ExxelTobias ExxelTobias "Eggi" Exxel, born February 27 1973, is the current bass player for the power metal band Edguy. Tobias was hired by Edguy in 1998 when vocalist Tobias Sammet, who had played bass since the band's formation in 1992, decided the band should have someone who could focus on playing the...
- Bass Guitars; Backing Vocals - Felix BohnkeFelix BohnkeFelix Bohnke, born 2 September 1974, is the current drummer for the power metal band Edguy. He joined the band just before they recorded the Theater of Salvation album in 1998....
- Drums; Backing Vocals
With:
- Mille PetrozzaMille PetrozzaMiland "Mille" Petrozza is a German guitarist and singer. He is best known for being the lead vocalist of the band Kreator...
- Co-Lead Vocals (Track 14) - Michael RodenbergMichael RodenbergMichael Rodenberg, nickname Miro, is a German keyboardist and musical producer known for working with power metal bands such as Angra, Shaaman, Rhapsody of Fire, Kamelot, Heavens Gate, et al...
- Keyboards; Orchesteral Arrangements - Amanda SomervilleAmanda SomervilleAmanda Somerville is an American singer-songwriter and vocal coach.- Personal life :Somerville was born in Flushing, Michigan, and attended Flushing Senior High School and the University of Michigan in Flint, Michigan...
- Backing Vocals - Oliver HartmannOliver HartmannOliver Hartmann is a German metal vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, and producer who performed in various acts, either as guitarist, solo or choir singer...
- Backing Vocals - Ralf Zdiarstek - Backing Vocals
- Thomas Rettke - Backing Vocals
- Daniel Schmitt - Backing Vocals