Edguy, ‘Monuments’ – Album Review

German power metal veterans Edguy are celebrating their 25th anniversary with the massive compilation Monuments. Many greatest hits collections include a new track, but Edguy have written and recorded five new songs for this album. There are also 22 songs from throughout their career, and a previously unreleased song dating back to the recording sessions for their 1995 debut album Savage Poetry.

Edguy got their start at a young age and had very few lineup changes. Frontman Tobias Sammet says, “There are probably not many musicians who are lucky enough to be able to look back on a 25-year-old band history at the end of their thirties. And especially without any lineup changes in the last 20 years!”

Sammet continues, “This is even more incredible considering that we’re not from Birmingham, New York or a German metropolis but from a small town called Fulda, a place where you normally only know about the insights of the music business by hearsay. I mean, as kids we started to play Edguy shows even before we had visited concerts as fans ourselves! “

The five new songs are not throwaways. They are solid power metal ditties with an urgent pace and soaring vocals from Sammet. “Wrestle the Devil” and “The Mountaineer” are highlights. The unreleased song “Reborn in the Waste” is definitely primitive compared to what came later, but shows the talent of the nascent group.

Edguy have released 11 studio albums, and they are all represented except for their sophomore effort, 1997's Kingdom of Madness. There are streamlined radio-friendly songs like “Save Me” and “Superheroes” along with epic tracks such as “The Piper Never Dies” and “The Eternal Wayfarer.” There are straightforward songs and some goofier ones like “Lavatory Love Machine.”

In addition to the audio material, there's also a DVD included with Monuments. It has a 2004 concert filmed in Sao Paulo, Brazil on their 2004 Hellfire Club tour. Nearly half the set is from that album, with the rest scattered throughout their earlier releases. Videos of eight songs are also featured on the DVD. If you spring for the limited edition, you'll also get a 160 page coffee table book with the history of the band including many unpublished photos from the band members' private collections.

Edguy have released a couple of compilations previously, but nothing to the extent of Monuments. It's worthwhile just for the five new songs and previously unreleased tracks, with the greatest hits and DVD content adding even more value.

See Edguy’s Tobias Sammet in 10 Singers Who Sound Exactly Like Rock + Metal Legends