Here comes one of the most anticipated EP this year, King Of Fools. Not just a simple EP with B-sides bonuses. On the contrary, 4 non-album songs, most of them of album quality and a 16 minute video data track showing Tobias Sammet and the guys in the different studios the band has been with, alternating between interesting information and funny parts. A super-charged EP ? most certainly.

The EP starts with the radio oriented song King Of Fools (radio version, cut down to 3'30). What a killer tune, heavy use of keyboards in the verse, distorted vocals, catchy melodic chorus, like Edguy never delivered before. Though the first reaction may be to say "commercial", the following spins will reveal a pain in your neck reminding you that Edguy is a Heavy Metal band first. Having listened to Hellfire Club promo CD already, I can tell you that this quickly became one of my favorite tracks on the album, and from Edguy, a killer song that could end up exploding some charts (that would be cool !). What an incredibly catchy chorus, I'm singing King Of Fools before going to sleep, waking up and under the shower, its melody being forever carved into my brain patterns.

The second song, New Age Messiah, starts with the orchestra and though you may think the track will be a slow one, it's only a deception and the engine of that song starts swiftly, delivering a riff-based verse that leads to a typical melodic chorus à la Edguy. New Age Messiah's solo is as always with Edguy, majestic and overly melodic, and all you want to do is sing along or whistle those wonderful melodies. Perfectly executed "oh-oh" parts from Tobias which then unfold the last verse and chorus, where lyrics almost get out of hand :). I quote : "Pardon fucking me, who the fucking fuck is Jesus ? I'm the motherfucking new Messiah !". The epic song of the EP as it rumbles on for 6 minutes.

Then comes the ultimate track of the EP, Savage United, a song that will literally rape your mind, fast heavy double riffing to enter into the song with swift and beautiful velocity, to lead that what can only be described as an unhuman chorus, with beautifully embbeded choirs. This track is a pure deflagration of positive energy, sheer power and majestic melodies, from the chorus to the solo, you'll break your neck on this tune over and over again. It's almost impossible to restrain from singing along (and out loud) during the chorus, what a metal hymn my friends ! I must yet again quote : "We don't give a fuck, we're Savage United !". Yes we are !!!

At this point I thought, the rest ain't gonna be that good. Just to prove me wrong, the Babelsberg Film Orchestra decided rest to my fears, being present during the entire song, Holy Water proves to be a slap in the face to most of the stuff we've seen so far when it comes to mixing Heavy Metal and a classical orchestra. A song that could have been written by Yoshiki (X-Japan), but with Tobias special attitude and absolutely amazing vocals. There's no double that Toby did mature incredibly over the years, delivering a better vocal performance with every new album. The song is very powerful, the strings lifting up the majestic chorus, one more melody your brain will never forget, and a song that sounds like it could be a movie soundtrack theme on its own. At this point, I can only but thank Tobias for delivering such amazing songs, fresh yet 100% Edguy, new yet with the right metal roots !

The last track (Life And Times Of A Bonus Track) is the joke track of the album, although funny lyrically and attitude-wise, it's a little disappointing when compared to the 4 deflagrations that preceded it. But hey, 5 songs on an EP and a bonus video ? I think that's quite enough effort and a nice gift to the fans. The song is talking about artist's adventure into the music industry and the way bonus track matters, how they go to other countries ("I'm a bonus track, on my way to Japan"), or about mp3 piracy ("and I'm gonna be spread on the Internet"). And it goes on with very funny lyrics that still end up rhyming :). A conclusion that goes like "I don't give a fucking shit, no no, not a single little fucking shit...". Well, it's the kind of track you listen only once or twice to make you laugh, and that's why I think it would have been better to be some sort of Bonus Track some place else and the EP would have been only filled with killer songs. Unlike Save Us Now that still has a lot of metal spirit and power, this track is the only track that feels like being somewhat a filler.

In the end, this EP is simply amazing, and gives a good taste of the album (which I'll review next) which ... warning spoiler ahead : simply owns !! If you're a fan of Edguy, you can't miss than one. Savage United being of the best songs that Edguy ever wrote and Holy Water will sends shivers down your spine with its spirit and majestic grace. The production is one of the best of the genre, which we are now getting used of when it comes to Edguy. The boys have grown, and they sound so mature, it's actually scary !! But as lyrics and some songs will demonstrate, they still have a lot of fun. Most EP's don't get quotes, but I thought that this should be different since its more like a mini-album than a single release. It doesn't get a higher score because of the last track, it's quickly becoming a skipper, and another fast song or a beautiful ballad would have been just perfect. But hey, you won't find many EP's that are so good, the only one that actually comes to mind is Virgin Steele's Magik Fire Music. So there you go, run, run fast to your local CD store starting today (February 2nd), and enjoy this jewel of True (Heavy) Metal. Thumbs up !