Edguy - New Age Messiah

Under the Edguy label Tobias Sammet has released nine studio albums, but nine albums is far too few, to contain the entirety of his work. What I think is really amazing is that my favourite Edguy song is one of many that never made it to an album, and if it was not for the compilation album “Singles” I would not own a legal copy of the song. My favourite Edguy song is “New Age Messiah.”

“New Age Messiah” was originally released on the Edguy LP “King of Fools,” which was released in 2004 just prior to the release “Hellfire Club” Edguy’s sixth studio album. While the title track off “King of Fools,” would appear on “Hellfire Club” the other four tracks including “New Age Messiah” only appeared on a bonus disc released on the Hong Kong version.

“New Age Messiah” is fast, heavy and freaking rocks, and while there are many powerful metal songs by Edguy I feel that “New Age Messiah” is the best example of Edguy at their most “metal.” It should probably be noted that one of the key features that makes “New Age Messiah” such a hard rock song is the fast pace set by drummer Felix Bohnke, who is a very talent, seemingly crazy, pretty cool guy. Felix fills in for Eric Singer (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, and Kiss) on the Avantasia tours since Singer is frequently busy touring with Kiss. More on topic however, Felix is on fire in “New Age Messiah,” the drums makes this song what it is, and is in my opinion Felix’s best work.

In interviews with Tobias Sammet it becomes very clear that Sammet is very humble and a great sense of humour, as he is constantly knocking fun at himself. I have an mp3 of “Under the Moon” that has commentary by Toby and I love the way he describes “Under the Moon,” “it doesn’t really have a message it just has a dangerous charisma I think,” how honest and very cool. More importantly on the same mp3 he makes a subtle slight at himself; when Toby is challenged to sing at an higher octave when performing “Under the Moon” live he retracts an early challenge to play the song “Under the Moon” a step faster whilst performing live, because after all it already sounds good the way it is.

I appreciate wit.

“New Age Messiah” has great lyrics that are both meaningful and fun, and in spite of being a bad ass metal song it also possesses a witty commentary. How many cult leaders has there ever been? Too many to count, and if you start including every religious leader, which you should, then the number of corrupt spiritual manipulators the human race has had to endured is frighteningly high. Lyrically the structure of “New Age Messiah” is savvy; first verse introduces the dubious messiah; second verse is the spread of lies and tightening of control by the corrupt leader; third verse, indulgence and cruelty followed by revolution and restitution. Before ending with the chorus one last time we are treated to a humorous and vulgar variation of the self aggrandizing chorus.

“Countless pointing fingers
A nameless crowd too swollen to analyse
Takes a rise out of the stranger
Don't know where he's come from
Bumfuck raises birds of paradise
They surmise - very wise

One night they witnessed
How he lit his backdoor winds
Fire turned the night into day
And they prayed, fell on their knees
And turned their glances off his face,
They know they've been chosen to obey

Pardon me
Raise a graven image
I'm the new messiah for the world
You can't see the splendor of my nimbus
But I'm the new messiah for the world
For the blind

The word shall spread like wildfire
You got a new messiah holding sway
Delightful game
Don't you give away: I'm no redeemer
But bring me grapes and diamonds right away
And a maid to lay...

One day oblivion will swallow up my fame
The common run of mankind will forget my name
Forget my name
Like a phoenix rising someone else is going to reign
Until then you know that you are to obey, me

Pardon me
Raise a graven image
I'm the new messiah for the world
You can't see the splendor of my nimbus
But I'm the new messiah for the world
I’m the new messiah for the world.

Gluttony and ecstasy, there's velvet on my dais
Lions, ladies, rotaries they never spare with praise
A million pointing fingers
Have turned to clapping hands
Now I'm off to Betty Ford,
See you in hell my friends

Pardon fucking me, who the fucking fuck is Jesus
Motherfucking new messiah
For the fucking world ;)

Pardon me
Raise a graven image
I'm the new messiah for the world
You can't see the splendor of my nimbus
But I'm the new messiah for the world
I’m the new messiah for the blind
For the blind.”

Of course we cannot see the splendor of his heavenly glory, we made the whole damn thing up; it’s funny because it’s true.

Until next month keep on rocking in the free world.

- Colin Kelly