Edguy - Judas at the Opera

I am still riding pretty high from that Jericho Cruise, so how about a wild tangent off of that.

It should be safe to say that “Judas” is Fozzy’s most popular song, Jericho has been using it as his entrance music for a few years now. At some point, I was talking to somebody about this song, and/or other Fozzy/Jericho related items, and when the focus of the conversation landed on “Judas” I brought up my favorite song that includes that name. Despite my deep love of Jesus Christ Superstar and Carl Anderson my favorite song to include the name Judas is easily Edguy’s “Judas at the Opera.”

If memory serves me correctly, and it might not, but as I remember it, after seeing Avantasia in Berlin, and hanging out with two fine Swedish gentlemen, a Dutch gentleman, and an American punk rocker babe, all four agreed that their favorite Edguy song was “Judas at the Opera” I was the lone individual to pick “New Age Messiah.” I stand by my answer, I freaking love “New Age Messiah,” however, every fiber of my being also loves “Judas at the Opera.”

If additional memory serves me correctly, both “Judas at the Opera” and “New Age Messiah” both were never present on any Edguy studio album. Rather both appeared on the compilation album “The Singles.” I double checked just now, and I appear to be correct. When I first started getting into Edguy, I bought the CD of “The Singles” immediately, so my mind often forgets exactly how these songs were released to the public pre-internet.

In many ways, I suspect, that “Judas at the Opera” is a very Edguy song, as in, Edguy’s style, theme, and presentation are well personified here and now in “Judas at the Opera.” By extension and relation, “Judas at the Opera” is also a very Tobias Sammet song. My main man Sammet, is in addition to being my favorite song writer of our generation, is also a smartass. Several Edguy songs have a sense of humour to them, which for me land most of the time. Those Germans are known for having a stiff, and noticeably different sense of humour compared to Western European, and by extension all other Western cultures. Sammet even jokes about his attempts at being a German bloke making a joke in the hilarious song “England.” So, like many Germans, Sammet is self aware. The humour in “Judas at the Opera” is present, but I hardly pay any attention to it, so wrapped up in the hard rock that it deliveries. To be fair, Sammet’s smartass nature runs parallel to my own, so forget our insignificant cultural differences, I think this German bloke is hilarious.

Case in point, the chorus contains a “French fry” metaphor, and I am mostly confident it is a joke. It never gets a laugh at me, but it does get a smirk out of me every time.

“Forever french-frying,
You'd love to see me dying.
Who's let the peacock in,
To rock the house-Opera house?
You want me french-fried and,
You'd love to see me fired and,
Then kill Judas in the Opera house,
Opera house.”

I am smirking even now, typing this out.

The peacock metaphor could also be a joke. It this an actual bird we are talking about, or are we comparing this “Judas” to a show bird? I may never know. It is a weird and highly specific thing to try to google.

It is unlike me, but I never paid much attention to the lyrics of “Judas at the Opera.” Like most cases, I had been singing multiple points incorrectly for years, and only upon this recent revelation do I now know better. Long story somewhat short, the “Judas” in question, may or may not be a person, and the crowd may or may not be engaging in cannibalism. Which is actually a lot to unpack potentially, but for me, I enjoy the rock beat and rhythm on “Judas at the Opera” that I am largely unconcerned either way. And regardless of whatever “Judas at the Opera” is accurately about, it continues to rock the house and be one of the most enjoyable Edguy songs ever.

I certainly understand why those four other Avantasia fans in Berlin picked “Judas at the Opera” as their favorite. There are so many good reasons to feel that way, and I also just talked myself into agreeing with them.

- King of Braves