2007 Lion Music

The sympho-metal bandwagon has gotten a little ‘wanky’ lately, but Angel of Eden keep it down to earth and highly skilled as well. Featuring Artension guitarist Roger Stafffelbach at the helm, The End of Never is a classically tinged power metal record with all the right riffiage, dark textures, and of course, the symphonic meddlings to the right degree. When dissecting the record to it’s core, it’s the melodies that will catapult the album to a higher plain amongst the saturated power metal or neo-classical scene, yet within that core there are a heapful of solos (what else would you expect from an axeman leading the way) from both the six strings and keyboards, almost like Stafffelbach is bringing the sound of early Artention back, but with a much heavier (& melodic) grind.

But beyond all technical mayhem involved, vocalist Carsten ‘Lizard’ Schulz has gone great length to create anthem harmonies ala 80’s melodic metal meets Malmsteen to give The End of Never a different type of edgy approach. Nevertheless, the music is consistent with it’s power, and for me, the melodies & arrangements are what keep it from becoming redundant. Marked with power are cuts such as “Dreamchaser,” “Stampede,” & “The battle of 1836” (featuring John West vocals), not to mention that darkened tracks such as “You Just Don’t Remember” & track that bears the band’s name hearken the same vibe that albums such as Headless Cross and Facing the Animal do; there are moments when Stafffelbach does let his chops shine on his own terms, mainly with “Return of the Pharaoh (pt 1 & 2)” (particularly with the layering he does on the second part), both being instrumentals where it’s all about the axework..

Being able to portray the motions of ‘band’ record and a ‘guitarist’s’ record, Roger Stafffelbach has executed a record with both great tunes & fluid playing, certainly a record that just might eclipse his band of origin.