Eden’s Curse Trinity
by Derric Miller
Staff Writer
With the release of their third full-length studio effort, aptly titled Trinity, Eden’s Curse is without a doubt separating themselves from the pack — and it’s not even close. Whether it’s Michael Eden’s surreal vocal expertise, the songwriting prowess of mastermind/bassist Paul Logue, or guitarist Thorsten Koehne’s blisteringly melodic solos and leads, no other humans on earth are consistently creating this level of intelligent, emotional, passionate and image-laden music. In a word … nonpareil. And it’s not like the gents didn’t come packing either, as the first single “Holy Man” features Progressive Metal vocal legend James LaBrie and Andi Deris (Helloween) joins the party on “Black Widow.” This is as complete an album you will hear all year …
After the haunting and foreboding intro, the first track is the title track, “Trinity.” There is typically a lose theme from album to album that ties everything together, and the spiritual and religious themes are out front from the get-go. “The father, the son, the holy ghost … who is the one you fear the most?” Even on a lyrical plane, everything Eden’s Curse writes is a surgical strike.
The first single, featuring the aforementioned LaBrie, is “No Holy Man.” If you are longing for a caustic dissection of hypocrisy, this will satisfy your palate. In summary, the song is about a man who purports himself to be a Man of God, when he’s a drug-using, alcoholic infidel … at the very least. “Let he without sin, cast the first stone,” sings LaBrie, in the duet with Michael. The damning statement at the end of the chorus, “You and I are no different, and you’re no Holy Man!” hits you right in the soul, should you have one. Even the eerie keys from new member Del Vecchio paint this track in an otherwordly, or perchance more apropos, “afterworld-ly” light. It’s one of the best on Trinity.
Eden’s Curse is one of those bands who have been able to pull off the softer ballads, but placing “Guardian Angel” immediately after “No Holy Man” takes the air out of the balloon a tad. With so many songs about saints, holy men, devils and sinners, you knew one about “angels” was forthcoming, and even if you can’t rock out to this one, you will still marvel at Michael’s talent as a singer.
Things immediately jump back onto the highway to hell with “Can’t Fool the Devil,” a burning, racing composition that is one of the heaviest on Trinity. The drums from Newdeck pummel your senses, and Michael puts a grittier edge to his vocals to endow the song with even more bite. “One you give me your word, you cannot go back!” The themes stay at the front on each track, and this storytelling aspect is another strength of Eden’s Curse.
“Black Widow” features Andi Deris, and the two vocal styles are in complete contrast. Michael and LaBrie have a clean, smooth delivery, and they played off each other with aplomb, but Deris is a more guttural and in this case, vicious singer. He’s the perfect complement to Michael per this jarring and monumentally heavy track. Eden’s Curse just has everything figured out …
The band covered Dio’s “Rock ‘N’ Roll Children” for this release, and while it doesn’t fit into the overall religious themes of the album, it’s definitely is a sonic fit. The band puts their own velvet touch to the cover, polishing it while still maintaining the majesty of the original. As an ode to RJD, he’d definitely give it his blessing.
If you land the American release, you’ll end Trinity with a bonus track “Never the Sinner.” At track 13, you’ve already digested a lot of music, but “Never the Sinner” is as strong as “No Holy Man” or “Can’t Fool the Devil.” This is a classic Hard Rock composition, one of the most straight-forward songs on Trinity. Daring you to look into the mirror and see yourself for who you really are, Trinity closes with an eternal warning for all who are listening.
Eden’s Curse have proven once again that their debut and sophomore effort The Second Coming were no hoax. Rarely does a band top themselves time and time again, but somehow, Eden’s Curse, with Trinity, have overpowered two of the best albums of the past four years — their own.
Track listing:
01. Trinitas Sanctus (Intro)
02. Trinity
03. Saints Of Tomorrow
04. No Holy Man (feat. James LaBrie)
05. Guardian Angel
06. Can´t Fool The Devil
07. Rivers Of Destiny
08. Dare To Be Different
09. Children Of The Tide
10. Black Widow (feat. Andi Deris)
11. Jerusalem Sleeps
12. Rock´N´Roll Children (Dio cover)
13. Never the Sinner (bonus track)
Band:
Michael Eden – vocals
Paul Logue – bass
Thorsten Koehne – guitar
Pete Newdeck – drums
Ale Del Vecchio – keyboards
Genre: Power/Heavy/Melodic Metal
Online: www.edenscurse.com
Label: AFM/Metal Mayhem
Hardrock Haven rating: 9.1/10
I love this album and I agree Michael Eden is the highlight of this album, His vocals are absolutely astonishing. He’s beyond talented as is the rest of the band, I love this album and it’s melodic nature. I give it the same rating!