Fucking with Fire (Live in Sao Paolo 2006)

Chronique

If there is one thing that, above all else, sets Edguy apart from so many of the Iron Maiden-worshipping, Judas Priest-loving, Queensrÿche-adoring power metal revival bands that emerged in Europe in the 1990s and 2000s, it is their sense of humor. Edguy don't beat listeners over the head with it -- they aren't humorous to the point of turning their work into slapstick comedy -- but there is just enough humor and just enough irony in their material to keep them from having the ultra-serious tone that characterizes so many European power metal revival bands. And the German headbangers' sense of fun is alive and well on Fucking with Fire: Live, which focuses on a 2006 concert in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Available as either a two-CD set or a DVD, Fucking with Fire: Live documents a show that is big, boisterous, and over-the-top in a way that one expects a power metal show to be. But Edguy always find the humor in those power metal clichés and stereotypes, and their sense of humor serves them well on inspired performances of crowd-pleasers like "Tears of a Mandrake" from 2001's Mandrake, "King of Fools" from 2004's Hellfire Club, and "Fucking with Fire" from 2006's Rocket Ride. Another thing that separates Edguy from other European power metal revival bands is their appreciation of '80s pop-metal. Many European power metal revival bands steer clear of anything that sounds even remotely like glam metal, pop-metal, or hair bands, but Edguy bring a touch of glam to their São Paolo show on "Land of the Miracle" and the Winger-ish power ballad "Save Me." Nonetheless, power metal is the main ingredient of Fucking with Fire: Live, which is a consistently entertaining document of Edguy's São Paolo appearance.
© Alex Henderson /TiVo