Nuclear Blast Allstars - Into the Light (2007)

This is an intriguing concept for a compilation/celebration album. It is not a "best of" collection, as each song has been crafted for this production, however each features a different vocalist - a "Nuclear Blast Allstar". The band includes Victor Smolski on guitars, bass and sometimes keyboards (can you say multi-talented?) and Andre Hilgers on drums for most of the tracks. I guess this means that this album is essentially Rage with guest vocalists and occasionally other guest musicians as well. Smolski wrote most of the music, and Peavey Wagner writes the lyrics for a number of the tracks.

The cover is beautiful - depicting a castle atop a rocky isle, floating in the clouds. All is eerie and digital, with light illuminating the top of the tower. Inside the booklet begins with an introduction from Smolski and then the following double page spread feture the lyrics on the right and the vocalist on the left, along with  a brief passage talking a little about the band, the song and singing the praises of Nuclear Blast Records.

The first track, "Dirty Wings" is vocalised by the lovely Tobias Sammet, of Edguy. The heavy structures are classic Rage, stronger, more bass-ic than Edguy's complex manouverings. Sammet's voice is its typical pure and slightly raw self. The song is not overly stimulating or exciting - just energetic power and strength.

With slamming guitars and raging drums, we roar into "Terrified" with Peavey Wagner (Rage). With some slower moments, and Wagner's strongly accented vocals, more shouting than singing. Aggressive more than frightened, I'd have to say.

"Ruling the World", feating Toni Kakko (Sonata Arctica) is another aggressive and raw number.

Slower, more haunting, starting with piano; steadily becoming heavier, dirge like. We enter "Death is Alive". Mats Levens voice is soaring and echoeey, melodious then raw, accompanied by the haunting vocals of Jen Majura. Levens does backing vocals for Lions Share, which may be why he sounds familiar. He has also performed with Abstrakt Algebra and Therion.  Majura's voice is strong, relatively low and somewhat angelic - in the avenging angel kind of way!

Racing and raging, we rip into "Bloodsucker". The raw, aggressive and ferocious vocals provided by Marcel "Schmier" Schirmer of Destruction. Classic speed/thrash. Fast, heavy bass, brutal vocals and lyrics.

Slower, guitar rolls like dust blowing in the wind; sand swirling and turning across the golden wastes. Then the electronic noises roll in, the bass grows louder, more ominous (with a few twiddly bits and intricate guitaring). We are "Slaves to the Desert" with Hansi Kursch (Blind Guardian), his voice low and deep and only later gaining the rasping edge we're more used to from him. This is a more intricate, technical song than BG, with a modern feel.

Heavy, but quite melodic, with the occasional pounding rhythm, And Deris (Helloween) gives us the vocals for "A Perfect Day". The bassline is a force of nature, the guitars weaving an intricate web and the music surging, swelling and soaring in line with Deris' vocals:

"It's just another last goodbye, it's just a perfect day..."

Heavy and churning, "Eternally" then falls into slower and more melodic guitar; dreamy, like floating in the clouds. Odleif Strensland (Communic), has a powerful voice - well suited to epic emotion. Sounds rather like Rage's finer moments.

The "Inner Sanctary" brings us another heavy piece with intricate rhythms and the vocals of Marco Hietala (Nightwish) who has a deeper voice with a razor-edge.

We close with the haunting "In the Picture" which features Tarja Turunen (ex-Nightwish) applying her ethereal voice to vocals. More progressive and technical than Nightwish, but more complex than Rage. There are some beautifully serene moments and, of course, Tarja's voice is second to nonw.

In general, this album feels like Rage with guest vocalists. The music has the epic power and added aggression of some of the later Rage albums, combined with complex guitar structuers and rhythms. The varying vocalists add an interesting touch and overall it is a novel idea for a celebratory album: new tracks with different vocalists.

Rating 8/10.