Kingdom of Madness

Kingdom of Madness is the debut on which EDGUY brought together speedy riffs, high-toned vocals and heroic choruses. Some roughness remains in the playing, but that much more, the heat of the band trying to push forward comes across directly. Centered on Tobias Sammet, then still a teenager, it is a record that carved a young band’s impulse. On “Paradise,” “Wings of a Dream” and “The Kingdom,” the appeal is the sight of pushing through medieval subjects and a fantasy coloring with young momentum. Songs like “Heart of Twilight” and “Steel Church” breathe an early rough appeal too. They digest the influence of forebears like Helloween and Blind Guardian with their own heat. To ears that know the later refinement, the unadorned impulse of the origin rings fresh — an ambitious debut.