Demons and Wizards is the collaboration of Blind Guardian vocalist Hansi Kursch and Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer. The two joined forces at fabled Morrisound Studios with Jim Morris producing and also lending a hand on lead guitar for their eponymous debut. "Rites of Passage" introduces the disc with typical classical grandeur and then we are immediately reminded that speed metal is not a dead genre as "Heaven Denies" barrels through the speakers like a rhino through a china shop. The blinding fury of the rhythm guitars alone would make James "I Used To Rock" Hetfield run home to his mom. Kursch sounds a bit more melodic here than he has with Blind Guardian, a welcome touch. The song slows toward it's end and sounds a little like Crimson Glory meets Savatage, two Morrisound alumni from way back.

BIG, FAT power chords shove "Poor Man's Crusade" into motion, a more mid-tempo track with some cool chanted vocals on the verses and an eerily pretty acapella harmony outro. "Fiddler on the Green" kicks off next featuring some simple but effective acoustic guitar and mid-range lead vocals. This song seems out of place here until…CRASH, BANG, BOOM!! More BIG, FAT guitars and some equally pounding drums from Mark Prator create a dynamic between mellow and heavy that saves the track from the throwaway schlock it could have been. "Blood on My Hands" is a good old-fashioned cruncher with some nice lead work and catchy vocal melodies.

Next, we are momentarily cast back into acoustic mode for "Paths of Glory," a song that weaves a tapestry of light and dark with some brutally chunky rhythm guitars offsetting the wistful acoustic sections nicely. "Winter of Souls" is a haunting track about revenge that boasts some really cool riffage from Schaffer, as well as a clever and catchy vocal arrangement. The soft/heavy schtick starts to become a bit predictable with "The Whistler," a functionally average track that goes on about two minutes too long. The following song, "Tear Down The Wall," lends credence to the thought that the disc is fast becoming one-dimensional and monotonous. There is exactly one electric guitar tone on this whole disc, and while it's suitably crunchy, the songs would have been better served with a variety of colors from the rhythms.

"Gallows Pole" is another unremarkable track that screams for a tempo change beyond the telegraphed acoustic breaks. While Kursch sounds powerful and nasty on the heavier vocal parts, it gets increasingly difficult to take him seriously on the softer parts, which are too frequent and predictable. "My Last Sunrise" disappointingly continues this trend. The record comes to a close with the hymn-like "Chant."

The disc leaves the listener with mixed feelings as there are certainly several strong power metal anthems, but they're all found within the first half of the record rendering the second half a big letdown. It's possible that a different running order would have been a help, but some of the material is just simply quite weak. Next time, maybe they should leave the acoustics home and play the metal they are known for.

Reviewed by Chris Yancik

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