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Christopher Lee - Charlemagne: By The Sword And The Cross



6 | 55 votes |
Release date: 15 March 2010
Style: Heavy metal, Power metal

Owners:

46 have it
11 want it


01. Overture
02. Act I: Intro
03. Act I: King Of The Franks
04. Act II: Intro
05. Act II: The Iron Crown Of Lombardy
06. Act III: Intro
07. Act III: The Bloody Verdict Of Verden
08. Act IV: Intro
09. Act IV: The Age Of Oneness Out Of Diversity
10. Act V: Intro
11. Act V: Starlight
12. Finale
13. Iberia
14. The Bloody Verdict Of Verden [instrumental version]

Guest review by
spiritofvengence
Rating:
9.7
I am not going to say that this is crap, nor am I going to say it's the greatest thing since Black Sabbath. It does fall under the symphonic metal genre - even though the orchestra plays more than Manowar and Rhapsody of Fire do. Yes, it does seem like a metal-opera and not an all-metal concept album (a la Kamelot's Epica and The Black Halo). Does that mean it is terrible and deserves to be rated as low as St. Anger? Lyrically, there are places where the rhyming structure is annoyingly predictable, like in most musicals/metal operas. The ever-present 3-to-1-minute interludes can be annoying to those who are looking for a metal album that is relentless in its "assault" - by relentless I mean non-stop metal tracks, back-to-back.

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published 10.05.2010 | Comments (8)

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Comments

Comments: 28   Visited by: 554 users
18.03.2010 - 13:12
Rating: 4
Zhao
The Arkaholic
This is rather bad, you don't even laugh. Guess you'll have to wait for the music videos. In my opinion, this is more like a rock musical on cd than a concept album by a symphonic metal band
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04.04.2010 - 22:30
serogoblin

Fucking awsome album!!!!! one word....WICKED!!!! LEE RULES!!!!!
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06.04.2010 - 15:02
Baz Anderson

Hahaha, this is more like an audio-book with the odd bit of music every now and then, hahaha.

Act V is definitely my favourite, and Act III is good too. I probably won't spend much time listening to the whole thing again though.
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06.04.2010 - 17:44
Rating: 4
metalicharly

I've just registered in the web (which i've been reading for a long time) to give a big WTF! to this album. Saying it is 'symphonic metal' is more than generous. Those intro themes before every song makes the listening really boring.
I would only recomend this album to someone who's studing old french history and likes heavy metal, or to an enemy...
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07.04.2010 - 13:03
Rating: 4
Zhao
The Arkaholic
Hehe, just noticed that 5 of the votes rating it as a 10 was probably done by the same person.
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07.04.2010 - 14:00
Baz Anderson

Written by Zhao on 07.04.2010 at 13:03

Hehe, just noticed that 5 of the votes rating it as a 10 was probably done by the same person.

Yeh, thanks. I've just sorted that out.
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07.04.2010 - 15:28
Ellrohir
Heaven Knight
I think i would give it a solid 6...it is not that bad how many people say and there are moments...on the other hand it is nothing to cheer about too much
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My rest seems now calm and deep
Finally I got my dead man sleep


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11.04.2010 - 23:28
Rating: 6
Jujitsu-man
Ready to ROCK
It's like an audio book with the "shymphonical part" of a Rhapsody album. But, at least, Christopher Lee's voice it's amazing.

And I think he's now the oldest man who has released a metal album ever! 87 years... He must have 6 points for the effort :
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12.04.2010 - 00:17
Baz Anderson

"Starlight" is a great track.
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21.04.2010 - 13:49
CyberSymphony
Ollie
I just got the album , but its a big disapointmet, they are a few good songs
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22.04.2010 - 15:39
Rating: 2
Warman
Erotic Stains
This really is horrible! I almost never give this rating, but I just can't help it. Although it deserves a 10 when it comes to lighten up the mood and give everyone some laughs.
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25.04.2010 - 00:15
Introspekrieg
Totemic Lust
Written by metalicharly on 06.04.2010 at 17:44

I would only recomend this album to someone who's studing old french history and likes heavy metal, or to an enemy...


I'm going to force my friends to listen to this while I drive, they always force their terrible shit music on me.
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26.04.2010 - 20:09
Angelic Storm
Melodious
Geez, I was really looking forward to this, and its a huge letdown! I dunno why its labelled as ''symphonic metal'' when there is virtually no metal on the album at all. Rhapsody albums are Cannibal Corpse compared to this! lol The woman's voice during the intros is annoying, and the music is mostly unmemorable. Only Christopher Lee's voice offers anything really worth listening to. I think this could have been sooo much better...ah well.
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27.04.2010 - 23:03
Rating: 4
Zhao
The Arkaholic
Written by Introspekrieg on 25.04.2010 at 00:15

Written by metalicharly on 06.04.2010 at 17:44

I would only recomend this album to someone who's studing old french history and likes heavy metal, or to an enemy...


I'm going to force my friends to listen to this while I drive, they always force their terrible shit music on me.

In that case I could see your plan failing miserbly with them appreciating the album
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28.04.2010 - 14:22
Archetype

The female narrator gets more annoying as the album goes on and it made me feel as if I was sitting through a long history lesson. Nothing wrong with learning about history but there's a time and a place and the time is not when I'm expecting some quality music. I don't even think I listened to half of the album.
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30.04.2010 - 01:07
spiritofvengence

Its a worthy album, people here are just too used to listening to Iron Maiden to appreciate anything new
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I'd rather like what I like because I like it, despite if everyone hates me for it, then like what I hate just to be accepted by you.
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30.04.2010 - 10:41
Andreas

Well, I wouldn't call it metal. If you listen to it with a "metal-approach", you're not gonna like it obviously. It's more like music to chill out or something.
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30.04.2010 - 12:26
Rating: 2
Warman
Erotic Stains
Written by spiritofvengence on 30.04.2010 at 01:07

Its a worthy album, people here are just too used to listening to Iron Maiden to appreciate anything new

Yes, you're spot on. That's exactly why I dislike this album, because I'm a Maiden fanboy who haven't heard anything else besides them. :
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05.05.2010 - 17:32
Rating: 6
WonSun

Christopher Lee is awesome...but this album needs a little more....it just sounds like a audio book with some music in the background
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06.05.2010 - 22:31
Rating: 4
Zhao
The Arkaholic
Written by spiritofvengence on 30.04.2010 at 01:07

Its a worthy album, people here are just too used to listening to Iron Maiden to appreciate anything new

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06.05.2010 - 23:25
Introspekrieg
Totemic Lust
I guess if you can't share your own reasons for liking an album, just call the people who don't like it closed-minded.
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07.05.2010 - 03:00
Clintagräm
Shrinebuilder
That's okay, King Lee crushes scum like us under his foot daily. As far as I'm concerned he can put out whatever he wants.
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The force will be with you, always.
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22.05.2010 - 21:14
Rating: 7
Valentin B
Iconoclast
Listened to most of it right now, imo the problem with it is that it was being advertised as a symphonic metal work, when in fact the rock influences are just barely there. regardless, it's a really epic album, not for everyone's tastes, many people will not like the long historical narrations in the "intro" tracks.

by FAR the best song is Act III, especially the impossibly epic second chorus.. "i shed the blood of the saxon meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen". i won't deny though, 99% of metalheads will be extremely badly put off by the fact that even though it was advertised as an epic metal album, in fact almost all of it is classical opera-like music with no trace of metal whatsoever.

decent album, quite epic in the spine-chilling sense at times(especially the track "Iberia"), even though there's barely 10 minutes of metal instrumentation.

edit: HOLY SHIT Iberia's ending is epic as FUCK. "it is the Gascons.. THEY are attacking our flanks!!!"
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07.06.2010 - 00:56
Dominus
The Shooter
Booooooorinnnnnnggggggg!!!!!!!!!!
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05.01.2011 - 07:53
Rating: 7
O Sinistron
Hopeless Sinner
Good... but the rythimic singing could be less broke!
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Last.fm
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05.01.2011 - 14:34
RavenKing

Written by Introspekrieg on 06.05.2010 at 23:25

I guess if you can't share your own reasons for liking an album, just call the people who don't like it closed-minded.


That's precisely why the 'close-mindedness' argument holds less than zero value and I despise it so much. Because it's the lamest argument of all and no more than a rhetoric reply used by fanboys to put the blame on those who dislike something, while avoiding to mention the reasons why they believe it is so great.
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They shake your hand and they smile and they buy you a drink
They say we'll be your friends we'll stick with you till the end
But everybody's only looking out for themselves
And you say who can you trust I'll tell you nobody
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29.04.2012 - 00:53
Rating: 9
Tiglath Pileser

The guy is in his late 80's, and tries to produce a metal album.. I think that is enough to give it a good review. With all the hype around it at the time I still have great feelings towards this album.
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28.12.2012 - 03:45
Jaeryd
Nihil's Maw
I can't find a place to listen to this... it sounds dorky as hell but awesome. I've listened to clips, and while nothing spectacular, it's awesome that an 80+ year old guy has gotten into metal and started making music.
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