Reviews list for Judicator - The Last Emperor (2018)

PURE old-school Power/Speed Metal. Epic songwriting!

From the opening lines that paint a nostalgic picture of ancient auburn hills to speedy barnstormers like "Raining Gold" and "Nothing But Blood" to epics that fuse medieval acoustic guitars with bombastic and passionate vocal melodies like "The Queen of All Cities" and "Antioch", there's something here for all varieties of speed or power metal fans!

I was slightly underwhelmed at first by what seemed like a decent but watered-down attempt to emulate early 90s Blind Guardian, especially following the personal and heartfelt journey that was At the Expense of Humanity, my introduction to the band. The aforementioned predecessor was a raw and imperfect experiment, but its proggy detours, smoother sound and increased melodicism seemed a promising new direction for the band. On first listens to The Last Emperor, nothing was gripping me in the same way as songs like "How Long Can You Live Forever" or "At the Expense of Humanity". But over the span of three weeks, I was compelled to keep listening and gradually enjoyed The Last Emperor more and more without realizing it... until one day it hit me in the face how good the whole thing is. Now I see it for what it truly is: a legitimately great album of this genre and the pinnacle of what Judicator has aimed to achieve since its inception. 

John Yelland's vocals channel some of the greats of the genre while still maintaining a unique character, and Tony Cordisco on guitar shreds like nobody's business across this whole record. Hansi Kürsch even joins Yelland on "Spiritual Treason", but it still would've been a great song even without the Power Metal godfather himself. The astounding acoustic and electric guitar parts in the instrumental first 45 seconds are golden and would've been right at home alongside the other masterpieces on Imaginations From the Other Side. And then the album ends on a very strong note with "It Falls to Jerusalem" and "King of Rome", two complete journeys and well-written songs that incorporate elements from all the previous tracks described above. 

Better yet, there is much less of the frustrating inconsistency, or shaky moments, or extra fat, that plagued previous Judicator albums. It's obvious that the songcraft was honed with utmost love and care as well as a new level of professionalism in the production and attention-to-detail. Congrats Judicator, you're doing it! You're achieving the potential I always suspected you had somewhere within you since Sleepy Plessow! This is very close to being a 4.5 and deserves to be enjoyed by all fans of classic speed/power metal of both the European and US varieties so that the band can continue on their remarkable path of improvement. They might still have another level in them yet, which would truly be something to behold.

Favorite Song: "Antioch" <3 (Blind Guardian A Night at the Opera fans will smile with delight)

Next-Favorites: "The Queen of All Cities", "Spiritual Treason", "It Falls To Jerusalem", "King of Rome"