Album Review: Masters Of Ceremony - Signs Of Wings

Sascha Paeth has had a hand in a ton of records, even though you might not know it. As a producer and studio owner, check out his list of credits. It's rather large, and includes a lot of records you and I have probably heard. Plus, he's also been the main guitarist in Avantasia for most of the last six albums and tours. The guy gets around, but almost all of his career has been spent in service of the music of other people. So what would an album from Sascha himself sound like? That's what we're about to find out. Masters Of Ceremony is the first time I can ever recall listening to more than one song from his pen (he wrote one on Trillium's "Alloy", and it's the one I skip almost every time).

The most important piece of the puzzle when a guitarist makes an album of his own is finding a singer. No matter how good the musician is, the singer is going to be the make-or-break part of the equation. Just look at the difference between how Slash is perceived now, as oppose to when he had his Snakepit band going. Myles Kennedy has given him a huge boost. Sascha's pick is Seven Spires singer Adrienne Cowan, which is an unusual pick, I would say. She doesn't sound like the power metal he is known for working on, and she also brings in harsh tones that I wasn't expecting.

The opening "The Time Has Come" wears Sascha's time in Avantasia on its sleeve, with a melody that easily could have been on "The Scarecrow". And here's where I have to point to the above paragraph. Adrienne can sing, but her voice on this song is more of a shout than anything, with a tone that recalls the feminist punk of the 90s. It doesn't sound right, at least to me, on this kind of music. And with her harsh vocals not doing much to win me over either, what was a well-written song is held back by a vocal delivery that could have been so much better.

I get why Sascha went with her; she's more versatile than a lot of singers, and this is a diverse album. We get straight-forward power metal, sure, but we also get highly dramatic songs like "Die Just A Little" that have some Broadway influence, and something like "Radar" with a more Celtic/folk motif. Sascha needed a singer who could play multiple parts, and Adrienne does fill that role.

None of the information I was given indicate the writing credits, so I don't know whether Sascha called in some of his friends to help him write these tracks, or whether years of working with talented writers has rubbed off on him, but this is an album flush with strong hooks and melodies. The choruses of these songs are big, powerful, and better than most of the power metal I've heard this year (barring Avantasia, of course). If this is all Sascha's doing, then I give him a lot of credit. He's written a darn good album.

There are really only two complaints I have. I've already voiced one, so let me address the other one here; this album sounds like a Sascha Paeth production. I know, that doesn't sound surprising at all. What I'm saying is that between the guitar playing, the tone, and the level of polish, the instrumental portions of this record could just as easily be the next Avantasia album. This album that is supposed to be an expression of Sascha sounds just like everything else that comes out of his studio. That shows me a lack of versatility as a producer if he's made every record sound like him, rather than the bands he's producing.

Let me be clear, though; the nits I'm picking don't outweigh the good the album does. Not even close. "Signs Of Wings" is damn good power metal, and there's a lot to like about it.