EMPIRES OF EDEN – Guardians Of Time

Empires Of Eden – Guardians Of Time brings together a coalition of some of the genre’s top musicians, much like the Trans Siberian Orchestra. The album goes beyond the average collaboration, as it was composed by Stu Marshall, and each guest vocalist. Combining and mixing genres of power metal, hard rock and thrash elements, the album brings together and benefits from the wide range of diverse talent.  This is the fifth album that Stu Marshall has created in the series, and perhaps the most intricate, and well balanced of all five.

The Songs (As Described By Each Lyricist)

On Guardians of Time, each song was written by a different person, and each has brought their own unique perspective, and story to the songs. We have the opportunity to have an inside window into those writer’s thoughts and concepts here, that can shine a brighter light on the project, and how it came together.

– Guardians Of Time (Rob Rock)
The song is about life and how it goes by so fast. The guardians are the angels that watch us live our lives and keep their eyes on us to protect us. At the end of our time, they lead us into the next realm of existence.

– When Will It End (Stu Marshall)
This one is about the pain we all feel when the relationship goes south, and we are heartbroken. The song was written about 20 years ago and embodies the 80’s AOR vibes and that was what we were trying to bring out in the track. The song ends with the writer taking the power back after a failed relationship and a cheating spouse.

– Mortal Rites (Louie Gorgievski)
(The song is about) the selfishness of humanity, thinking they are immortal. It’s pushing the boundaries and paying the consequences. It keeps following the destructive path and never seems to learn from history even though it’s written in plain sight.

– The Inner Me ( Stu Marshall)
“The Inner Me” is that story of finding inner power and not being your worst enemy in all things. As we go through life, we can find we get in our own way, and this is about that awakening.

– When The Beast Comes Out (Sean Peck)
The song is about overcoming obstacles and persevering through tough times and being an alpha apex predator in a society where only the strong survive. I sang this as a demo for all of the musicians from the Halford’s solo band and we kept the lyrics and melody lines and altered them a little bit to go underneath our completely new music.

– Stand United (Tony Webster)
The song is about how divided humanity is politically, and how people should put their differences aside for the common good because most of us want the same things out of life.

– August Runs Red (Louie Gorgievski)
(A song inspired by) the Battle of Amiens (August 8, 1918) was the opening phase of the allied offensive, later known as the Hundred Days Offensive, that ultimately led to the ending of the first World War. It centralizes around bureaucracy and innocence is expendable at every and any cost. We often forget the suffering that’s endured throughout great conflicts – it’s always the ones that are left behind.

– Baptise This Hell (Louie Gorgievski)
Enter the realm of science vs. religion or a world where fantasy meets reality. Was mankind what was really intended to be or a failed experiment, according to Einstein or God? Which side are you on? Is it better to reign in hell or serve in heaven? What’s the right answer and what’s the wrong answer? We seem to think we are creating a better world, but we are doing more damage. Are social media / daily news the real hell that we are creating? We live in a world which poses more questions than answers…Will we ever know the WHY? – I guess it all comes down to faith. Or fate?

– The Devil’s Only Friend (Jeff Martin)
I got the title from a line in the 1970 song “American Pie” by Don McLean, which goes like this: ” ‘Cause fire is the devil’s only friend”. Not unlike Dio, I was brought up as a Catholic and had bible class every day along with all my other schooling, so I know all the biblical stories to a T. As Ronnie has done in many of his songs, I drew on that schooling and how we see it with more open eyes now that we are older.

One story, which is about God’s archangels like Saint Michael and Gabriel, Lucifer was also an archangel and was the leader of God’s army, but he got full of himself and wanted to take the throne from God, so God cast him to his own place in Hell to rule over all sinners. So the song is about that biblical story and, where he’s at now and what he’s up to taking sinners down to hell to its fire and casting them in complete horror and eternal hell fire.

The Latin in the song I got from my pastor at Corpus Christi Catholic Church. I wrote out what I wanted to say in English, and he wrote it out in Latin for me and that is that angelic breakdown part. The end is a collage of souls being burnt and in eternal torment. No one down there loves the devil, I’m sure, so… The fire is the devil’s only friend.

Production

Produced by Stu Marshall, who’s worked closely with each vocalist to ensure that their contribution is both individual and integral to the whole, the album is a model for future collaborations, in not just heavy music, but in music overall. Guardians Of Time, even though it has many different people involved, sounds like a band, a band with Stu Marshall being the anchor that ties everything together. As always, Marshall has a great ear for production, with stellar drums, ripping guitars, and powerful vocals throughout.

Final Notes

Empires Of Eden – Guardians Of Time shows what the power of friendships and collaboration can bring to the music world. Stu Marshall clearly had a vision for this project, and he knew exactly how to bring all of these amazing people together to get it done. The album has a great mix, and it’s hard to single out any one track as the best, as they all have great qualities that make this album one that is sure to please, and well worth picking up.

Lineup

Stu Marshall – Guitars / Bass (except track 2, 3, 11) / Drums (except track 3, 11) / Orchestral Arrangements

Vocals

• Rob Rock (Impellitteri): Lead Vocals on “Guardians Of Time”
• Darren Smith (Jake E. Lee’s Red Dragon Cartel): Lead Vocals on “When Will It End”
• Jonas Heidgert (Dragonland): Lead Vocals on “Mortal Rites”
• David Readman (Pink Cream 69): Lead Vocals on “The Inner Me”
• Sean Peck (Death Dealer): Lead Vocals on “When The Beast Comes Out”
• Tony Webster (Archetype): Lead Vocals on “Stand United”
• Louie Gorgievski (Night Legion): Lead Vocals on “August Runs Red”, “Baptise This Hell”, “Baptise This Hell (Alternate Version) [Bonus Track]”
• Jeff Martin (ex-Racer X): Lead Vocals on “The Devil’s Only Friend”
• Danny Cecati (Wicked Smile) – Lead Vocals on “Baptise This Hell (Alternate Version) [Bonus Track]”
• John “Gio” Cavaliere (Black Majesty) – Lead Vocals on “Baptise This Hell (Alternate Version) [Bonus Track]”
• Genevieve Rodda (Temtris) – Lead Vocals on “Baptise This Hell (Alternate Version) [Bonus Track]”

Bass

• John Gallagher (Raven): Bass on “Guardians Of Time”
• Mike LePond (Symphony X): Bass on “When Will It End” and “The Devil’s Only Friend”

Guitars

• Tony Truglio (ex-Liege Lord): Guest Solo on “Mortal Rites”
• Anthony Fox (Temtris) – Lead Guitar on “Baptise This Hell (Alternate Version) [Bonus Track]”
• Aaron Adie (Elm Street) – Lead Guitar on “Baptise This Hell (Alternate Version) [Bonus Track]”

Drums

• Clay T. (Arkenstone): Drums on “When Will It End” and “The Devil’s Only Friend

Guardians Of Time – Tracklist (CD – Digipak)

1. The Dawn March
2. Guardians Of Time
3. When Will It End
4. Mortal Rites
5. The Inner Me
6. When The Beast Comes Out
7. Arabian Nights
8. Stand United
9. August Runs Red
10. Baptise This Hell
11. The Devil’s Only Friend
12. Baptise This Hell (Alternate Version) [Bonus Track

Check out the video for “Guardians Of Time” by Empires of Eden off of their new album: Guardians Of Time