Christopher Lee-Charlemagne:By the sword and the cross

Cadiz
2010

Christopher Lee has played many parts over his long career including Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, Saruman, Sherlock Holmes, Fu Manchu and many more. That was acting now he has decided to throw his hat into another area and record an album, but here he still gets to take on another roll. This is billed as a symphonic metal album with composer Marco Sabiu being in charge. However it is much a symphonic album similar to film soundtrack music and occasionally we get a few metal guitar blasts and flourishes. The music varies from thick, flowing landscapes to dull pieces that seem to be sitting there taking up time. Even when the music is well played I am not sure that it always fits the mood of the violent events taking place in the story. Lee himself isn't a terribly great singer, but the presence and distinctive nature of his voice help him to push through this okay. The narration between songs adds nothing to the story or the mood as it's presented in a flat fashion that seems very out of place with the rest of the album. While some of the music is well played this is still a rather dull offering that it difficult to take in once sitting. The bottom line is I am not sure who this album will appeal to. It's not metal enough for metal fans. The parts from the symphony hits at times, but I don't know that fans of that music would take to the vocals and long story. Christopher Lee fans are perhaps most likely to be curious enough to check it out, but even they might think that one play of the entire album is more than enough.