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Edguy's last album, Tinnitus Sanctus, continued to divide the band's fan base with its glossy, commercial attitude. I liked the album, despite the decidedly mainstream direction, but I still harbor a desire to see the band return to the glory days of Theater of Salvation. Age of the Joker isn't the throwback I'd longed for, but it is a step in that direction. Gone is the intentionally arena-friendly songwriting. This time, it sounds as if main man Tobias Sammet simply wrote the best songs he could with little care for what he ended up with.

Age of the Joker is a well balanced affair. "Robin Hood" and "Two Out of Seven" cover the Edguy penchant for injecting their albums with a good deal of humor. "The Arcane Guild" and "Breathe" are pure Power Metal ear candy, full of speedy riffs and sing-a-long choruses. Ballads "Pandora's Box" and "Every Night Without You" are saccharine sweet, but good in an early 80s, Scorpions ballad way. They are the kind of songs that we liked until radio and/or MTV got a hold of them and played them to death. The album is rounded out by several mid-tempo rockers, highlighted by "Nobody's Hero" and "Rock of Cashel." There are a few missteps sprinkled throughout the album. The keyboard riff of "Two Out of Seven" is too poppy while the smoldering "Behind the Gates of Midnight World" goes on several minutes longer than it probably should. Thankfully these are few and far between and get lost easily in the overall high quality of the rest of the album.

Age of the Joker is a well played, well written melodic Power Metal album. Core Edguy fans should be please while those that have drifted away over the years would do well to give this one a listen.