I loved the sound on their previous album (Omen) and now they decided to rework older hits in the studio and get us an up-dated sound. So If you loved it, you can’t miss this best of! It’s true that they could have simply launched a best of without any effort, but this is simply proving that they care about their fans and are preparing for a best of tour! It feels a bit like what Front 242 did with their live REBOOT album calling in their new sound and setting a new standard!
The best of is also available as a deluxe double CD, double vinyl and strictly limited fan set featuring an exclusive bonus DVD with all official Blutengel video-clips & and an exclusive logo medallion.
Vampire Romance is the first track to get a reworked version: the vocals sound better; the symphonic and melodic extra’s gets a catchy sound and gives it a real emotional touch. Compare both versions and you’ll be in tears when you listen to the new version. It’s magical! Children of the Night is a version with better vocals (and great backings), more guitars and a dramatic feel. It’s clearly an improvement of the original! The original is perfect for retro lovers; but this one really rocks and is very catchy too! Behind The Mirror sounds stronger and catchier with more bleeps and a roaring sound.
Soul of Ice reveals from the start the modern sound and gets a higher rhythm! This version is more dance floor orientated and that’s a big improvement! Die with you gets better vocals and a powerful choir and thus a perfect dramatic feel for the slow tempo of this song. Black Roses has become a very emotional song, very melancholic with a good tempo and perfect beats. This time it’s not sung by Chris Phol but by Ulrike Goldmann and in this version I can’t write down any negative point as it’s simply better!
Lucifer keeps the original piano part (but sounds better than the original) and gets break beats and some drum’n bass. The vocals are also better (for sure the backings). The sound is just so much better that listening to the older version almost hurts, just because the new version is a perfectly polished diamond! Once again if I would have to choose between old and new: new wins! Der Spiegel gets a more aggressive sound and higher tempo. This is once again the perfect approach! Engelsblut gets a more into pop and receives a wider sound (with more details in it), clearly a version anno 2015!
Weg Zu Mir has been changed into a more angelic version with a modern sound. It’s clearly one of the best reworked versions of this album! A lot of fans will love and cherish this new version! Bloody Pleasures needed a dramatic feel and gets it! It’s catchier and with a touch of pop. The vocals sound better, more understandable! Reich Mir Die Hand gets more guitars, stronger backings and a warmer sound. The vocals are much more up-fronted and the electronic part is 100% better, just as I can point out that the extra symphonic touch is a big win! This version literally blows away the original!
I hope I don’t shock any fans by saying that every track is simply better than the original version and it feels as if there are so much more possibilities with so many other songs. Now that I have compared them to their first version it feels as if these early versions were only demo versions! This best of is simply the best thing possible and I hope a lot of fans will love it as much as I did! As Blutengel did everything possible to keep it interesting for the fans, check out the deluxe version!
Track Listing:
CD1:
01- Vampire Romance (Reworked)
02 - Children Of The Night (Reworked)
03 - Behind The Mirror (Reworked)
04 - Soul Of Ice (Reworked)
05 - Die With You (Reworked)
06 - Black Roses (Reworked)
07 – Lucifer (Reworked)
08 - Der Spiegel (Reworked)
09 – Engelsblut (Reworked)
10 - Weg Zu Mir (Reworked)
11 - Bloody Pleasures (Reworked)
12 - Reich Mir Die Hand (Reworked)
CD2:
01 – Sing
02 - Asche zu Asche
03 - Save Our Souls
04 - You Walk Away
05 - Seelenschmerz (Symphonic Version)
06 - Ein Augenblick (Symphonic Version)
07 - No Eternity (Piano Version)
08 - Dancing In The light
09 - Soultaker
10 - Nachtbringer
11 - The Oxidising Angel
12 - Über den Horizont
13 - Krieger (Electro Version)
14 – Monument
DVD:
01- The Oxidising Angel
02 – Dancing In The Light
03 – Nachtbringer
04 – Reich mir die Hand
05 – Über den Horizont
06 – Save Our Souls
07 – No Eternity (Piano Version)
08 – You Walk Away
09 – Kinder dieser Stadt
10 – Krieger (Symphonic Version)
11 – Asche zu Asche
12 – Sing
13 – Kinder der Sterne (Blutengel & Meinhard)
Vinyl:
Disc 1
A1 - Vampire Romance (Reworked) – 04:45
A2 – Children Of The Night (Reworked) – 05:18
A3 – Behind The Mirror (Reworked) – 03:51
A4 – Soul Of Ice (Reworked) – 05:20
B1 – Die With You (Reworked) – 04:55
B2 – Black Roses (Reworked) – 04:51
B3 – Lucifer (Reworked) – 04:57
B4 – Der Spiegel (Reworked) – 03:49
Disc 2
A1 – Engelsblut (Reworked) – 05:26
A2 – Weg zu mir (Reworked) – 04:27
A3 – Bloody Pleasures (Reworked) – 04:33
A4 – Reich mir die Hand (Reworked) – 03:44
B1 – Ein Augenblick (Symphonic Version – Live at Gothic Meets Klassik) – 05:00
B2 -Seelenschmerz (Symphonic Version) – 05:54
B3 – Krieger (Electro Version) – 03:52
B4 – No Eternity (Piano Version) – 03:59
