Instant Clarity [Import]

Michael Kiske | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 12, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Frontiers Italy
• ASIN: B000F7CDSU
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #254,507 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Be True to Yourself

2. The Calling

3. Somebody Somewhere

4. Burned Out

5. New Horizons

6. Hunted

7. Always

8. Thanx a Lot!

9. Time's Passing By

10. So Sick

11. Do I Remember a Life?

12. A Song Is Just a Moment [*]

13. I Don't Deserve Love [*]

14. Sacred Grounds [*]

15. Can't Tell [*]

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Redemption of sorts for Michael Kiske, January 10, 2008

By 

Justin Gaines (Northern Virginia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Instant Clarity (Audio CD)

After the ill-received and incredibly schizophrenic Chameleon album, Michael Kiske found himself ousted from the legendary German power metal outfit Helloween. His solo debut - 1995's Instant Clarity - marked Kiske's return to making music, if not his return to heavy metal.

Instead of the power metal sound he was best known for, Kiske, aided by no less than Iron Maiden's Adrian Smith and former Helloween bandmate (and current Gamma Ray main man) Kai Hansen, released an album of melodic rock songs that range from AOR to hard rock that verges on metal. In truth, much of the material on Instant Clarity is not that far removed from the songs Kiske wrote for Chameleon, but what was hard to swallow from the band that brought us the famed Keeper of the Seven Keys albums is a lot easier to take coming from Kiske as a solo artist.

Given Kiske's somewhat uneven solo output (Supared, anyone?) as well as his often derogatory statements about heavy metal, I was prepared not to like this album. The combination of strong melodies and a voice that is synonymous with European power metal proved too hard to resist. It's not a perfect album by any means. When it's bad, it's bad. Thanx a Lot and So Sick bring back the worst excesses of Chameleon and Pink Bubbles Go Ape and Time's Passing By seems incredibly out of place here), but when it works it works well. The Calling, New Horizons, and the ballad Always are very strong songs, and while the 10-minute Do I Remember a Life wasn't quite the metal epic I was hoping for, there's no denying it's emotion and power (or Kiske's ability as a songwriter).

While Instant Clarity should appeal to Helloween fans, those expecting a return to the power metal glory days of the Keeper albums are going to be sorely disappointed.

NOTE: The 2006 Frontiers reissue of Instant Clarity features 4 bonus tracks. The first - A Song Is Just a Moment - was originally only available of the Japanese import of Instant Clarity. The remaining three tracks - I Don't Deserve Love, Sacred Grounds, and Can't Tell - are laid back acoustic songs that bear a strong resemblance to Extreme, as well as the material on Kiske's Place Vendome project.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is not Helloween, January 18, 2009

By 

Chris Kaiser (The comfort of home) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Instant Clarity (Audio CD)

Fans of Michael Kiske should not expect him to be doing songs like Helloween on his solo CD's. Helloween tried to capitalize off Kiske since he sounded like Geoff Tate of Queensryche. It is good to hear him doing his own thing but this music is much different that the material from his past.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Some good moments, but not enough, July 1, 2008

By 

M. Fonseca "carmarthen" (Thunder) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Instant Clarity (Audio CD)

The great merit of Kiske was to avoid some metal cliches. But the result was so uneven that I did not like most of the album, even with Adrian Smith and Kai Hansen supplying great solos in some songs.