Zed Yago is a mysterious woman, a story shrouded in mist... and a criminally little known band. Zed Yago originated in Germany during the year of 1985. One of the pioneers of Power Metal, Zed Yago's goal (both the band and their mascot) is to return fantasy to mankind. It's original members were: Gunnar, Tach, Bubi, Jimmy and Jutta (frequently referred to as the Lady Singer).
They had originally named the band Sedjago but Jimmy Durand changed it to Zed Yago when it came time to release their music worldwide. They released their first album, the incredible From Over Yonder in 1987. It was record of the month in Metal Hammer magazine. They signed to BMG in 1988 and released Pilgrimage which stayed in the charts for quite a while. They even recorded a video for Black Bone Song.
Tensions within the band caused Gunnar and Bubi to leave it in 1989 and in 1990 Jutta left too. There was a long period where they released nothing, partly due to legal troubles over the name. In 1997, however, the band reformed with a different Lady Singer named Yvonne (who afterwards got married to Jimmy Durand).
She was a guitar student of Jimmy's whom he had suggested learn to sing. When she heard that Zed Yago was reforming she instantly wanted to be the singer. After proving to the rest of the band that she could do the job, she found herself in Zed Yago. Tatch (the bassist) left the band again this year and they added a keyboardist named Hansi Kecker to the line-up. In 2002 they released the album I am reviewing, From The Twilight Zone, which is a best of album.
As of 2004, they are in the studio working on the next album. The character, Zed Yago, is an unfortunate whose soulless father condemned to pay for his unholy crimes. She eventually bargained her way out of her prison to bring fantasy back to the world. The albums are about her adventures for the most part. Zed Yago is one of those bands who fuse Metal and classical properly. The music is melodic and aggressive and the singer is one vicious female! The quality of the lyrics is usually good to great in this incarnation of the band. Their sound is dynamic, classy and keep the Rock 'n' Roll vibe that bands formed more recently usually do not.
The guitarists really know their stuff, their riffery is beautiful, angry and expertly done. Jutta Weinhold has a unique voice. Her singing is aggressive, eerie and melodic. She has an angrier voice than most men of her genre! Witness why her voice is one of my favorite sounds! It is worth noting that From The Twilight Zoneo takes up TWO cds!
Time for the track by track breakdown:
The first track is Zed Yago tells you the beginning of her that character's story. It is a live track recorded in 1989 and though good as live songs go, I wonder why they did not just remaster the original song. It is a song to move to, aggressive, bouncy and perfect for Metal sing-a-longs! The sound quality is unusually good for something recorded with a tape player.
The second track is not from Zed Yago (it is a Velvet Viper song) but as it has two of the founding members in it, perhaps it might as well be. Merlin is an excellent, catchy song with the spirit of old Zed Yago. You will bounce, you will sing along. It is inevitable and life is good! It is about a meeting between Merlin and Zed Yago.
Black Bone Song mixes classical and Metal music and does it well. This mid-tempo fist-pounder pushes you onto the ship and pulls you into a dance. Its ominous melody is both angry and catchy. Black Bone Song tells the story of the crew of Zed Yago's ship. They have been damned to sing the Black Bone Song.
King Arther is another Velvet Viper song. Again, it is indistinguishable from Zed Yago. The raging guitar-work and melody of the music are what makes this song great. It tells the story of King Arther and how he died.
United Pirate Kingdom is a classy mid-tempo song. It's guitar-work is dynamic, fun and the riffs grab a hold of your mind. They don't let go. The song has a sad feeling to it, yet it lifts your mood at the same time. The lyrics are especially good and the singing is exciting, making you want to grab a microphone yourself. The song tells you about Zed Yago's ship and the ocean she is doomed to sail.
Fear Of Death is a slow, eerie song. It is dynamic, angry, full of fear and anger. The name of the song pretty much sums up what it is about.
The Pale Man is a beautiful, sad ballad about one of Zed Yago's crew. I love the guitar-work, chorus and especially, the lyrics of this heartbreaking tune! The clear, tinkling notes have soothed me after many a bad day! It is my favorite Zed Yago tune on From The Twilight Zone.
Waiting For the Wind should never have made it onto this album. Jutta recorded it with Peter Knorn and Fritz Randow (formerly of Victory). The songs are okay but thoroughly un-Zed Yago. They have more of a 70's Blues Rock feel to them then anything else. It is a demo track and to the best of my knowledge was never officially released before From The Twilight Zone.
Pioneer Of The Storm, is my second favorite tune from this album. The lyrics are good, the music is frantic, fierce and exhilarating! It is about mankind's search for knowledge. The solo is absolutely KILLER!
Stay The Course - Part II is another live track. Again it was recorded on a tape player and like it's sister song is unusually clear for a recording of this kind. It has a wonderful solo and is highly headbangable! It also has a drum solo that does not bore me... something that has happened, what, maybe twice in my lifetime? Stay the Course - Part II is about remaining defiant in the face of terrible odds and releasing your frustrations.
That concludes the first cd, now on to the second:
Pilgrim's Choir is a classical track and leads directly into the next track Pilgrimage. Pilgrim's Choir is ethereal and beautiful and it's following track continues this vibe, although with a more war-like tone. The uplifting, battle cry of Pilgrimage is about the deal Zed Yago made to exit the twilight zone. The guitar-work is particularly good here and makes me feel as if I were flying.
Queen And Priest has more of a rock out tone then most of the album, and is sung with an eerily soothing voice for the music. The result is pure magic...
Queen And Priest is about opposites.
Rebel Ladies is another rocker. Raise your fists, because this playful, yet fiery tune will put your attention in chains! It is about women who defied the role that many women were forced to play throughout history. The guitar-work is particularly good on this one!
Jutta recorded Cover Man  with Peter Knorn, Pitter Schwaar, Kalle Bossel and Mario Timme. It doesn't really belong here either but fits in better than Waiting For The Wind. It is a fun, Rock vibed Metal song about a lonely lady fantasizing about a man in one of her posters. Like Waiting For the Wind it is a demo track and to the best of my knowledge was not released before From The Twilight Zone.
The Rose of Martyrdom is about the reason why fantasy needs to be found. The music is sophisticated and beautiful, carrying you on waves of beautiful guitar-work! The solo here should be legend! Jutta tears it up on this track, she sounds mad as can be... I wouldn't want to mess with someone in a mood like that! You just wait until you hear the scream she lets loose at the end of the song! If it doesn't covert you, I will be very surprised! Rose of Martyrdom is my favorite track on From The Twilight Zone.
Rocking For The Nation is another live recording of a Zed Yago classic. It too was recorded on a tape player and has the same sound quality of the other live tunes on this album.It has great guitar-work, headbangability, and catchiness. The song is about sex and is, as it should be, fun as heck!
Another song from Velvet Viper, HM Rebels has the Zed Yago sound and is a passionate song with exceptional guitar-work! It is about one of their favorite topics, pirates.
The Spell From Over Yonder has a threatening edge to it's haunting chords. Speaking of chords, Jutta's vocal cords are in top form here, evil and foreboding! The guitar-work is again excellent, with more than enough riffery to satisfy you! The Spell From Over Yonder is about how the old forget what it is like to be young and grow contemptuous of anything new.
Rebel Ladies - Part II is a continuation of Rebel Ladies. Unlike the former track, Rebel Ladies - Part II is a live one. It does not follow the lyrics in the original version, because of band/crowd interaction but it is lots of fun all the same! It is a tape recording of a live show and has better quality than most of those that you see.
Remember that video I mentioned earlier? It's tacked on as an extra. I really like the video, it was well done with dark imagery, similar in some respects to the old silent movie style.
Zed Yago is a band that has everything I love in Metal, originality, a Rock'n' Metal vibe, classical fusion, a killer singer and of course, the almighty guitar solo! The only thing that subtracts from this record are the demo's and perhaps they should have had studio tracks instead of the live ones.