Shouldn't we somehow bring up a law preventing bands from being more than 50% of 'clones' of other bands? It's a shame, simply because every single good element an act may have...fffsssss...it disappears in the mist of copyright illusion. If this promo copy was sleeveless, I'd definitely consider this CD as the new Edguy album.
Saidian's previous release - For Those Who Walk The Path Forlorn (2005) - was more of an 'original'. This time the band decided to invite Jon Oliva (Savatage etc) as a guest, but this adds nothing to the value of Phoenix. Melodic Metal with tons of keyboards, Edguy-like singing, average guitars and no single tune would stick in my mind after all. Bands like Narnia or (at times) Stratovarius may also come to mind. You got the picture, didn't you?
Saidian are good players...everybody - on the other side - is a good (technically) performer in our days. Hence, the rest - songwriting, amplitude, originality - shine through their absence. Phoenix is good only for die-hard Edguy fans.