Touched by the Crimson King is the second album by the power metal supergroup Demons and Wizards, released in June 2005. The album contains a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song". It was also released as a limited edition digipak in Europe with an alternate cover and four bonus tracks on a second disc. For the North American release, all fourteen songs appeared on one disc, which had the limited edition cover in the form of a sleeve around the jewel case.
The album appeared on the American Billboard charts on place 35.
Track listing
Personnel
- Hansi Kürsch – vocals
- Jon Schaffer – lead, rhythm, and acoustic guitars, bass
;Guest musicians
- Bobby Jarzombek – drums and percussion
- Jim Morris – guitar solos and backing vocals
- Rubin Drake – bass and fretless bass guitar
- Howard Helm – piano and backing vocals
- Kathy Helm – backing vocals
- Tori Fuson – backing vocals
- Jesse Morris – backing vocals
- Krystyna Kolaczynski – cello
Lyrical content
- "Crimson King" is a reference to the Crimson King, the main antagonist of The Dark Tower series. The song also strongly references Randall Flagg, one of the King's many servants. Hansi in an interview has also stated that the Crimson King is Satan.
- "The Gunslinger" is referring to Roland of Gilead, the protagonist of the Dark Tower series. The song refers mainly to the plot of the final book of the series.
- "Terror Train" is a reference to Blaine the Mono, from the third and fourth novels of the Dark Tower series.
- "Beneath These Waves" is based on Herman Melville's Moby Dick.
- "Seize the Day" is based on Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.
- "Love's Tragedy Asunder" is about a man whose wife is terminally ill, and he assists her suicide, and ends up killing himself.