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General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: Ultimetalhead on June 30, 2010, 10:20:42 PM
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The last thread hasn't been posted in since December, and nothing really happened in it anyway. This band is my all time favorite power metal band, and I may go so far as to place Tales From the Twilight World in my top 25 albums of all time. Simply phenomenal. I've listened to it twice today.
They have a new song out, and an album coming out in late July. The new song is some of the best stuff I've heard from them since the mid-90s. Check it out. :metal
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Where do you find the new song? All I find is a 30 seconds section..
Blind Guardian is great stuff and I especially love the vocals. I will definitly check out the new album!
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Great band, and perhaps my favourite power metal band too. Favourite album is Nightfall In Middle Earth.
Looking forward to their new album!
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Favourite album is Nightfall In Middle Earth.
Brilliance.
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I've not really been excited by anything Blind Guardianny in a while - partially cause they're too slow - but I checked out the B-Side to the single, and I really dug it. I was gonna wait for the album, but I might check out the actual single now that it comes recommended.
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They have a new song out?
:splodearms:
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Yes. Listen to it now and be freed from your boring life.
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ILLLLLLIIIIIIAAAADDD
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What's it called?
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A Voice in the Dark
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Sweet I'll check it out then
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Just found out the new single is already out so I downloaded it and thought... hmm.. maybe dtf is already talking about this so I checked and here it is. Well Im about to listen and am pretty excited. A Twist in the Myth was the first album I heard, but after going through thier discography, my favorite album is Imaginations from the Other Side. Followed closely by A Night at the Opera and Nightfall in Middle Earth. I bought thier live DVD on ebay for like 8 bucks (including shipping) and its really good. Ok, now Im going to listen.
Ok, that was awesome. Sounds much more like thier older stuff than songs from A Twist in the Myth.
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I like the new EP a lot. A Voice In The Dark is great, and I like their cover of You're The Voice as well. They know how to pick a cover and make it their own.
Excellent :tup
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I have to listen to more Blind Guardian. I loved A Night at the Opera and Nightfall in Middle Earth but I got distracted by Pain of Salvation before I could really get into them.
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Album was released in Europe (inb4butyou'reamericanlol)
Album sounds sick. I hope these guys tour the US :metal
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The new album is awesome. A definite return to form after A Twist in The Myth.
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The three newest songs are awesome!
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Twist in the Myth was very average, the new one sounds like a step in the right direction.
I love A Night at the Opera myself, copped a lot of unnecessary slagging, great album.
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Thorn is easily my favorite song, though I haven't listened to it (or BG) in ages. It's a shame no one ever talks about it.
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At The Edge Of Time has to be greatly inspired by A Song of Ice and Fire, at least on some songs. And The Wheel of Time series as well
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Album is very good so far. Sacred Worlds was a kind of underwhelming opener, but once Tanelorn kicked in the album just got better and better.
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Im very impressed by this album. All I kept thinking while having my first listen was, "wow, I cant believe these guys were able to put out an album as good as this" and its not meant that they havent made awesome albums before, its just that with ATITM and the time between albums, I just guess I did not have high expectations. Even after listening to the first single, I still did not expect this album would be this good. I really like Sacred Worlds, while not the blistering speed metal as some of thier older stuff, I really like the orchestral sound and power of the music. Then comes in Tenelorn and wow, Im blown away by how awesome that chorus is. I also very much like the ballads.
:metal
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The chorus of Valkryies is one of the best BG choruses ever.
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The chorus of Valkryies is one of the best BG choruses ever.
While very good, I think Control the Divine is better. That song is so damn catchy. Its really hard to pick my favorite track on this album, its so full of win. :metal
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Listening to "And Then There Was Silence"
Just how Hansi goes from completely calm and collected to suddenly screaming is just epic.
:metal
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Listening to "And Then There Was Silence"
Just how Hansi goes from completely calm and collected to suddenly screaming is just epic.
:metal
That song is epic on their DVD.
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I want BG to tour America :(
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Listening to "And Then There Was Silence"
Just how Hansi goes from completely calm and collected to suddenly screaming is just epic.
:metal
Man that song is awesome :metal
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I want BG to tour America :(
My friend's been obsessed with them lately, and he's been telling me how they tour Europe/Germany/etc... like every year, but America only like once every few years... which is to be expected I suppose.
It's funny because when it comes to power metal, my band is ICED FUCKING EARTH, and he's on the Blind Guardian side. We both always talk about how epic a co-headlining tour of the United States that'd be. :2metal:
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I want BG to tour America :(
My friend's been obsessed with them lately, and he's been telling me how they tour Europe/Germany/etc... like every year, but America only like once every few years... which is to be expected I suppose.
It's funny because when it comes to power metal, my band is ICED FUCKING EARTH, and he's on the Blind Guardian side. We both always talk about how epic a co-headlining tour of the United States that'd be. :2metal:
I would see that but mostly for BG, never was an IE fan. But if BG should be headlining that, if it ever did happen.
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I want BG to tour America :(
My friend's been obsessed with them lately, and he's been telling me how they tour Europe/Germany/etc... like every year, but America only like once every few years... which is to be expected I suppose.
It's funny because when it comes to power metal, my band is ICED FUCKING EARTH, and he's on the Blind Guardian side. We both always talk about how epic a co-headlining tour of the United States that'd be. :2metal:
I would see that but mostly for BG, never was an IE fan. But if BG should be headlining that, if it ever did happen.
Since Iced Earth is from America, and play larger venues here, I'd imagine that they'd be headlining. But overseas, BG would headline no doubt.
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Im pretty sure BG are announcing NA dates on September 9th.
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Link!?!
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The sticker on the CD says they'll be touring North America in the Fall but their website doesn't say shit.
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Both bands used to have a lot of character and compliment eachother's shortcomings, but stylistically I think Iced Earth have kinda just turned into a poor-man's Blind Guardian. Iced Earth become more and more like Blind Guardian every album, and Blind Guardian just keep doing Blind Guardian.
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The sticker on the CD says they'll be touring North America in the Fall but their website doesn't say shit.
Well they're definitely touring Germany/Europe this fall, so that's not happening...
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I belive their facebook said september 9th they announce NA dates.
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I belive their facebook said september 9th they announce NA dates.
Yeah, their Facebook page says that they're releasing dates on the ninth.
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The sticker on the CD says they'll be touring North America in the Fall but their website doesn't say shit.
Well they're definitely touring Germany/Europe this fall, so that's not happening...
You wrong, son!
https://www.blind-guardian.com/2010/09/08/north-american-tour-dates-confirmed/
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AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! THEY'RE COMING TO ARIZONA!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
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I might see them. I have a friend who's a fanatic who's definitely going, but I don't listen to them (I know they're good, just never got their music yet), so it'll also depend on if I can afford it (thirty bucks, not bad at all).
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Why is it that most power metal bands start at the Trocadero?
Sonata Arctica
Kamelot
and now Blind Guardian
WIN :metal
I will be seeing them the 19th of November :metal
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I plan on convincing my friend to go to the NYC show with me, probably by buying him a ticket.
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I might see you there
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Alright, they're coming here to New Mex. Think I might check it out as its only 18$ and I've been wanting to check them out, but no money to buy albums.
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Sweet, I'll see if I can scrap the cash to see them in December.
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There set lists have been pretty solid so far through thier tour of Europe. I wish they would play more of the new album though, but being that this will be the first time I see them, I don't mind seeing the mixture of music they are playing.
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Is too a Necrothread.
Anyone going to pick up their "best of" Memories of A Time to Come? Best of in quotes because this compilation contains Follow The Blind... Um... No one likes this song and Banish From Sanctuary, a fan favorite and on the same album, was omitted. Also, it would have been smart to re-record Majesty if they aren't going to put the definitive live version from "Live" on here. Remixing the song didn't help it any. They just polished a turd. Here's the press release:
Finally, after all these years, we have found the time to gather our most worthy songs into a best of compilation, representative of our career’s first 25 years. From the very beginning it was important for us to undertake this project only if we could put the necessary time and attention to detail into it. With overwhelming nostalgia we have looked back on 25 years and came up with Memories of a Time to Come, an organic mixture of some of our greatest songs.
With the exception of “Sacred Worlds”, all songs on Memories of a Time to Come have been remixed while “The Bard’s Song – The Hobbit”, “Valhalla” as well as “And Then There Was Silence” have been re-recorded. This album contains some very pleasant surprises for the die-hard Blind Guardian fan and delivers a perfect image of our musical spirit to those who are not, or just loosely, familiar with the band. Memories of a Time to Come precisely defines our progression and the long-standing dedication to our music. We are proud to present an album that will take the listener on a musical voyage. This year’s Christmas will be in January!
(https://www.blind-guardian.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/memoriesofatimetocome-big.jpg)
Memories of a Time to Come, the ultimate collection of Blind Guardian music from 1987 to 2011, will be released on January 20, 2012 via Virgin/EMI. It will be available as a double CD, 3 CD deluxe limited edition including the legendary Lucifer’s Heritage demos and as download.
CD 1:
Imaginations from the Other Side (7:11) *
Nightfall (5:34) *
Ride into Obsession (4:46) *
Somewhere Far Beyond (7:32) *
Majesty (7:29) *
Traveler in Time (6:01) *
Follow the Blind (7:11) *
The Last Candle (6:03) *
CD 2:
Sacred Worlds (9:17)
This Will Never End (5:07) *
Valhalla (5:13) **
Bright Eyes (5:15) *
Mirror Mirror (5:09) *
The Bard’s Song (In the Forest) (3:26) *
The Bard’s Song (The Hobbit) (3:41) **
And Then There Was Silence (14:06) **
CD 3: (only available with the deluxe limited edition)
Brian ***
Halloween (The Wizard’s Crown) ***
Lucifer’s Heritage ***
Symphonies of Doom ***
Dead of the Night ***
Majesty
Trial by the Archon
Battalions of Fear
Run for the Night
Lost in the Twilight Hall
Tommyknockers
Ashes to Ashes
Time What is Time
A Past and Future Secret
The Script for My Requiem
* Remixed 2011
** Re-recorded 2011
*** Re-worked 2011
There are some audio issues with some of the songs, and the re-recording of And Then There Was Silence was unnecessary, but can still be listened to unlike the re-recording of Iced Earth's Dante's Inferno...
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I think I'll just save my money for their next full length release. Not a big fan of compilations.
Badass cover art though. :metal
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Nightfall in Middle Earth is such a good album, holy shit. Irresistible choruses. So hard not to sing along.
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It is an excellent album, indeed.
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Has anyone actually picked up this new compilation? I'm thinking about getting it.
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Wow, I might actually get that. I'm not a HUGE Blind guardian fan, but like their stuff here and there. That compilation has some of the songs I like on it. If only for the re-recorded version of 'Valhalla'. Nice, I'll think about it.
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HOLY SHIT FEBRUARY?!
Damn, It seemed like that compilation just came out. Fuck. Anyway, news from the bards:
A Traveler’s Guide to Space and Time coming in February 2013
Posted on Saturday, December 1st, 2012
Save up your Christmas money for February when A Traveler’s Guide to Space and Time, a strictly limited edition Blind Guardian box set with 15 CDs in 13 high quality digipacks and only 8000 copies worldwide, is released.
Germany, Austria and Switzerland have a release date of February 1, 2013 and the rest of the world on February 4, 2013. The box set can now be pre-ordered from your favorite record shop!
Looking back over Blind Guardian’s career from the here and now in 2013, you see a success story gone global, the likes of which very few other German metal bands have ever experienced. This band from Krefeld has been just about everywhere, conquering the North American market in the same way as they stormed the charts in Asia or packed concert venues in South America and even South Africa. From their (at that point purely) German beginnings with debut album Battalions of Fear (1988), followed by their first international recognition with the second album Follow the Blind (1989) and the euphoria which went round the world when Tales from the Twilight World (1990) and Somewhere Far Beyond (1992) came out, right through to their masterpiece of composition in A Night at the Opera (2002), the name of the band developed to become an unmistakable world brand. There are lots of reasons for this, but no doubt much of it is down to the extraordinary skill of everyone involved, their virtuoso dexterity and that gift for bringing mystical themes in tune with unusually complex metal directives. Something else which really makes Blind Guardian stand out is the way they have always kept so close to their fans. Even more proof of their unconditional commitment to the huge fan-base is being released now; A Traveler’s Guide to Space and Time, a strictly limited edition deluxe box set with a total of 15 CDs in 13 high quality digipacks, which the musicians and the record company have been working on together for almost a year. A particularly long time to create a compilation you may think, but a glance at just how much this box set encompasses explains why their conscientious and time-consuming preparation took so long.
A Traveler’s Guide to Space and Time not only includes all the albums released during the so-called Virgin years (the record company brought out all the bands’ records between 1988 and 2004) but also all their previously unreleased demo recordings, rare bonus tracks and alternative versions of famous pieces from this era, and all of them have been remastered and some even remixed. To be precise; it includes the seven studio albums Battalions of Fear, Follow the Blind, Tales from the Twilight World, Somewhere Far Beyond, Imaginations from the Other Side, Nightfall in Middle-Earth and A Night at the Opera, and on top of all that you get the live albums Tokyo Tales and Live as well as The Forgotten Tales compilation, all of them now with 2012 mastering and some of them with new mixes. Above and beyond that, Blind Guardian have dug deep into their archives and come up with some real treats: in Imaginations Through the Looking Glass for the very first time the phenomenal concert they put on in Coburg, Germany in June 2003 appears in audio format on two CDs. And another first, in a special edition of Nightfall in Middle-Earth, the musicians also present the legendary 1998 studio album without any breaks (including a new mix of “Blood Tears”). This precious box is rounded off with An Extraordinary Tale, which includes so far unreleased demo versions of the pieces “Welcome to Dying”, “Lord of the Rings”, “The Bard’s Song (In the Forest)”, “The Bard’s Song (The Hobbit)”, “Theatre of Pain”, “Trial by Fire” and “I’m Alive” and the never before released, around 90 seconds longer version of the song “The Quest for Tanelorn” as well as the comparatively rare number “Harvest of Sorrow”.
So, there is so much to find, enjoy and rediscover in this outright opulent deluxe box which is accompanied by a 20 page glossy booklet (size: 27cm x 27cm) containing comments from the members of the band and more than 100 rare and mainly unpublished photos belonging to the musicians. A limited edition and numbered Blind Guardian art print on special paper (sized 27cm by 27cm) and a guitar plectrum engraved with the band’s logo have also been added to the box. Blind Guardian are rightly proud of this glorious package. “With A Traveler’s Guide to Space and Time we document how much has Blind Guardian developed between 1988 and 2004 in, as I see it, a particularly impressive and vivid way”, explains singer/bassist Hansi Kürsch who, together with original members André Olbrich and Marcus Siepen, still controls the destiny of this amazing group. Kürsch adds: “The brand new mastering also makes sure that all 15 CDs are on the same level as far as the dynamics are concerned so theoretically you can listen to the whole box at one go, without having to adjust the volume level at all.”
Of course this jam-packed compilation also includes all the compositional climaxes and milestones along Blind Guardian’s career path; “Majesty” from their debut album Battalions of Fear was the first time the band presented their unusual song writing combined with the boundless energy which still makes Blind Guardian stand out so much today. “Traveler in Time” from Tales from the Twilight World then puts the band’s epic approach into focus. “The Bard’s Song” has developed into a real classic, creating that perfect symbiosis between band and audience at concert after concert and reinforcing the folklore element within the typical Blind Guardian sound.
Of course, in this box, Blind Guardian also present the sublime title track from the album Imaginations from the Other Side with its capable mixture of anthemic power metal and progressive directives, as well as the downright cinematic number “Time Stands Still (At the Iron Hill)” from the album Nightfall in Middle-Earth. The experts reckon the fantastic “And Then There Was Silence” from A Night at the Opera was the icing on the cake of those Virgin years and you can hear it in all its glory on A Traveler’s Guide to Space and Time.
With A Traveler’s Guide to Space and Time Blind Guardian stay true to their reputation of not doing anything only halfway. As always with this band you get the full-on thing, on both the composition and technical production sides. This box is also full of rare photos from the musicians’ private collections as well as previously unreleased demo recordings, once again documenting how far this group will go to give their fans the best possible product. And as Hansi Kürsch put it: “We poured our heart and soul into A Traveler’s Guide to Space and Time making it a well worthwhile box for our fans which fully meets the demands we make of ourselves as well as those of our fans. And that is exactly what we were aiming for.”
Tracklisting for A Traveler’s Guide to Space and Time (15 CD Set)
Disc 1- Battalions of Fear (Digitally Remastered 2012)
1. Majesty – 2. Guardian of the Blind – 3. Trial by the Archon – 4. Wizard’s Crown – 5. Run for the Night – 6. The Martyr – 7. Battalions of Fear – 8. By the Gates of Moria – 9. Gandalf’s Rebirth (New 2013 Mix)
Disc 2 – Follow the Blind (Digitally Remastered 2012)
1. Inquisition – 2. Banish from Sanctuary – 3. Damned for All Time – 4. Follow the Blind – 5. Hall of the King – 6. Fast to Madness – 7. Beyond the Ice – 8. Valhalla – 9. Don’t Break the Circle – 10. Barbara Ann
Disc 3 – Tales from the Twilight World (Digitally Remastered 2012 & New Mix 2012)
1. Traveler in Time – 2. Welcome to Dying – 3. Weird Dreams – 4. Lord of the Rings – 5. Goodbye My Friend – 6. Lost in the Twilight Hall – 7. Tommyknockers – 8. Altair 4 – 9. The Last Candle – 10. Run for the Night (Live)
Disc 4 – Somewhere Far Beyond (Digitally Remastered 2012 & New Mix 2012)
1. Time What Is Time – 2. Journey Through the Dark – 3. Black Chamber – 4. Theatre of Pain – 5. The Quest for Tanelorn – 6. Ashes to Ashes – 7. The Bard’s Song (In the Forest) – 8. The Bard’s Song (The Hobbit) – 9. The Piper’s Calling – 10. Somewhere Far Beyond – 11. Spread Your Wings – 12. Trial by Fire – 13. Theatre of Pain
Disc 5 – Tokyo Tales (Original 1993 Mix, Digitally Remastered 2012)
1. Inquisition – 2. Banish from Sanctuary – 3. Journey Through the Dark – 4. Traveler in Time – 5. The Quest for Tanelorn – 6. Goodbye My Friend – 7. Time What Is Time – 8. Majesty – 9. Valhalla – 10. Welcome to Dying – 11. Lost in the Twilight Hall – 12. Barbara Ann
Disc 6 – Imaginations from the Other Side (Digitally Remastered 2012 & New Mix 2012)
1. Imaginations from the Other Side – 2. I’m Alive – 3. A Past and Future Secret – 4. The Script for My Requiem – 5. Mordred’s Song – 6. Born in a Mourning Hall – 7. Bright Eyes – 8. Another Holy War – 9. And the Story Ends
Disc 7 – The Forgotten Tales (Original Mixes Digitally Remastered 2012)
1. Mr. Sandman – 2. Surfin’ USA – 3. Bright Eyes – 4. Lord of the Rings – 5. The Wizard – 6. Spread Your Wings – 7. Mordred’s Song – 8. Black Chamber – 9. The Bard’s Song (In the Forest) – 10. Barbara Ann – 11. A Past and Future Secret – 12. To France – 13. Theatre of Pain
Disc 8 – Nightfall in Middle-Earth (Digitally Remastered 2012 & New Mix 2012)
1. War of Wrath – 2. Into the Storm – 3. Lammoth – 4. Nightfall – 5. The Minstrel – 6. The Curse of Feanor – 7. Captured – 8. Blood Tears – 9. Mirror Mirror – 10. Face the Truth – 11. Noldor (Dead Winter Reigns) – 12. Battle of Sudden Flames – 13. Time Stands Still(At the Iron Hill) – 14. The Dark Elf – 15. Thorn – 16. The Eldar – 17. Nom the Wise – 18. When Sorrow Sang – 19. Out on the Water – 20. The Steadfast – 21. Dark Passage – 22. Final Chapter (Thus Ends)
Disc 9 – A Night at the Opera (Digitally Remastered 2012 & New Mix 2012)
1. Precious Jerusalem – 2. Battlefield – 3. Under the Ice – 4. Sadly Sings Destiny – 5. The Maiden and the Minstrel Knight – 6. Wait for an Answer – 7. The Soulforged – 8. Age of False Innocence – 9. Punishment Divine – 10. And Then There Was Silence
Live (Digitally Remastered 2012)
Disc 10
1. War of Wrath – 2. Into the Storm – 3. Welcome to Dying – 4. Nightfall – 5. The Script for My Requiem – 6. Harvest of Sorrow – 7. The Soulforged – 8. Valhalla – 9. Majesty – 10. Mordred’s Song - 11. Born in a Mourning Hall
Disc 11
1. Under the Ice – 2. Bright Eyes – 3. Punishment Divine – 4. The Bard’s Song (In the Forest) – 5. Imaginations from the Other Side – 6. Lost in the Twilight Hall – 7. A Past and Future Secret – 8. Time Stands Still (At the Iron Hill) – 9. Journey Through the Dark – 10. Lord of the Rings – 11. Mirror Mirror
Imaginations Through the Looking Glass – Live in Coburg, 2003 (for first time on CD – digitally remastered 2012)
Disc 12
1. War of Wrath – 2. Time Stands Still (At the Iron Hill) – 3. Banish from Sanctuary – 4. Nightfall - 5. The Script for My Requiem – 6. Valhalla – 7. A Past and Future Secret – 8. Punishment Divine – 9. Mordred’s Song – 10. The Last Candle
Disc 13
1. Bright Eyes – 2. Lord of the Rings – 3. I’m Alive – 4. Another Holy War – 5. And Then There Was Silence – 6. Somewhere Far Beyond – 7. The Bard’s Song (In the Forest) – 8. Imaginations from the Other Side – 9. And the Story Ends – 10. Mirror Mirror
Disc 14 – Nightfall in Middle-Earth – Special Edition (Digitally Remastered 2012 & New Mix 2012)
1. Into the Storm – 2. Nightfall – 3. The Curse of Feanor – 4. Blood Tears (new vocal mix 2012) – 5. Mirror Mirror – 6. Noldor (Dead Winter Reigns) – 7. Time Stands Still (At the Iron Hill) – 8. Thorn – 9. The Eldar – 10. When Sorrow Sang – 11. A Dark Passage
Disc 15 – An Extraordinary Tale (Live Rarities & Demos – Digitally Remastered 2012)
1. Welcome to Dying (Demo) – 2. Lord of the Rings (Demo) – 3. The Bard’s Song (In the Forest) (Demo) – 4. The Bard’s Song (The Hobbit) (Demo) – 5. Theatre of Pain (Demo) – 6. Trial by Fire (Demo) - 7. The Quest for Tanelorn (unreleased extended version) – 8. Harvest of Sorrow (rare version) – 9. I’m Alive (Demo)
(https://www.blind-guardian.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/BLIND-GUARDIAN-Packshot-Box-3D.jpg)
I already made myself an audio version of Imaginations Through The Looking Glass and a no break Nightfall In Middle Earth, but If I had the money, I'd totally buy this. It's an amazing looking set. It would go great next to my Iced Earth Slave To The Dark box set, if I had the money for that too. :lol
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Wow, that's pretty awesome looking.
Too bad I just bought all their albums this last summer (sans Forgotten Tales). :lol
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There last release was a large collection of remastered songs so this seems kind of odd. I guess its really for the die hards but id like to have a CD of the concert DVD since that DVD is really good.
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Do very much want. Shit's going to be mad expensive though, and the cruel reality is that I already have most of those. :p
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Talk about the time to finally buy a BG cd.
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I'm really curious about the new mix for ANATO. I wasn't impressed with the mixes from the compilation at the beginning of the year, (especially since there were sound problems with them) but as long as I can make it through the album without getting a headache, I'll be happy. I just hope they pull a "Dark Genesis" and release the albums individually at some point.
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I'm really curious about the new mix for ANATO. I wasn't impressed with the mixes from the compilation at the beginning of the year, (especially since there were sound problems with them) but as long as I can make it through the album without getting a headache, I'll be happy. I just hope they pull a "Dark Genesis" and release the albums individually at some point.
This, though I actually like the original ANATO mix. Was pretty different.
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I have all their albums and the new best of, so I don't see me buying this. Not enough new stuff to warrant a purchase.
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I didn't buy the new best of, but I did listen to it, and I basically found all of the new recordings and remixes to be inferior to the old ones.
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Yeah, I totally agree.
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Same here.
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Seeing as I cannot find a single copy of A Night At The Opera, I Preordered the boxset.
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Weirdly, the only place I've ever found a copy of A Night at the Opera was in Minorca. This means my copy has a spanish-language bonus track and everything. It's kind of cool.
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This picture makes me sad.
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71pDbPKfe2L._SL290_.jpg)
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Seeing as I cannot find a single copy of A Night At The Opera
That seems odd, I actually see it in store all the time.
This picture makes me sad.
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71pDbPKfe2L._SL290_.jpg)
Is that seriously Hansi??
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Ive looked everywhere and didnt find it...even on Amazon its out. It has my favorite song, Battlefield.
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Just go to ebay.
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I bought it at Circuit City.
:neverusethis:
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God dammit I thought there were some news on these guys :getoffmylawn:
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Preview for the new boxset:
https://youtu.be/WZaRs1uhV3w
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Just dropping in to say that I'm Alive is probably my favourite BG song.
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Mines is And Then There Was Silence and then Lord of the Rings.
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Trying to get into Blind Guardian. Any suggestions on what songs/albums to start with? Thanks!
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Trying to get into Blind Guardian. Any suggestions on what songs/albums to start with? Thanks!
Songs: And Then There Was Silence, Born in a Mourning Hall, Traveler in Time, Nightfall, Lord of the Rings.
As for albums, I think Nightfall in Middle Earth and A Night at the Opera are basically good starting points. Might as well get straight to the best stuff.
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Tales From the Twilight World was what got me into them. Their later stuff is more layered, and I found their earlier stuff easier to digest on the first listen. I'm of the opinion that At the Edge of Time is their best album, so I'd recommend that one after you've established a base.
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I wouldn't recommend starting with Nightfall or A Night At The Opera, because they might be a lot to digest at once. Especially Opera, which is just crazy over the top with the overdubbing and layers to the songs. I'd recommend Imaginations From The Other Side myself-it's a good midway point between their initial, straight up power metal and the more orchestrated music they did later. If you like that, you'll like both their earlier albums and will be ready for the more orchestrated ones.
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I wouldn't recommend starting with Nightfall or A Night At The Opera, because they might be a lot to digest at once. Especially Opera, which is just crazy over the top with the overdubbing and layers to the songs.
I thought about that, but being that Unlegit into Dream Theater and thus probably into prog metal, it might not be such a problem for him.
As I mentioned before, I started with Nightfall in Middle Earth and Tales from the Twilight World, and it was the latter album that really started to catch me on to BG for the reasons you described. So I get what you are saying. But I recommend A Night at the Opera mainly because of "And Then There Was Silence," which really put BG over the top for me and possibly will for Unlegit as well.
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Well, I might as well try all 4 albums suggested so far. No harm in that. Thanks for the suggestions.
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Nightfall is the best.
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Their newest album, at the edge of time, is really good.
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Their newest album, at the edge of time, is really good.
I'll 2nd that. I'm a recent convert. Never heard them back in the day.
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I think Live is the best introduction to the band. Good mix of material, great performances.
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Okay, only listened to one album so far: At the Edge of Time, but it's amazing. Gonna go listen to some more now!
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Amazon UK has got the A Traveler's Guide to Space and Time, 15 CD box set for a ridiculous price.
Including postage to Australia, I got it for $110, now that is an absolute steal.
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Amazon UK has got the A Traveler's Guide to Space and Time, 15 CD box set for a ridiculous price.
Including postage to Australia, I got it for $110, now that is an absolute steal.
That is an insane price, especially since shipping is involved.
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I think Live is the best introduction to the band. Good mix of material, great performances.
I can agree and relate as it wasn't my first album but it was what really got me into the band. I bought the DVD Imaginations from the Looking Glass on eBay for dirt cheap and I was blown away. I remember on my rating on eBay for this I put a comment like "this is amazing, I can't believe you sold it to me for nothing"
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So CD Universe ended up putting this on backorder. I cancelled it and lo and behold A Night At The Opera was available on amazon. I bought the boxset mainly because i couldnt find ANATO...
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So CD Universe ended up putting this on backorder. I cancelled it and lo and behold A Night At The Opera was available on amazon. I bought the boxset mainly because i couldnt find ANATO...
I hope you end up with the original version of "And Then There Was Silence" instead of the 2012 remastered version.
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So CD Universe ended up putting this on backorder. I cancelled it and lo and behold A Night At The Opera was available on amazon. I bought the boxset mainly because i couldnt find ANATO...
I hope you end up with the original version of "And Then There Was Silence" instead of the 2012 remastered version.
*re-recorded. The boxset has the remastered version. Though the only place you can get the re-recorded version is on Memories of a Time To Come.
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So CD Universe ended up putting this on backorder. I cancelled it and lo and behold A Night At The Opera was available on amazon. I bought the boxset mainly because i couldnt find ANATO...
I hope you end up with the original version of "And Then There Was Silence" instead of the 2012 remastered version.
*re-recorded. The boxset has the remastered version. Though the only place you can get the re-recorded version is on Memories of a Time To Come.
Neither as good as the original, the live version from the DVD is really good though.
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So CD Universe ended up putting this on backorder. I cancelled it and lo and behold A Night At The Opera was available on amazon. I bought the boxset mainly because i couldnt find ANATO...
I hope you end up with the original version of "And Then There Was Silence" instead of the 2012 remastered version.
*re-recorded. The boxset has the remastered version. Though the only place you can get the re-recorded version is on Memories of a Time To Come.
So as I bought the actual album, it would not be the 2012 version, right?
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Ben_Jamin: That's correct. Sorry to cause unnecessary panic. Enjoy ANATO! :tup
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Ben_Jamin: That's correct. Sorry to cause unnecessary panic. Enjoy ANATO! :tup
I plan to, as Battlefield is my favorite BG song because of the immense energy it has, which I feel would be great live.
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ANATO is such an underrated BG album, I love it. Top 3 actually.
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It was great.
I've got to ask. Whats the difference between ATTWS 2012 and the original.
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It was great.
I've got to ask. Whats the difference between ATTWS 2012 and the original.
The mixing waters down the climactic chorus and epicness of perhaps the most powerful and epic songs they've ever made.
I actually prefer A Twist in the Myth over At the Edge of Time. It seems like I am a minority on that one.
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It was great.
I've got to ask. Whats the difference between ATTWS 2012 and the original.
It was completely re-recorded except one spot where they reuse one of Hansi's lines.
As for the 2013 version, they brought the volume down a bit on everything Hansi, and brought up the rhythm guitar.
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Listening to A Twist In The Myth for the first time.
Wow, is it me or does this album sound like shit? The song's are good but hot damn is the mix awful.
EDIT: I can't take this anymore. This is physically painful. Blind Guardian and Nuclear Blast you should know better. :tdwn
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Yeah, I don't like the album at all. The songs IMO are weak too.
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Blind Guardian hit a bump in the road with that album. Outland is like the only good song.
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I really love Another Stranger Me for some reason.
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Eh, the few songs I heard weren't bad, but the production just made it unbearable.
Listening to A Night At The Opera for the first time now.
Now this is more like it. :metal
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Listening to A Twist In The Myth for the first time.
Wow, is it me or does this album sound like shit? The song's are good but hot damn is the mix awful.
EDIT: I can't take this anymore. This is physically painful. Blind Guardian and Nuclear Blast you should know better. :tdwn
Same. I have NO IDEA how the album made it out like that. ATEOT was such an improvement thankfully.
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I have had the box set for a few weeks now. The actual CD's are in super glossy cardboard gatefold sleeves, sadly missing are the album's lyrics, nowhere to be found in the box. Which for people like myself, who don't own a lot of the albums already, is disappointing.
But the sound of ANATO is amazing, that is the first CD I put on.
The only other negative about the box, the back of the box, the actual box contents has a glued on sheet that is already coming off.
So I think I got the bargain of the century with this, $110 including postage from the UK.
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Anyone dig their first two albums, Battalions if Fear and Follow the Blind? I was amused to find that these were essentially thrash albums.
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Great albums but I wouldn't call them thrash. They're heavier than anything they've done after that but it's still power metal if you ask me.
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Yeah, definitely not thrash. They are kind of in the vein of Walls of Jericho from Helloween. Follow the Blind is especially special.
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Since power metal as we knew largely didn't exist at the time, early Helloween and Blind Guardian did pretty much take traditional metal and weld it to the speed and aggression of thrash metal, so it's kind of fair to see their early works as being thrash of a sort. German metal of that period was very thrash influenced, even with the bands that weren't nominally thrash in the first place.
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They are definitely thrashy. Of course it's easy to split hairs now, since what BG and other bands were doing turned into a whole new subgenre.
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The production of those albums make it hard to listen to although I haven't tried listening in years. Maybe I should have another listen.
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Follow the Blind might just be my favourite BG album, just concentrated awesome from start to finish.
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Majesty
Run for the Night
Banish from Sanctuary
Valhalla
These are the only songs worth a damn from the first two albums.
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Speak of the devil,
Surprise, surprise,
I am sure no one expected me to be back with news about a band called Blind Guardian so quickly. The reason is quite simple, I’m a workaholic and I have no idea what to do with all my remaining energy at the moment. Therefore I have decided to spend some time with thoughts about Blind Guardian’s future plans. Here is my remarkable output (scroll to the end for the German version)…
Like the majority of you, I was also very surprised when our show in Geiselwind was announced for May 2014. I suppose that I, or one of the other guys, have agreed to this show. I’ll probably never figure out who did it, but that’s not important now, the show itself is of importance. To be honest, all of us cannot wait to get back on stage. Our stage abstinence seems much longer to us than “just” 2 years. Since we were asked to do a “Best Of” show we do not even have to rehearse, this is more or less the type of show we have done in the past anyway. I still hope we can put in some surprises since no one really knows what we consider our “Best Of” songs at the moment. It might differ from Memories of a Time to Come though. Right now I’m working on a possible set list and I’ll cross my fingers that this will be approved when the others have a look at it.
By announcing this live appearance we also secretly announced the intended termination of our album production for the end of May. We obviously have progressed quickly, in Blind Guardian terms that is. Indeed, everything looks very promising with regards to our songwriting and our production. We have good reasons to believe that the album is going to be completely finished at that point. Let’s hope I will not be proven to be the reincarnation of good old Münchhausen again. Anyway, even the worst case scenario would have us not being too far away from completion at that point. Since we have already completed several production steps on the new album the picture gets clearer and clearer. Although not necessarily clear enough to decide whether I’ll go lyrically for individual topics on each separate song or instead for a conceptual album. On one hand the concept would have a strong fantasy link and on the other hand it would contain some typical Dystopian elements, because this is also what I musically find in most of the songs. They will all feature an almost magical grandeur but will present some very harsh disturbing elements as well. Therefore such a concept might be very suitable. I will have to sleep on it for a while until I’m able to make a decision.
Whenever we start songwriting I try to create a plan in my mind detailing which qualities I would love to feature on the next BG album and what general impression I would like to create. Very often at the end things come out quite different and I’m surprised which qualities or preferences have shown up then. This time there seems to be a collective urge (without even having talked about it) among all members to feature the more aggressive side of Blind Guardian this time.
Right now, we are working on 5 faster songs. As far as I remember last time I have mentioned “Encrypted Time” and “Holy Grail” (which are both proceeding well in the album production), so I am going tell you a little bit about “Winter’s Coming”, “Outcast” and “Song 9″. The first one is based on Marcus’ idea of a 90′s orientated speed/thrash song. We have finished a good two thirds of this one. It’s fast and heavy, or was it heavy and fast? I have no idea how he came up with the title “Winter’s Coming”… “Song 9″ is a fresh one which used to be a collection of parts at first, but then developed into something very special. I would describe it as a refreshing combat between “Guardian of the Blind”, “The Script for My Requiem” and “Ride into Obsession” only disturbed by a fairly straightforward chorus. If you ask me this one is born to become a “classic, but first underrated by the band” song. My favorite among the fast ones certainly would be “Outcast”. A song full of surprises. The old school die hard fan will probably complain later that this one has a soft intro (epic and sad), but even this person would have to agree that afterwards we keep up the speed on this one to the very end. The song is a roller coaster ride through the last three decades of metal. I love it!
As for the epic tracks I love “Irish Hill” the most. I have decided to entitle this “Grand Parade” as “Irish Hill” never really fit the song. Imagine a mixture of “Wheel of Time” and “Nightfall” and you might be there. We have a beautiful orchestration for this. This one certainly demands a lot of time during production simply because there really is a massive amount of elements in it. Not as much as in “And Then There Was Silence”, but a lot…
“Midtempo Song” is the most “commercial” song on the album so far. “Commercial” in a positive way, of course. It would deserve a title like “Irish Hills” more than “Grand Parade” did when it was called “Irish Hills”, but who said that life is always fair… To give justice to the song I also have to say that it is very progressive but also very catchy. “The Throne” is another epic piece we are working on. I have just started working on vocals for this one last Friday. It is too early for me to describe this one more precisely. What I can say is that this one is the perfect link between “Grand Parade” and “The Ocean”. This last one is already completely recorded except for the vocals. “Prophecies” and “Encrypted Time” are completely recorded and the same can be said about some older B-songs, which we have decided to finalize with this session as well. The BG pundit knows about which songs I am talking.
The songwriting period is almost finished by now and the final production session is going to start next week and will keep us busy until Geiselwind. As I think about that I better stop thinking and start songwriting instead.
All the best,
Hansi, or “Hieronymus Carl Friedrich von Münchhausen” as my friends call me.
tl;dr: Album finished by the end of May probably, music is mostly finished for a lot of songs, Hansi isn't sure yet whether he wants to do a concept record or not.
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I had just saw that on Facebook before I came here. Sounds pretty cool but is it normal to have all the music ready before you decide to make it a concept album? I would have thought the music would need to go with the concept?
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I had just saw that on Facebook before I came here. Sounds pretty cool but is it normal to have all the music ready before you decide to make it a concept album? I would have thought the music would need to go with the concept?
It is pretty normal. Lots of bands do all music first, and then let the music dictate where the songs need to go lyrically.
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I had just saw that on Facebook before I came here. Sounds pretty cool but is it normal to have all the music ready before you decide to make it a concept album? I would have thought the music would need to go with the concept?
It is pretty normal. Lots of bands do all music first, and then let the music dictate where the songs need to go lyrically.
I know that's the case normally but I wasn't sure for concept albums if that was the norm
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Home » News » Back with a vengeance, “Twilight of the Gods” out on December 5, 2014!
Back with a vengeance, “Twilight of the Gods” out on December 5, 2014!
Posted on Friday, October 10th, 2014
The wait is over! Blind Guardian is back! The world’s most popular fantasy metal band gives us Twilight of the Gods; the first single from their long-awaited new album, to be unleashed upon the world in January 2015.
(https://www.blind-guardian.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/twilight_of_the_gods-e1412878799778.jpg)
Twilight of the Gods
“Twilight of the Gods”, the first creation of the Krefeld, Germany based band in more than four years will be released on December 5, 2014 via Nuclear Blast. Blind Guardian vocalist Hansi Kürsch assures, “this song is a statement about Blind Guardian. The pure definition of all that the band stands for: it is innovative, melodic and brutal.” And thus a perfect choice to get fans into the proper mood for the upcoming album.
“Twilight of the Gods” is a “neck breaker” in the true tradition of Blind Guardian “that will captivate you with the most epic and catchy chorus we’ve ever written,” says Kürsch.
In “Twilight of the Gods” Blind Guardian is singing about the deities’ waning power; no such times are in sight for the band. Blind Guardian is back with a vengeance; with an impressive single from an overwhelming record!
Twilight of the Gods will be available in three formats.
CD digipack with three tracks:
Twilight of the Gods
Time Stands Still (At the Iron Hill) – Live in Wacken 2011
The Bard’s Song (In the Forest) – Live in Wacken 2011
7″ Vinyl:
Side A: Twilight of the Gods
Side B: Time Stands Still (At the Iron Hill) – Live in Wacken 2011
Digital:
Twilight of the Gods
Pre-order your copy here: https://smarturl.it/BLIND-GUARDIAN-Gods
Also be sure to check out Blind Guardian on tour in 2015 in a city near you! The constantly-updated list of shows can be found here: www.blind-guardian.com/tour
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*BREATHING INTENSIFIES*
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Niiice :metal
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Yep, I've already got the tickets for 5th of June concert.
Regarding the single, I guess they couldn't have come up with a bit more interesting title, but as long as the song will be good, I don't care.
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Hell yeah, this is some great news. :metal
Don't care much for singles though, and I probably won't buy a physical copy of this.
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Ooo the bards song from wacken.
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Awwwwww, yeah! FINALLY.
Will order the vinyl.
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I don't do singles either, so I'll wait for the album. At The Edge of Time showed that ATItM was an aberration and not the norm.
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Their singles are usually among my least favorites on the albums.... unless it's And Then There Was Silence, but I still can't believe they made that a single, that charted high no doubt. I want to move to Europe.
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A Voice in the Dark was pretty good I thought.
Well, actually the whole ATEOT was pretty good I thought. I also enjoyed the hell out of singing WHEEEL OOOOF TIIIME when I saw them live. :lol I hope this new album will be even better.
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Yea At The Edge of Time was a really awesome album IMO and am excited to hear the new album, if its more like that vs A twist in the Myth, then I will be very happy.
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I think ATEOT is the best BG album to listen as a whole, together with Nightfall. I love all their stuff, also Twist. But ATEOT has it all, the epic stuff, the speed metal, the ballads, their proggy side and it flows really well. The album grew on me over the years and I still listen to it frequently.
Ordered the green and black vinyls of the single (black one goes into the Jukebox) and two tickets for the first concert of the tour. Now that BG is active again they will probably become my moneysink again for the coming year.
Here's hoping that they also finally release that orchestral thing or at least tease it a bit.
Their singles are usually among my least favorites on the albums.... unless it's And Then There Was Silence, but I still can't believe they made that a single, that charted high no doubt. I want to move to Europe.
Yeah, I was reading the book that came with A Travellers Guide to Time and Space and apparently it even reached no. 1 in Spain. :lol :metal
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Wow that is amazing for a song like that to chart. Its a really amazing song for sure, just not your typical hit song.
I agree with ATEOT, a really great album overall. Im glad I got to see them in support of it when they came to the USA a few years ago.
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Edge of Time is such a great album. Tales From the Twilight World edges it out a bit because it was the first BG album I fell in love with. I'm super stoked for the single because I loved Voice in the Dark when it first came out and it ended up being my least favorite on the album. Of course, that's more of a credit to Edge of Time's quality than the song's lack thereof.
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I still have a real soft spot for ANATO. Brilliant album.
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I still have a real soft spot for ANATO. Brilliant album.
Indeed.
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I still have a real soft spot for ANATO. Brilliant album.
my first BG album and it's a corker.
CRY FOR TANELORN!!! :metal
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Hello Guys,
out from nowhere I came to deliver the Rockhard article! Please don't mind mistakes. Translating is quite hard sometimes. ;)
The album is yet untitled. Working-titles were "The red door" and "Pax Discordia".
Here it goes!
Track by track :
The Ninth Wave
- over 9 minutes long
- pure bombast sounding in the beginning
- power drumming, massive riffs, sci-fi sound effects
- many twists music-wise
- somehow between "Mad max" and "CursePirates of the caribbean"
- good as Blind Guardian can be
Twilight of the Gods
- complex drum patterns
- thrashy
- compact song with anthem like chorus
Prophecies
- mid tempo
- tricky grooves
- great solo
At the Edge of Time
- most innovative sng of the album
- soundtrack-like with orchester
- pace varies often
- hyper bombast chorus
- like a mini-opera
- could maybe appetizer for the upcoming orchstral album
Ashes of Eternity
- catchiest song
- thrash metal riffing
- good combination of old and new syle
Distant Memories
- again cineatic soundtrack with orchester
- more light-footed
- great storytelling by Hansi
- dynamic and dramatic sounding
Holy Grail
- pure Speed Metal
- Hansi is mostly fast shouting
- Bombast chorus
The Throne
- midtempo
- Orchester meets metal again
- epic sounding
Sacred Mind
- Sci-fi sounds in the beginning
- sounds like power ballad in the beginning
- uptempo later in the song with lot of Highspeed eruptions
- like Queen could sound today
Miracle Machine
- ballad
- with strings and piano
- Hansi singing great
Grand Parade
- again a long song
- with orchester
- more warm and harmonic sounding
- hyper bombast chorus (what else? ^^)
- complex song but very well composed
Interesting facts from the interview:
- Ninth wave was the last song finished, took very long
- two choirs (USA and Hungary) were involved. In total 180-200 people were performing because of the hyper bombastic choirs
- orchester was recorded in praque and hungary
- they really worked a lot with no resting the last years
More to come in the next issue of Rockhard.
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Sweet. I'm even more excited now. :metal
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That sounds awesome! From the looks of it they try to enter a healthy bit of new grounds too. And if with "complex drums" they mean ANATO like drums, I will be a very happy man. I am sure Fred is up to it. And wasn't it supposed to be a concept album?
And did they actually mention the orchestral album there? :lol
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What, At the Edge of Time again? Probably a wrong title? :)
Other than that, I'm excited.
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Well they mention "at the edge of time" in And the Story Ends too besides having that as an album title, only seems fitting to have it be a song title on a different album :lol
Anyway, that sounds good and has me excited to hear this. I'm surprised there is no album title yet at this point if all the recording is done and the album is practicaly ready.
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Pretty interesting that there's a song called At the Edge of Time. Kind of reminds me of Carcass' first album being called Reek of Putrefaction, and then there's a song called Reek of Putrefaction on their second album. Little weird, but whatevs.
I'm really glad they're doing more with orchestras. Also glad to see some comments of "thrashy." If this is ATEOT part 2 I won't even really complain.
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From the looks of it they are going to have an album with a similar balance as ATEOT (which is great). But now there are more longer epics, the epic songs are with real orchestras and it is stressed that some songs go in a lot of different directions musically. Also the mention of sci fi sounds make me interested, that is something that could give a different vibe to the respective songs.
But a lot of the descriptions in terms of songwriting (not the real choirs and orchestras or Sci-Fi) could be applied to a lot of songs in their wholem discography, in which most albums sound and feel significantly different. So there is no way of saying this album will be like a ATEOT part 2. Which I would not mind that at all either, but to me it does sound this one will again be different.
On the BG forum some state that the full (online) article says it is a concept that connect to a story told in Imaginations. In that case At The Edge of Time as a song title could make sense, considering Another Story Ends.
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finally
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So, for those eagerly awaiting the new stuff of BG (like me), some fairly recent Hansi stuff to show he still got it ;D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtRFMOXWUOQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtRFMOXWUOQ)
Came listening for Hansi, but like this progressive metal piece a lot. I will check out their other stuff (anybody familiar with Disforia?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpDNB_UxCGU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpDNB_UxCGU)
Guest appearance during a Doro live concert back in May this year (cam). He sounds awesome here, makes me wish for an old school hard rock/heavy metal sideproject with Hansi.
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Official news about the new release:
https://www.blind-guardian.com/2014/11/07/what-lies-beyond-the-red-mirror/
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(https://www.blind-guardian.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/beyond_the_red_mirror_jewelcase-e1415366042753.jpg)
(https://www.blind-guardian.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/beyond_the_red_mirror_earbook.jpg)
Cool covers.
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I think the first one is borderline awful, actually. :lol Maybe that's just me though.
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First one is fine, but nothing special. The second one is simple but looks awesome to me. I certainly hope that will be the cover for whatever version I will order (earbook, probably. What is an earbook?).
And I have a feeling this will not be ATEOT 2 since they really state they want to mix things up. And goddamn, 3 choirs and two orchestra's?
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I don't know, I think it's kind of cool.
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I think I dislike the first cover because this artist makes those in quite a big amounts. The whole "orange/red in the middle, blueish on the background" thing is the one he's exploiting quite a bit. See new Stormwarrior cover, Iron Savior one, BG's Memories of a Time to Come, and new BG single too. Too generic for me.
The red cover is cool though, I too hope it'll be on the deluxe digipack edition I'm going to order.
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The first cover fits the album title.
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The first cover is a lot better than the second one.
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I think I dislike the first cover because this artist makes those in quite a big amounts. The whole "orange/red in the middle, blueish on the background" thing is the one he's exploiting quite a bit. See new Stormwarrior cover, Iron Savior one, BG's Memories of a Time to Come, and new BG single too. Too generic for me.
The red cover is cool though, I too hope it'll be on the deluxe digipack edition I'm going to order.
This. I like his art (thought the ATEOT booklet was done very well and the large boxset was pretty neat too) but for covers he nearly always chooses similar colours and it all kind of looks the same.
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Teaser clip sounds awesome
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0Fv0NDghgI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0Fv0NDghgI)
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Awwwww, yeah! Love it ;D
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Sounds classic. I'm not sure if I like the part when Hansi sings "twilight of the gods" and what follows next, but I think it might be better in context of a full song. Anyway, I'm excited and maybe I'll even go for earbook there.
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Definitely sounds like something that could have been on the last album which is a good sign.
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Sounds very Blind Guardian which is good enough for me
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Me excited.
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Teaser clip sounds awesome
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0Fv0NDghgI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0Fv0NDghgI)
Sounds like Imaginations From the Other Side.
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Teaser clip sounds awesome
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0Fv0NDghgI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0Fv0NDghgI)
Sounds like Imaginations From the Other Side.
Yeah. Can't wait! :metal
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And they started with the studio trailers!
#1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDwANjCD-5Q (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDwANjCD-5Q)
More of the new single can be heard, I like it and it does sound distinct from the previous albums whilst keeping the Guardian sound (they are downtuning the guitars for this song)
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Really looking forward to this one, should be epic.
I've already pre-ordered the double pic disc vinyl from amazon uk.
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It's already the 5th of December here so my google play pre order of Twilight of The Gods was on my phone when I woke up.
It's classic BG, great riffs and melodies and huge melodic catchy chorus.
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Awesome, cant wait to hear it myself. It doesnt seem to be on youtube yet.
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Just listened to the new single. :metal I am even more excited for this album now.
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I like it! Not their best single, but really solid and it is already stuck in my head for a few hours now, so that is a good sign. Stoked for the album
Also, here is an interview (English):
https://skullbanger.net/2014/12/03/video-interview-blind-guardian-helsinki-finland-2014/ (https://skullbanger.net/2014/12/03/video-interview-blind-guardian-helsinki-finland-2014/)
Main points not related to the new album from this one:
-Probably no summer (festival) touring, they want to spend time in the studios for, yes, the Orchestral album!
-After the short break they want to take the touring overseas. North America, Japan and Australia are mentioned.
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Awesome, I really enjoyed seeing them in NYC a few years ago and would love to see them again.
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I really don't like the Youtube quality of the upload, the mix sounds awful. Hopefully it's just the Youtube low quality version and the actual CD will be much better.
The track itself, huh, I think it's very much like A Night of the Opera due to chorus, also reminds me of Control the Divine. I think it's alright, but I'm not all out crazy over it.
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I really don't like the Youtube quality of the upload, the mix sounds awful. Hopefully it's just the Youtube low quality version and the actual CD will be much better.
The track itself, huh, I think it's very much like A Night of the Opera due to chorus, also reminds me of Control the Divine. I think it's alright, but I'm not all out crazy over it.
Agreed, but it looks like they put a low quality audio stream on YouTube as most of the comments say the mp3 download sounds way better. I'm not crazy about the song either but its hard to listen to and that could be why.
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The Mp3 does sound a lot better (warmer, clearer). Mix is the same, offcourse, but the mastering is far better than presented in the crappy YT vid. The sound has this massive feeling, not sure how to describe it but it sounds epic to me. I'll be hearing the vinyl tomorrow, let's hear how that one holds up.
Edit: even on YT itself a user managed to upload a better sounding version :facepalm: (just compared them). NB probably deletes it soon though.
And this single is definitely a grower. It has quite a blunt structure I think (at some points, especially the first minute), so I had to get used to some "sudden" and distinct elements.
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New one!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51WwAtdMfAc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51WwAtdMfAc)
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What's the deal with this blinking screen during some parts? This irritates me to no end.
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The music that is played around 3:55 is really awesome, sounds like something that could be on the new album. I hope so at least.
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The music that is played around 3:55 is really awesome, sounds like something that could be on the new album. I hope so at least.
Agreed, it sounds epic
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New one!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvH9vC66P6M (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvH9vC66P6M)
And the ochestral part of the previous trailer in extended here, sounds epic indeed. Some songs are going to sound absolutely massive on this album.
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So the latest two trailers here, the best ones yet imo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z0kwDK3vEM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z0kwDK3vEM)
#4. This one contains bits of the more classical powermetal songs/parts and some damn cathy lines.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C49uw12bPJc&feature=youtu.be (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C49uw12bPJc&feature=youtu.be)
#5. And here, the orchestra's kick in! Sounds awesome. Near the end you hear a part of a song with orchestra and the band full on.
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Nice, I like what I hear so far. I will actually be in Germany for the release.
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So I have been listening to this one for about two days (I was too weak, sorry guys :blush).
First, the negative: the production is bad. Distractingly so at the beginning. In my first listening I could not hear what was going on at times. It gets better when you adjust to it though. And at least it does sound energetic and not sterile.
But holy shit, there was no lack of ambition, creativity and energy while making this album. The single was not representative at all (which I do like, btw). Each song has its own thing going on and they have a lot of different types of choruses here. The album feels a bit like a combination of the previous three (leaning a bit towards A Night of the Opera) with plenty innovation for the band. Especially Hansi and Andre are great here, very versatile vocals (Hansi's best since ANATO) and lots of cool leads and solos. Favourite songs are Sacred Mind, Holy Grail and Prophecies so far. I think it is a magnificent album and a grower (alltough I never can say anything about the long term).
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The only leak so far is a web rip, which due to the nature of the source, are usually shit quality and not worth bothering about.
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New album's really good. My favorite track is The Ninth Wave. Dat choir and chorus :hefdaddy
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The only leak so far is a web rip, which due to the nature of the source, are usually shit quality and not worth bothering about.
I'll stay resvered in judgment on sound until the albums released but the youtube single was one of the worst sounding releases Ive heard. I understand that was a crap youtube but I would not be surprised if the album sounded like shit which really sucks.
But I'm glad to hear positive reviews on the actual music.
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The first 2'20'' of The Ninth Wave sounds like they could have been part of the Prince of Egypt soundtrack. I wish the song would have stuck more on those melodies.
Talking about the production, while is true that the web rip makes things sound worse than how they actually sound, still they're usually valid indicators of what the final product will be.
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What exactly is a web rip? Is it the same as a stream, and if so, for who? Reviewers? Don't they still get physical copies?
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What exactly is a web rip? Is it the same as a stream, and if so, for who? Reviewers? Don't they still get physical copies?
Not always.
As someone who gets more than his fair share of promos every day for review and to play on my radio show. It is MUCH easier to labels to send MP3s of an album than spending money to get a physical copy and sending it out in the mail. That's how life is now a days, I have no problem with that.
Now, as far as Web Rips. Depending on the label, the MP3 files can range from 128K- 320K. A lot of labels send out 192K promos first so if they do leak, it's not true quality. When it is Web Ripped, that usually means that the songs are not entirely available for download, but rather streamable for just the reviewer. And there are people who use whatever app to download the files and share them through leaking. When you do that, no matter what size or quality the files are, they get downgraded. So if the label puts up a 192K album, it will be downgraded to what sounds like 128K, but the same size as 192 due to deterioration from flash downloading.
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Can we not talk about ways to illegally download music please? Had to edit your post a bit, JR.
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This album is brutal
ly boring. I'm giving it one more chance before ditching it.
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To me this feels like their best since Nightfall and without filler (the only song that comes close to that is the single).
But each to his own, offcourse. I did need some time to adjust to this one. But then again I never liked a BG album after one listening.
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There just seem to be no good hooks or melodies. I think the single is the only stand out track on the album myself.
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The newest video is up, Hansi mentions that this album is much more difficult to sing along to.
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Cool to see a live practice video of them! Indeed this seems like a difficult album to translate to a live setting. I think Prophecies, Twilight of the Gods and Holy Grail will make an appearance on the setlist.
There just seem to be no good hooks or melodies. I think the single is the only stand out track on the album myself.
The first two listenings I was a bit lost and a lot of the choruses did not really captivate me (the second time I did appreciate some standout moments already, however). But those grew immensly over a few days. I think each song is quite distinct from another and every chorus has another set up (previously, a lot of their choruses were just the words of the song title with a choir and/or 100 Hansi's overdubbed, much like Twilight of the Gods). Prophecies is everything good about their previous album's mid tempo epics distilled into one song, ATEOT is an opera'ish song that manages to feel and build like a large epic within 7 minutes playtime, Holy Grail and Sacred Mind bring back the old days whilst having plenty of new elements and Grand Parade is the perfect closure to me, with tons of melodies. The way the orchestras go with the band at points is awesome (namely in ATEOT, the Throne and Grand Parade). I also love that instead of their trademark medieval ballad, they have chosen for a song that could almost be written by Queen (Miracle Machine).
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I don't know. It just seems like Blind Guardian by the numbers. The songs kind of just ramble on until the chorus. I don't reallyy like Miracle Machine at all. I like the intro to The Ninth Wave, but then Hansi talks for a while, then there's a decent chorus. They don't know to how to write good verses anymore it seems.
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I'm thinking you might be getting bored with Blind Guardian. This album is good and recalls past albums. Which means styles, tones, structures, etc...it's what DT did with their self-titled and ADTOE.
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You might be right, but I do enjoy DT12. Not a single complaint. ADTOE is decent, but can be slumped into the barrel with SC and BC&SL. It's way better than those two, but doesn't have much replay value aside from a couple songs.
Back to Blind Guardian, At the Edge of Time was a great album. A return to form, but this new one just seems like they're going through the motions. They all sound great, but the music is lifeless, if that makes sense.
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Blind Guardian albums (especially their recent output) usually take a while to sink in for me, so I'm reserving my judgment until I've had a few more. At the Edge of Time took almost a year to really click. There's definitely a ton of variety, and the bonus track, Distant Memories, is fucking phenomenal.
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Blind Guardian albums (especially their recent output) usually take a while to sink in for me, so I'm reserving my judgment until I've had a few more. At the Edge of Time took almost a year to really click. There's definitely a ton of variety, and the bonus track, Distant Memories, is fucking phenomenal.
Its funny because ATEoT was the only BG album that clicked on first listen for me, but otherwise, Id agree that they normally take a bunch of listnes before it becomes "Wow this is fuckin awesome"
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I've given it three spins so far...and I'm inclined to agree with Zook. For now, at least. Very few of the hooks or melodies really grab me, and between the choruses the songs seem to meander aimlessly. I really enjoyed At the Edge of Time from the very first listen so I can't help but be disappointed with this album right now. Here's to hoping that it'll start clicking with a few more listens.
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Wow, kind of surprised they did not play a single new song on the 70000 tons of metal cruise. They played two shows and really nothing besides their standard sets. Kind of odd since the album comes out this week.
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Yeah, I think the second evening at least could have had Twilights of the Gods or Holy Grail or something like that. There are no video's online yet I think, but I am interested to see the performance.
Still, at this point (it was 5 years ago that they were here) I would be very happy to see their greatest hits live. I hope they play Fly, Ride Into Obsession, Tanelorn, And Then There Was Silence and Holy Grail from their post-Nightfall albums (and I think Twilight of the Gods is a given).. And some forgotten and old succesful live songs from the pre-Imaginations days would be welcome.
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Ride Into Obsession would be really awesome, they didn't play in on ATEOT tour in my town (have they actually played it live anywhere?), so I would gladly take it.
However, I can do without Fly (and without any ATITM track live actually), and I've already heard ATTWS at the said tour, so I hope they'll change it for something, maybe even IFTOS back again. I think this song sounds live much better than ATTWS (where they have to cut the beautiful ending anyway).
Although I've heard Wheel of Time live already, I'm really hoping they will find a place for it in the setlist again. Singing it during the encore was a lot of fun.
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I was them on the last tour of the USA, and I thought Fly was a solid song live. I wish we got ATTWS. That song is so epic.
Im not sure if they have ever played Ride into Obsession though, I would like that too.
And Id like to see Mordred's Song.
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I was them on the last tour of the USA, and I thought Fly was a solid song live.
And Id like to see Mordred's Song.
I agree about Fly being a solid song, I just don't want to hear it live two times in a row. They've got a hell of catalogue to choose from, and I don't regard ATITM highly (though Fly is probably my favourite from it), so I kind of wish they just forget about the album when composing the setlist.
And hell yeah for Mordred's Song, this one I really want to see too.
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Yes, Mordreds Song! That is one I would really, really like to hear live (they played it in 2014 and on 70000 tons so here's hoping).
Also, yes they played Ride into Obsession: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgpsPhLf1-g (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgpsPhLf1-g) But only a few times at the last leg of their touring I think.
I think they have mentioned in an interview they want to bring back some tracks (or even debut) that they rarely played live for a long time. But BG is not a band to completely give their setlist a overhaul I think. I'm expecting a few new tracks, a surprise and their usual best of (and they have plenty of material to choose from).
Edit:
This Hansi interview is pretty interesting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8ZWkw2o4x0&feature=youtu.be&t=12m53s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8ZWkw2o4x0&feature=youtu.be&t=12m53s)
He mentions the following about the coming tour setlist rehearsals:
-Guardian of the Blind
-Miracle Machine (alternate version)
-Ninth Wave (maybe new opener for some nights)
-The new heavy songs (Probably Holy Grail, Sacred Mind and Ashes of Eternity)
-Hopes to play three new songs each evening (most definately Ninth Wave)
-He calls Nightfall and ANATO songs "a pain in the ass" (mentions Battlefield and Curse of Feanor specifically, they will probably not do those).
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On my second listen, it's all gelling much better. I'm loving the choruses, and some of the guitar passages are downright phenomenal (Ashes of Eternity especially). I don't think it's going to beat ATEOT but it's a fine addition to the catalog and a logical step forward.
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Yeah, i gave the new record a try, but... :\
i guess post Nightfall Blind Guardian really isn´t for me.
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Yeah, i gave the new record a try, but... :\
i guess post Nightfall Blind Guardian really isn´t for me.
I'll say post A night at the opera Blind Guardian hasn't convinced me. I gave the new album a couple of listens and while it's not bad, it's not interesting enough for me.
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Heard only clips of some of the songs so I cant form a real opinion, but I wasnt crazy about what I heard including the single (which I have fully heard). Obviously I need to get the album and give it a full real listen before I say I don't like it, but Im not encouraged.
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I think it is vastly superiour to the previous three albums (I loved ATEOT and liked ANATO and ATITM). Long term I don't know, obviously. The songs are really dense (much more than the previous two) and the mix is a bit odd (also "dense"), but I think the investment is totally worth it (I am a BG fan, offcourse). A lot of people seem to dislike it initially (see BG forums, for example). Andre throws awesome melodies everywere and Hansi has not sounded this good in more than a decade and even threads some new grounds.
I have no clue about the story though (only in the broad sense). This has almost always been Hansi's way of writing, but for a concept I would like some clarification here and there (usually they take a well known story as a subject, so you can link the lyrics to that).
I do hope they refrain from attempting stuff like Grand Parade and ATEOT live, because that will either be a playback show or just fall flat.
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First run through, as my Japanese CD and 2LP pic disc arrived today, finally.
Pretty impressive, enough of a hit initially to give me that warm fuzzy feeling that it's a good album with plenty of layers to unpick.
But I reckon it will take a numerous plays to fully appreciate everything going on.
However the mix in places is a little muddy, just here and there, but overall, the sound, mix, production and mastering is a lot better than I had expected and what the single might have suggested.
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Picked this up yesterday, and...well I can't say I'm disappointed, because even Twist in the Myth had some moments I liked, but it's merely good Blind Guardian rather than epic good Blind Guardian. It's lacking in huge choruses and sing along moments, and just feels a little...off. Might be a grower, but usually if I don't respond immediately to an album it's because it doesn't work for me. Time will tell.
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My initial feeling after five or so spins is that it is pretty weak for a Blind Guardian album. I'd have to listen to Twist again to compare it to that, but it's a few steps below everything they've released in the past 20 years other than Twist in the Myth.
Fortunately the Ordan Ogan has delivered what I was hoping for in the Blind Guardian album.
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I haven't heard the new Blind Guardian album, I'm still waiting for my earbook, but new Orden Ogan album was rather disappointing.
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Overall the new Ordan Ogan is disappointing and not a patch on it's predecessor.
Far too many songs are sing a long chorus and nothing more, not enough riffs or anything else.
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I liked Orden Ogan immediately, but after listening to it many times most songs already wore off. It is a solid album, but not one I will be revisiting often. Same goes for Angra to a lesser extent. I did not like Serious Black all that much, but maybe it will grow (Not much of a fan of that type of PM, so that is no surprise).
This Blind Guardian album, while having many, many typical BG elements, is quite different on a few spots. The songs are even more dense than previous work at times (take At the Edge of Time for example, it keeps on building and building), a lot of choruses are not their trademark of overlayering 100 Hansi's and some background vocalists singing the title words of the song with an extra sentence, and the mix is not really clear (and this is a negative, I cannot properly listen to the album in my car or in the train with my in-ears, which sucks).
I think it is absolutely stellar work, but can see why people do not like it. Still, there are many BG trademarks to be found like awesome solo's, epic Hansi vocals (one of his best albums, really. He also sings in some ways he has never done before) and their typical way of composing songs with differing verses whilst keeping a cohesive song (this is why so many BG songs never bore me). I am having a hard time believing that people liking ANATO do not dig the Throne (which for me is a bit of a weak song, but I have to be in the mood for ANATO as well), people liking ATEOT not liking Prophecies and old school fans might really enjoy Doom and Holy Grail. All the other songs differ quite a bit from previous work in many aspects, though, I think.
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The release date for this is Aus keeps getting pushed back, annoying.
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In stock at JB and Utopia mate :xbones
https://www.jbhifi.com.au/music/browse/metal/behind-the-red-mirror-limited-digipak-edition/675193/
https://www.utopia.com.au/artists/Blind-Guardian.html?mode=search
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Only listened to the new album once, but I'm liking it! Definitely a bit of a slow start, first song or two not all that exciting, but there is some fantastic stuff across the album.
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In stock at JB and Utopia mate :xbones
https://www.jbhifi.com.au/music/browse/metal/behind-the-red-mirror-limited-digipak-edition/675193/
https://www.utopia.com.au/artists/Blind-Guardian.html?mode=search
For some reason I thought it got pushed back to this coming Friday at JB.
EDIT: Wait it says the 13th but says in stock. Ah bugger it, I just hope it's in store on the weekend. I didn't order it online cause JB are usually pretty good with Nuclear Blast stuff.
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It's a decent album. Maybe on par with the last one, but not a classic by their standards.
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It's a decent album. Maybe on par with the last one, but not a classic by their standards.
But the last one was a classic, at least in my eyes.
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Imaginations, Nightfall, and Opera are my top three. AtEoT would be 4, and I rarely had the same enthusiasm for the second half of that album that I had for the first half.
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I think Id go
Imaginations
AtEoT
Nightfall
Opera
the rest
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I had a feeling Hansi doesn't like playing Battlefield, that song really is a bitch to sing. Although the energy is perfect for live.
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I'd go
Nightfall
Tales from a Twilight World
Imaginations
At the Edge of Time
Somewhere Far Beyond
A Twist in the Myth
A Night at the Opera
(the first two do not interest me all that much, save for some fun live songs like Majesty, Valhalla and Banished from Sanctuary)
Beyond the Red Mirror is going to top At the Edge of Time, maybe Imaginations but on long term I doubt that. Fantastic album either way. I am not fond of ANATO as a whole, but it does contain some of their best songs (Soulforged, And Then There Was Silence and Wait for an Answer). ATITM and ANATO are the only albums with some serious balancing issues for me. Some really good tunes, but I will rarely spin those discs as a whole. And there are a bit too many Hansi's on those albums too.
I had a feeling Hansi doesn't like playing Battlefield, that song really is a bitch to sing. Although the energy is perfect for live.
Not only that, I think this song will fall flat without the overdub bombast. They often adjust the melodies (especially choruses) and keys to fit in the live performances, but I do not think it will work well for this one.
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Tales From the Twilight World
At the Edge of Time
Imaginations From the Other Side
Somewhere Far Beyond
Nightfall in Middle Earth
Battalions of Fear
Follow the Blind
A Night at the Opera
A Twist in the Myth
No idea where the new one fits in yet but we'll see. Initial guess is between Imaginations and SFB
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Nightfall
At The Edge Of Time
Tales From The Twilight World
Somewhere Far Beyond
Imaginations...
Battalions of Fear
A Night At The Opera
Follow The Blind
A Twist In The Myth
I need to listen to Red Mirror more before I settle on a proper spot.
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Surprised at the low rankings for ANATO, which is easily my favourite.
1. A Night at the Opera
2. Nightfall in Middle Earth
3. At the Edge of Time
4. Beyond the Red Mirror (tentative, since I've only heard it the once so far)
5. Imaginations from the Other Side
6. A Twist in the Myth
7. Somewhere Far Beyond
8. Tales from the Twilight World
9. Battalions of Fear
10. Follow the Blind
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Alright...
Imaginations from the Other Side
A Night at the Opera
At the Edge of Time
Somewhere Far Beyond
Nightfall in Middle Earth
A Twist in the Myth
Tales from the Twilight World
Battalions of Fear
Follow the Blind
Still waiting for my BTRM earbook.
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I still need to get the new album. I kind of put it on the back burner after hearing some samples, but looking at some of the rankings here, it seems to be pretty favorable compared to the rest of the catalogue. This weekend I need to get it.
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Surprised at the low rankings for ANATO, which is easily my favourite.
I still love it, it's just the overwhelming quality of BG's releases that places it so low. Really there should be a giant gap in my list between Twist in the Myth and the rest of them because they're all really close in quality whereas Twist is mostly boring save like 3 songs.
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Surprised at the low rankings for ANATO, which is easily my favourite.
I think it's quite spotty and I don't like the... overwhelming mix which makes it difficult to listen to.
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So, I picked up the album on the weekend. I picked up the digipak with the alternate cover with the sticker saying 'limited edition with bonus track.' Yet, no bonus to be found. ::)
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The bonus track is in the middle of the album, rather than end. Just FYI.
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The bonus track is in the middle of the album, rather than end. Just FYI.
WTF, really? It doesn't even state which one is the bonus track!
EDIT: Just googled it, it's track six, well silly me. Don't feel so ripped off after all ha.
I have had albums promote bonus tracks before with nothing to be found so that's why I ddin't really investigate it.
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Distant Memories is the bonus track. ;)
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Distant Memories is the bonus track. ;)
It's like a hidden bonus track, but it's not hidden at all. :lol
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Hidden in plain sight!
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There is also another bonus track on the Japanese 2CD version called, 'Doom'.
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There is also another bonus track on the Japanese 2CD version called, 'Doom'.
That one is also on the Earbook version.
The Japanese version only has some Wacken 2011 live stuff extra (which was also included with the single).
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Man, this has to be one of the worst sounding albums I've ever heard.
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Damn. Is it that bad? Compared to, say, their previous one, At the Edge of Time.
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I haven't noticed it being particularly bad, and I've only listened on Spotify so far.
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It is very dense music (even for BG) and the sound is a bit muddy/loud. This is one of those albums that can sound horrid when listened on certain sound sets that are incapable of separating all the different tracks. Some BG forumers and reviewers noticed this as well.
The review of AngryMetalGuy (a site I like because they often go indepth) worded it well:
But there’s another problem, too: I have been unable to listen to this record and enjoy it under “average” listening conditions. When played on better speakers or my monitors, it becomes apparent just how detailed and complex this record is. Choirs and stringed instruments lay lush dimensions under beautiful lines; vocals are placed beautifully in the mix to take up just the right amount of space. The drums are easily the most natural sounding drums I’ve heard on a Nuclear Blast release in a decade—fat kicks in a genuine register. But get this record into anything that isn’t a good set of speakers and it sounds like it’s been re-amped through a pillow. The subtle orchestration disappears, the bass and drums are almost completely swallowed, and all you’ve got left is Hansi, his choirs, and guitars. This has created extremely different listening experiences for me depending on my choice of equipment. Blind Guardian - Beyond the Red Mirror - DigibookOn the one hand, I try to listen to it at work in my half-good work headphones and it sounds not great, in my generally pretty high performing earbuds? Flat, flat, flat. Small speakers? The same thing. My theory—but I don’t know enough about producing orchestral metal to say with certainty—is that it’s about the choices that had to be made in order to fit the band’s already dense sound into the same box as an orchestra all at the low, low DR of 8. I’ll be curious to see if the vinyl mix has this problem…
I fully agree with this text (quoted it because I cannot word it better).
ATEOT does sound better though (which also applies a real orchestra). But I do think Beyond the Red Mirror sounds more intense and heavy (but this could very well be due to the compositions). And I love they went for choirs instead of overdubbing a few people all the time. Hansi's voice comes out more clear due to this.
I do not have enough knowledge of producing/recording/mixing/mastering to say if and how they could have made it better and more accessible while keeping the same music, though.
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Interesting, I do most of my listening on earphones and so hadn't noticed this as everything was quite clear to me. I've got the album on mp3 now, so will listen again on both earphones and speakers to see how it's sounding to me.
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Damn. Is it that bad? Compared to, say, their previous one, At the Edge of Time.
Yes. I normally am not that fussed with production, but this ruins the album. That description in the review above is correct. It's weak, muffled, no bottom end, no crunch at all, and yeah, it does sound like there were pillows over the mics. It's horrid.
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Listening to it again today with fresh ears, it's still horrid, but not as bad as I initially thought. It just lacks so much punch and power, and the distortion sounds so flat on the guitars. The material sounds pretty good, but I think will be a hard album to really get into.
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I was fearing the worst before I got my CD.
My system is pretty decent and I have the Japanese CD and to my ears it sounds pretty good.
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On further listen, yeah the sound isn't great, but it's not terrible. It's a bit too dense, basically, which causes it to become quite muffled. Maybe they were going for, I don't know, but I put on ATEOT afterwards and it sounds so open in comparison, which I certainly prefer.
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Finding it very hard to get into this album. Not really digging it at all.
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It took some listenings to get used to it and it sounds dreadful on my laptop. It is fine on my phone (Xperia Z3 sounds really good, actually, much better than the Iphone/Samsung Galaxies I owned and most computers imo) and stereo (not amazing, but sufficient quality). Also listened to it on my dads installation, which is a high end Naim system with appropriate speakers and sub (he's a big audiophile). Many details can be distinquished quite well in the right listening enviroment.
I vastly prefer this to ANATO and ATITM, as the orchestrations and vocals sound much better here (way more natural, which is because they are in fact more natural, offcourse). And the guitars often have more presence than those albums as well (especially in ANATO Marcus is often buried deeply). Andre sounds great too, I think. He has a very clear presence on this album, moreso than most of ATEOT. ATEOT is more clear and better end the end, however.
All in all I really do not think the production of Beyond the Red Mirror is that bad, but it is not an album for easy listening . This is partially due to the nature of the music, there is not a lot of breathing space and there are always several layers of music (which makes this quite the grower as well). I doubt it is the best they could have done, though.
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There's no way this comes close to ANATO. That could be my fav BG too as others have mentioned.
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For me, this is by far better than ANATO. But I rank that album pretty low overall, aside from it having some of their best songs.
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Finding it very hard to get into this album. Not really digging it at all.
Yep.
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Finding it very hard to get into this album. Not really digging it at all.
Yep.
I don't even see myself trying it again. I wished I listened to this first, I probably wouldn't have paid for it. BG are one of my instant purchase bands, but this is a shame.
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People saying this album is better that ATEOT is baffling. The only song that's halfway decent is The Ninth Wave. The rest are ramblefests with no good hooks or melodies, and the songs just sound like typical Blind Guardian cliches, which normally aren't bad. I like The BG sound, but there is nothing interesting on this album.
Not to mention the production is awful.
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People saying this album is better that ATEOT is baffling. The only song that's halfway decent is The Ninth Wave. The rest are ramblefests with no good hooks or melodies, and the songs just sound like typical Blind Guardian cliches, which normally aren't bad. I like The BG sound, but there is nothing interesting on this album.
Not to mention the production is awful.
Yeah, I'd easily take ATEOT also. I pretty would have to agree with everything here. I think for me, if the production was top notch it would be better and I would be able to give it a good go. As I'm listening to it, I'm just thinking about what else I can put on instead.
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I have to disagree with no hooks. I can nearly hum all songs along from the top of my head by now and adore most solos and orchestrations. The album is more melodic than the previous one. I find it strange that people do not find any hooks in this, for me it is one after the other. And as far as BG cliches go, ATEOT's songwriting was way more familiar territory (fans consider it the refined "safe" album). Aside from typical elements, most of the songs sound nothing like previous work at all as a whole (Prophecies, the Throne, Holy Grail and Doom are the most familiar tunes I'd say). Even most choruses stray from their usual stuff, which is something they are often criticized for post-Nightfall (Twilight of the Gods would be a clear german metal cliche chorus example). And Hansi sings in ways he has not done before (namely ATEOT the song, Miracle Machine and Sacred Mind).
When it does not click, it does not click. I get that. But I kind of take offense in calling other peoples enjoyment baffling to be honest. It is not even a minority opinion (which I admit frequently have), the consensus amongst the fans is great so far too, see rock hard forums, metalfan, neogaf, reddit, official BG, yt etc. A lot of people do say it is not an easy pill to swallow, however.
Almost everyone agree the production is bad though. And most think the single Twilight of the Gods sucks balls and is made of several songs hussled together. Ashes of Eternity seems to be the most divisive song, with people either loving it or hating it.
I do hope they refrain from doing many songs live though. I did not really like it either when they did Wheel of Time, some of this new stuff will not work at all imo.
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I don't care that people like it, good for them, I'm glad it's getting good reviews, but I agree with Zook and I'm not criticizing anyone for liking it, so I'm not sure where you are coming from there.
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This is easily their worst album :-\
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I do hope they refrain from doing many songs live though. I did not really like it either when they did Wheel of Time, some of this new stuff will not work at all imo.
Hey now, Wheel of Time was the highlight of previous tour for me. Sacred Worlds, however, this one I didn't like much live.
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Australian Tour June 2105, well 2 shows only;
June 19 Melbourne
June 20 Sydney
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A thing I do not like is that the story, to me, is incomprehensible at points. Hansi said he wants to keep interpretations open. Well, I guess he succeeded in that :P But I prefer stories to be a bit more clear than this.
I don't care that people like it, good for them, I'm glad it's getting good reviews, but I agree with Zook and I'm not criticizing anyone for liking it, so I'm not sure where you are coming from there.
Was a reaction to Zook. But maybe it is my English/cultural interpretation that fails me a bit on this, but it came off like I was insane for liking these ramblefests or something like that :laugh: So do not mind the second paragraph.
The rest of my post is a description of why I disagree with his cliche notion. There are many aspects of this album that are quite distinct from their previous work. I love ATEOT and can see why people prefer that though (and I do not know how this one fares on the longterm, offcourse. Maybe in the long run ATEOT will win for me as well).
I do hope they refrain from doing many songs live though. I did not really like it either when they did Wheel of Time, some of this new stuff will not work at all imo.
Hey now, Wheel of Time was the highlight of previous tour for me. Sacred Worlds, however, this one I didn't like much live.
Well, as I live in the Netherlands, we always get debut shows. This is cool in one way, but the performance I saw was not really too convincing in comparison with songs they have the routine with (BG is a band that keeps adjusting their set and perfomance to finetune during touring). It was a nice change of pace though and I did not mind it, but I just hope they do not do a lot of these songs on a single show.
I might also add I did not really know the song that well then and I was hoping for AttWS :P
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We got both ATTWS and WoT, haha. I guess knowing the song would've helped. My friend went to the show and haven't heard the new album at all, but he really liked WoT, I guess the whole fun was screaming "Wheel of Time!" at the right moments.
That's how I went to Ensiferum concert with him, by the way. He's a big fan, and I haven't heard a single song from them before the gig, so he was just telling what to sing along in the chorus in those fan-friendly songs. Turned out alright, I enjoyed it a lot. :lol
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Australian Tour June 2105, well 2 shows only;
June 19 Melbourne
June 20 Sydney
What a fucking surprise.
I don't care that people like it, good for them, I'm glad it's getting good reviews, but I agree with Zook and I'm not criticizing anyone for liking it, so I'm not sure where you are coming from there.
Was a reaction to Zook. But maybe it is my English/cultural interpretation that fails me a bit on this, but it came off like I was insane for liking these ramblefests or something like that :laugh: So do not mind the second paragraph.
That's cool man, I'm glad you like it.
This is easily their worst album :-\
I'm kinda thinking this too.
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Im actually not the biggest WoT fan, but I really enjoyed it live. I just got the album but havent given a listen yet. I feel like its going to be a challenge from reading all of this. If they tour the US, I would definitely like to see them.
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This is easily their worst album :-\
In a world where A Twist in the Myth exists?
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This is easily their worst album :-\
In a world where A Twist in the Myth exists?
It's possible.
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Listened to the album twice back to back while I was working yesterday so I wasnt totally paying attention, but I found it fairly enjoyable to listen to. Definitely not as bad as some on here sugest IMO. I also didnt think they production was as terrible as expected. Maybe my expectations were just low, but I can't say anything bad at the moment. I also use Bose headphones when Im at work so maybe that helps witht he production sound? Not sure, im not an audiophile.
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My earbook has arrived (just in time, ha), and it's damn huge (https://i.imgur.com/lxxEeOr.jpg), seriously. I love the design. Let's see if I will like the album itself, will spin it this evening.
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Given at least 5 listens now. I enjoy this album. Its a grower for sure, but definitely not bad or weak IMO. However, after these listens there isn't anything that sticks out as amazing or that tops previous BG songs in general. I really do enjoy Miracle Machine, Hansi just sounds amazing on this ballad. Also, the guitars are really amazing on this album (aren't they always?) but it seems like there is a lot more going on with them on this album.
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Did my first listen of the album. Well, the mix baffled me a bit at first, but then I kind of grew accustomed to it and the second CD was very enjoyable I think. The music is dense indeed and I can't say I remember a lot (especially from CD 1), but I definitely like this enough to keep spinning it.
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Yea, I don't really have a big problem with the mix. I dont htink its great or anything, but I dont think it is bad either. It actually sounds fairly good on my headphones.
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Alright, I've given it six or seven spins and I'm not impressed. Mix is alright and doesn't really bother me, but the songs just aren't that strong. I guess my main problem with this album is lack of good choruses. I like how the most verses and the instrumentation goes, but when it comes to chorus, some songs become just awkward and not really enjoyable for me. Also, I find it funny how two bonus track are better than half of the album's material.
And as we're on DTF, ranking time!
Incredible / great stuff:
The Throne (without a doubt, my favourite song from the album)
The Holy Grail
Good stuff:
Distant Memories
Doom
Average stuff:
Twilight of the Gods
Prophecies
The rest of the album so far is quite meh for me. The Ninth Wave starts off magnificently up until 2:47 ("We will survive"), then it's kind of good until the chorus kicks in, where I just want to turn it off. I don't really remember a lot about At the Edge of Time and Ashes of Eternity, and after this amount of listens it's quite weird. Sacred Mind is fine except this chorus that just kills the song for me, those "my Xanadu" lines are nearly unlistenable for me. I expected more from Miracle Machine, maybe that's because it really falls flat when I spin the album, and The Grand Parade is probably the better one out of those, but still not very exciting.
The longest songs are my greatest disappointment with this album so far. I expected them to be great, like on their previous work, but they just aren't, in my opinion. Maybe they need more listens to grow, but I already hate The Ninth Wave chorus more than I did after my first spin, so I doubt this will change.
The Throne is pure awesomeness though. :metal
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I agree about the chorus's, while I have enjoyed the album. After all the listens I cant pick out that one song that I need to keep coming back to. It just doesn't exist on this album, there is nothing that is compelling and must listen. I enjoy the album and will continue to listen, but its not going to crack my top albums by them.
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After all the listens I cant pick out that one song that I need to keep coming back to. It just doesn't exist on this album, there is nothing that is compelling and must listen.
After another four spins (making it eleven total) I'm pretty sure that's The Throne for me. As of now, it cracks the Top 10 BG songs for me. Maybe it's that new car smell effect, but I just can't get enough of it, totally awesome, and the rest of the album doesn't even come close to it.
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I couldn't be assed giving this album another chance, disappointing.
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I have had this album since the week of its release, and have only listened to it a few times. The production is the largest turn-off, as listening to the record is more tiring than it should be. Luckily, the songs are pretty good, but I find it hard to motivate myself to listen.
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I have had this album since the week of its release, and have only listened to it a few times. The production is the largest turn-off, as listening to the record is more tiring than it should be. Luckily, the songs are pretty good, but I find it hard to motivate myself to listen.
Absolutely.
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I couldn't be assed giving this album another chance, disappointing.
Couldn't be assed to get through the entire thing, let alone doing it more than once. Hate hearing that from myself since I'm a huge BG fan.
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I couldn't be assed giving this album another chance, disappointing.
Couldn't be assed to get through the entire thing, let alone doing it more than once. Hate hearing that from myself since I'm a huge BG fan.
I hear ya man. :-[
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I'm kind of the opposite, I don't think I love the album so far, but I kind of like it. Somehow I just want to keep coming back to it to discover new stuff, and some songs are really growing on me.
I wish The Ninth Wave had different chorus, and I also wish Sacred Mind wouldn't exist in this universe at all. It's just awful. I don't think I was that disappointed with the new BG song since I've became a fan (which was in 2004 I think).
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The setlist from the Krefeld show:
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/blind-guardian/2015/kulturfabrik-krefeld-germany-53cb579d.html
I'm not spoilering it here, but I have to say I'm kind of baffled with the new album song choices.
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The setlist from the Krefeld show:
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/blind-guardian/2015/kulturfabrik-krefeld-germany-53cb579d.html
I'm not spoilering it here, but I have to say I'm kind of baffled with the new album song choices.
I looked at that earlier and was surprised myself. I wonder if they will rotate some of those new songs like they did on the last tour.
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Had some extremely pressing deadlines, so did not post for a while (Evermind can still expect my reply to the roulette final ;)).
But I saw BG last friday, they were awesome!
Setlist worked great and I am glad they left Bright Eyes, Welcome to Dying, LotR, Traveller in Time etc. to make room for some less played classics. "Acoustic" set was a great interlude as well. It was also awesome that they used War of Wrath to set up the first encore and then the orchestral intro of Sacred Worlds for the second encore. Three hype building intros on one evening. I finally got Imaginations, Mordred's Song (!!!), Journey Trough the Dark and Into the Storm live. Now my only big wish is ATTWS.
As for the new song choices, maybe the London crowd can convince you:
-Ninth Wave is absolutely a blast live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfeVl9r_1QI&t=4m2s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfeVl9r_1QI&t=4m2s)
-Miracle Machine is a nice change of pace:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD4-tMtvfcU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD4-tMtvfcU)
-Twilight was actually really well recieved as well at the concert I was. The performance felt a bit off though.
-Prophecies was played really well and one of my favourites of the new album, but I missed a certain spark live. It works better as a studio song, alltough Hansi did great (a bit to my surprise to be honest, he is in great shape now, with frequent high pitched screams and higher clean singing, which I thought he lost a bit over the years).
Aaand they are recording a new live album!!!! (audio). Therefore they are recording many shows if not all this tour. I hope one of the songs with my voice shouting along makes the cut ;D Live is one of my most listened discs ever, probably.
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Yeah, Live is super awesome. New live album would be great indeed, and about time too. The last one was released in what, 2003?
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Yeah, Live is super awesome. New live album would be great indeed, and about time too. The last one was released in what, 2003?
Imaginations Through the Looking Glass is one of my favorite concert DVDs. Sucks they are only doing audio, but I'm glad they are doing one anyway because they have enough new material since then to have a full concert without repeating songs (although there definitely will be plenty of that).
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Yeah, Live is super awesome. New live album would be great indeed, and about time too. The last one was released in what, 2003?
Imaginations Through the Looking Glass is one of my favorite concert DVDs. Sucks they are only doing audio, but I'm glad they are doing one anyway because they have enough new material since then to have a full concert without repeating songs (although there definitely will be plenty of that).
The big advantage (like with Live) is having many recordings and picking the best performances. Maybe they will at least include a touched up and complete Wacken 2011, would be cool (Wheel of Time, Sacred Worlds, Valhalla, Majesty etc. were never broadcasted).
For a new DVD it would at least have to be later in the tour. And we got Trough the Looking Glass (2004) a year after Live (indeed 2003), so here's hoping they plan to do something (a proshot club recording would be amazing and a first). Also, A fan on the BG forum is saying the band personally said they are going to headline Wacken 2016 (and do other EU festivals).
On a side note, I am sure they are not going to pull a Kamelot, who actually recorded a truly amazing show I attended but never released it (only some video footage for a studiosong clip). I really hope they will still release it in some form (bonus?) one day.
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Are you talking about the Kamelot show in Netherlands this past summer? Did the band say they wouldn't release it? That would suck.
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Are you talking about the Kamelot show in Netherlands this past summer? Did the band say they wouldn't release it? That would suck.
No, it was the NL show before that "exclusive" show actually. This is the footage they released of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rakUWb-Bt5k (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rakUWb-Bt5k).
Recent interview (March) with Youngblood, which makes me assume they will not release it anymore:
- Are you still working on a live DVD featuring existing footage, or will it be recorded during the upcoming tour?
Thomas: The DVD will happen, we just are waiting for the record companies to work out the legalities. As you may know I don't like looking back, so it will likely be all new footage, interviews, backstage shenanigans etc.
I assume he is talking about the 013 show. Legalities part is interesting though, makes me wonder what went wrong. Sucks. But hey, a new "exclusive" concert in the same venue (013) is set for this october (announced almost a year beforehand too), sooo maybe we will get a retry? I hope so, have my tickets already ;D
Still, we will definitely get a new Kamelot DVD :biggrin:
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Ah thanks, yes I remember this now. Sucks that Thomas won't release it because he doesnt want to look back but maybe thats just an excuse for other legal reasons which was also stated, but I really do want a new DVD from them because One Colds Winters Night may be my favorite live concert dvd ever.
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I assume he is talking about the 013 show. Legalities part is interesting though, makes me wonder what went wrong. Sucks. But hey, a new "exclusive" concert in the same venue (013) is set for this october (announced almost a year beforehand too), sooo maybe we will get a retry? I hope so, have my tickets already ;D
Yeah, this really screws up things for me, because I'll be in Netherlands in September for The Theater Equation, and I'll miss this gig just by two weeks. Like they couldn't play this exclusive thing in late September. Damn.
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So, seeing BG this Friday and I'm excited as hell! Their show on At the Edge of Time tour five years ago was beyond awesome.
I've been following the setlists for this tour, and here's what I'm reasonably hoping to get in Moscow (would be fun to compare it with what I'll actually get):
The Ninth Wave
Banish from Sanctuary
Nightfall
Fly
Tanelorn (Into the Void)
Prophecies
The Last Candle
Miracle Machine (Out of those eight, I've already heard Nightfall, Fly and Tanelorn live, but I like all three, so I'm totally alright with this.)
A Past and Future Secret / Lord of the Rings (Heard them both live, but I don't like Skalds and Shadows, so there. The Maiden and the Minstrel Knight please?)
Blood Tears (I'm so excited they're playing this one live this tour!)
Mordred's Song / Bright Eyes / Majesty / anything from A Night at the Opera
Imaginations from the Other Side (I've heard ATTWS live, and I don't want the closer to be And the Story Ends. IFTOS is one of my favourite songs from them)
War of Wrath
Into the Storm (just don't play Sacred Worlds please)
Twilight of the Gods
Valhalla
Wheel of Time (this one is a must, I loved it on ATEOT tour, probably my favourite song from that show, totally awesome)
The Bard's Song
Mirror Mirror
All in all, I really hope they don't play And the Story Ends and Sacred Worlds. Give me IFTOS or ATTWS and Into the Storm + Wheel of Time instead, and I'll be happy.
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They are coming to the US, I may go see them when they play in NYC. I saw them the last tour which I guess was 5 years ago too (wow time flies). That was a lot of fun, but I won't have any friends to go with so that's why I am up in the air about actually going. Ill figure it out as the date gets closer.
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So Hansi has said they may consider playing The Throne from the new album sometimes. If they'll play it at the show I'm attending, that would be awesome; it's my favourite track from BTRM. :metal
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So Hansi has said they may consider playing The Throne from the new album sometimes. If they'll play it at the show I'm attending, that would be awesome; it's my favourite track from BTRM. :metal
Yea I would definitely like to see that song compared to the rest of the new album. I still listen to it and enjoy it, it's certainly not as good as the previous album, but its solid throughout.
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Soundcheck is going on right now. They've played part of Nightfall and the beginning of ATTWS so far, wonder if that means we'll get ATTWS tonight.
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All in all, I really hope they don't play And the Story Ends and Sacred Worlds. Give me IFTOS or ATTWS and Into the Storm + Wheel of Time instead, and I'll be happy.
Alright, none of that did happen. :lol But still a great show, loved it and sang and screamed all way through. My throat is sore as hell now.
Setlist (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/blind-guardian/2015/ray-just-arena-moscow-russia-bc9e9e2.html)
Kind of disappointed there was no Miracle Machine considering they've played it almost every other tour, I like this song. And the Story Ends was awesome, but not as awesome as two other closers they've been playing on the tour. I also really missed Into the Storm, wish they'd played it.
But that Tolkien sequence: Lord of the Rings — Majesty — Blood Tears was absolutely fucking brilliant audience great. What's interesting, the audience wasn't asking for Majesty as usual, but they went ahead and played it, probably it was in the setlist. And Journey Through the Dark was another highlight, didn't expect this song to be played.
And I've got Wheel of Time! Again! That was nice. :angel:
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Setlist says the show was recorded for a live CD. That's cool. Was the crowd loud?
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Setlist says the show was recorded for a live CD. That's cool. Was the crowd loud?
Well, it seems every show on this tour is recorded for a live CD, so I wouldn't read too much into it. But it sure did good for the crowd hype, everyone screamed like mad when Hansi announced it. The crowd was loud and awesome (except those two guys who tried to turn the front rows into a mosh pit), and a lot of people were definitely singing and screaming at the top of their lungs, me included.
I hope one or two songs from this show will end up on a live CD, but with the amount of shows they're playing, I really doubt it will happen. I bet there were better crowds on this tour. Well, it was a killer show anyway, so I have nothing to complain about (except those mosh pit guys. If you guys are somehow reading this, you suck big time).
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Setlist says the show was recorded for a live CD. That's cool. Was the crowd loud?
Well, it seems every show on this tour is recorded for a live CD, so I wouldn't read too much into it. But it sure did good for the crowd hype, everyone screamed like mad when Hansi announced it. The crowd was loud and awesome (except those two guys who tried to turn the front rows into a mosh pit), and a lot of people were definitely singing and screaming at the top of their lungs, me included.
I hope one or two songs from this show will end up on a live CD, but with the amount of shows they're playing, I really doubt it will happen. I bet there were better crowds on this tour. Well, it was a killer show anyway, so I have nothing to complain about (except those mosh pit guys. If you guys are somehow reading this, you suck big time).
Indeed they record everyhing. I do hope they will release some outtakes or a bonus disc to have very concert featured in one way or another. I wonder though, they already played quite some more songs than Live had on it, will the new release be longer or will they ommit stuff? Also they played quite some long songs. Wheel of Time, ATTWS, Sacred Worlds, Ninth Wave together already make up more than 40 minutes. They have enough material to cover three discs if they want to. I really hope they go all the way (and include the full Wacken 11 vid while they are at it).
I didn't follow the setlist anymore recently, but I am surprised with Blood Tears, awesome! Good that you got Wheel of Time out of your wishes. My wish remains ATTWS, but like Sonate Arctica with BPWO and Symphony X with Oddysey, they never play it at the shows I attend yet still feature the song in the same tour (Sonata fixed that last time I saw them though!). But I did get Mordreds Songs and Into the Storm this time around, and both delivered ;D
Also, moshers suck indeed. For BG concerts at least, they create a crowd gap and BG live is all about crowd interactions with their music. We had them too, unfortunately.
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Well the new album hasn't really aged well for me, I still think it's very mediocre overall. However I did decide I will see them next week in NYC, purchased my ticket for myself. Going solo. Saw them about 5 years ago when they last toured the US and had a great time.
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The new album did nothing for me, but I'm definitely not missing them again.
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During the first leg of their tour they were on fire, so I am sure they do so now too. I listened some crappy bootlegs and attended one show, and I think the two year break did them well. Much energy, well balanced setlists and offcourse many enthousiastic fans who have missed them for a while. I will probably attend their second show over here in December.
As for the new album, I really think it is fantastic. I think it is one of the best Hansi albums, he truly shines here. Also in ways he never really did before. And in terms of music they explore many new areas, while maintaining obvious trademark elements. The story, however, does not make sense to me and it doesn't really feel like as concept album (especially when compared to NIME). I can definitely understand how people do not like it though. Even for BG's standards it is really dense and the mix/mastering sounds muffled (I always need to adjust to it when coming from other albums, which isn't a good sign). Ironically, the sole song that barely does anything for me is the Throne, which is probably the highlight for many.
Thankfully for you guys the new album hardly feels like the main focus of their concerts. A few songs and that is it, really.
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Yea Ive looked over the setlists and was surprised there isnt much focus on the new album, but then again the last tour there was little focus on the new album then so I guess BG is big on just playing the oldies. Whatever, I am fine with that in this case, although much of the setlist is the same from 5 years ago which is a bummer.
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I didn't revisit the new album and probably won't. I'm actually pissed I didn't listen to it first, I wouldn't have purchased it.
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About to leave to head to the concert soon, while I don't think the new album is THAT bad, it isn't very memorable. I am still excited to see them.
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I'd probably still see them too.
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Yea, they aren't playing much from the new album plus they don't come over to the states often so I didnt want to miss my chance even though it sucks its a tuesday night.
Been listening to BG a lot of over the last week to get pumped, really been digging Tales from the Twilight World a lot more than I remember digging it.
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Their early stuff is just awesome.
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I've got a ticket for the NYC show on Thursday September 15th... I'm an idiot for buying the ticket since I cannot make it, I will be on a plane at the time.
Anyone want it? Prog Snob, I think you may have expressed interest? I put it on stub hub for cheaper than any other ticket offered, but I am willing to just give it to someone on this site if they want it. I have ticket in hand and can mail it out.
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Cool new song released for a video game
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5X7MXfLxEg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5X7MXfLxEg)
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Awesome! I knew they were focusing on music for this game earlier this year but didn't expect anything so soon. Cool that they used an actual choir and strings, they didn't half ass it despite it being for a smaller crowdfunding title.
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Awesome! I knew they were focusing on music for this game earlier this year but didn't expect anything so soon. Cool that they used an actual choir and strings, they didn't half ass it despite it being for a smaller crowdfunding title.
Yea besides being surprised of a new song (I wasn't aware of them working on something) the fact they put in a full production for a video game track is pretty awesome. Song is really cool too.
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Bumping this one up - I've been a fan of theirs since 1998 or so, but never took the time to go see them live. I had won a free ticket to their show in Milwaukee last September, and given that they were playing Imaginations in full, I jumped at the chance to see them live for free. That album was one of my first exposures to European power metal, along with NIME.
The show was incredible - they're not really big on stage presence at all, but they replicated the sound of the albums so perfectly. Seeing Hansi sing live for the first time was amazing - he sounded so good, and they played a few of my favorite non-Imaginations songs (Welcome to Dying :metal, Time What is Time) before the full album performance. I discovered that I really love the back half of Imaginions just as much as the first 4-5 songs, which I've always preferred. The encore was Sacred Words, Majesty (I'd have preferred Valhalla) and naturally, the Bard's Song/Mirror Mirror.
Definitely an awesome band and I'm glad that I took the time to see them play, since I'd been a fan for 18 years. I'd have loved to hear them play a few other tunes as well, but I can't complain at all. Excited for a new live record to come out sometime this year, and then the eventual release of their big orchestral project.
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Been a fan since forever, they're one of the earliest metal bands I've started to listen to.
Utmost respect, praise and admiration for them, it's just that being a fan since 20 years and more some side effects appear:
- I'm sick of the older songs, I don't listen to them anymore just like I don't listen anymore for the 400.000th time The Trooper or The Number of the Beast;
- I've seen them live quite a lot and they've never been like Portnoy in approaching the shows, so half of the set kinda bores me (but they tour rarely enough for each time to be a treat).
Furthermore, I repeat my total admiration and appreciation also for that genius that is Hansi Kurch, but let me tell you that for all the slack James LaBrie gets with DT, you should try to be a Blind Guardian fan with that same mindset, you'd want Hansi's head on a spike for his live performances and his continuing loweing of an octave of 50% of all the vocal lines.
Still, I dearly love them, also for personal reasons (being a regular at their forum made me have a lot of friends, both italian and foreign - I owe to Blind Guardian all the friendships that allowed me to visit Germany several times) will forever call them one of my favorite bands, and I look forward to see them again all the future times I will get!
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I've seen them 3 times now, most of the setlist was the same all three times.
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Been a fan since forever, they're one of the earliest metal bands I've started to listen to.
Utmost respect, praise and admiration for them, it's just that being a fan since 20 years and more some side effects appear:
- I'm sick of the older songs, I don't listen to them anymore just like I don't listen anymore for the 400.000th time The Trooper or The Number of the Beast;
- I've seen them live quite a lot and they've never been like Portnoy in approaching the shows, so half of the set kinda bores me (but they tour rarely enough for each time to be a treat).
Furthermore, I repeat my total admiration and appreciation also for that genius that is Hansi Kurch, but let me tell you that for all the slack James LaBrie gets with DT, you should try to be a Blind Guardian fan with that same mindset, you'd want Hansi's head on a spike for his live performances and his continuing loweing of an octave of 50% of all the vocal lines.
Still, I dearly love them, also for personal reasons (being a regular at their forum made me have a lot of friends, both italian and foreign - I owe to Blind Guardian all the friendships that allowed me to visit Germany several times) will forever call them one of my favorite bands, and I look forward to see them again all the future times I will get!
Hansi (the band) does frequently alter a melody to suit his vocal capabilities more, but musicially it is usually sound. Not all songs work this way though, especially in Imaginations, Opera, and Nightfall songs. But in older BG bootlegs (around Nightfall/Opera), the band often sang out of tune which, to my ears, is much worse. I enjoyed the live feeds of Wacken 016 and Rock Hard 016 (there is a proshot out there) and thought Hansi sounded good.
I am very fond of Labrie in general, but to me his mumbling and out of tune notes can severly impact my enjoyment of a DT concert. Thus far I have been fairly lucky in that regard, only the first Astonishing show I saw was a bad Labrie. But looking at the bootlegs of this tour, I really wish DT would take the approach of BG in this regard, because some songs absolutely don't work anymore.
I've seen them 3 times now, most of the setlist was the same all three times.
Looking at setlist.fm, the overlap between my two shows was 7 songs out of 20ish (granted, this was a 5 year difference). The other two shows here were decently different as well (one was of the same tour and had a couple of other songs and the other one was where they played Imaginations in full).
I do agree with you guys on this though. While I absolutely love hearing Mirror Mirror, the Bard's song etc. live, I would like it if they visit some more songs that weren't (prominent) in their live repretoire before. Usually when they change up a setlist it seems to mean they pick from their usual live song pool we all know from their live releases.
This is one aspect of DT I do really like, every show/tour I have seen had 0 overlap.
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Does anyone else enjoy Savage Circus?
After seeing BG and going back through all of their records, I had a big hankering for anything that sounded like them. I hadn't paid much attention to Savage Circus before, but checked them out again and love that they continue the Tales/Imaginations style. They completely ape the BG guitar tone, the vocalist is eerily similar to Hansi and they just go nuts with that power/thrash sound that the band had in the 90's.
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My complaints about BG's setlists are null with The Bard's Song. That song is so special, with everyone singing along, that each time is like the first time and I always get shivers from those moments.
About Savage Circus: I like the "BG-like" album they've done, I like it a lot. But to me it's the ultimate proof that there was no point in re-doing forever that kind of album and style, the've perfected it with Imaginations so in the long run they would have become another band that does the same kind of album over and over.
About Blind Guardian's originality, I personally think they hold a record of an unbroken line of improvement for six album straight. I consider Nightfal better than Imaginations better than Somewhere better than Tales better than Follow better than the debut.
Rule Nightfall out, and still you've got five albums in a row where each one is better than the previous. I really can't think of any other band with such a long winning streak.
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Just listened to an interview with Hansi (see their fb, stems from a while back).
In regards to the upcoming live album:
-Release likely this summer (mixing in early 2017)
-20 songs selected from mainly the entire Beyond the Red Mirror EU tour
-Video material is out there from some shows, maybe they'll use it for promotional materials
In regards to the Wacken show (2016):
-They are currently mixing the full show and consider a separate release or use it as a bonus for a future album.
Sounds good to me, but I think they have an opportunity to top Live in terms of the amount of songs, because they have played 40 songs (most of which they have at least several recordings). I'd be interested in a special edition with an additional disc.
About Blind Guardian's originality, I personally think they hold a record of an unbroken line of improvement for six album straight. I consider Nightfal better than Imaginations better than Somewhere better than Tales better than Follow better than the debut.
Rule Nightfall out, and still you've got five albums in a row where each one is better than the previous. I really can't think of any other band with such a long winning streak.
Yes, I agree. I definitely include Nightfall. While there are many modern BG songs I prefer over most older material, I think the album streak you mention is unmatched in terms of progression of musical direction and each album has a perfect pacing and feels incredibly coherent.
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Nice, I remember them saying in NYC that they were recording for the album, but sounds like NA songs aren't likely to make the cut. I'd buy it.
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About Blind Guardian's originality, I personally think they hold a record of an unbroken line of improvement for six album straight. I consider Nightfal better than Imaginations better than Somewhere better than Tales better than Follow better than the debut.
Rule Nightfall out, and still you've got five albums in a row where each one is better than the previous. I really can't think of any other band with such a long winning streak.
Yes, I agree. I definitely include Nightfall. While there are many modern BG songs I prefer over most older material, I think the album streak you mention is unmatched in terms of progression of musical direction and each album has a perfect pacing and feels incredibly coherent.
I agree with this however there's also the fact that after those records they went down significantly. A night at the opera is still a pretty good album but from then on it has been all pretty meh to me.
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Also, they finished recording the orchestral music for their orchestral project. Hansi will soon (now? interview is from a while ago) start recording them and it is due for next year they think. Not sure what to expect, they have been tinkering/writing on that for so long now. Still, Wheel of Time and At the Edge of Time (song) were once part of it, and I love those songs. I recall reading And Then There Was Silence was as well, but I am not sure (the orchestral album is something that has been in their plans ever since Nightfall I think).
About Blind Guardian's originality, I personally think they hold a record of an unbroken line of improvement for six album straight. I consider Nightfal better than Imaginations better than Somewhere better than Tales better than Follow better than the debut.
Rule Nightfall out, and still you've got five albums in a row where each one is better than the previous. I really can't think of any other band with such a long winning streak.
Yes, I agree. I definitely include Nightfall. While there are many modern BG songs I prefer over most older material, I think the album streak you mention is unmatched in terms of progression of musical direction and each album has a perfect pacing and feels incredibly coherent.
I agree with this however there's also the fact that after those records they went down significantly. A night at the opera is still a pretty good album but from then on it has been all pretty meh to me.
Not for me, but the albums have become less consistent and tend to sound way worse (in terms of sound production). Each of the modern BG albums has been a massive grower for me to the point I never really stopped listening to many of the songs on those albums. But I rarely listen to their newer albums as a whole.
ANATO was a bit too much for me. I love some of the songs, but it is consistently over the top and has like 100000 Hansi's singing at nearly every moment. Twist was more straightforward but I love it, though in my opinion it is also their most monotonous album and it has their weakest instrumental performance and Hansi sounds less expressive that many of their other (post Tales) works. ATEOT is an exception, I think the album is consistent and sounds good, but it also bring relatively few new elements to the table. It kind of feels like a "best of" collection consisting of new songs. Red Mirror has mostly great to fantastic tracks, but I don't think it paces very well as an album and some songs are a bit too dense (like with ANATO), the sound is off as well. The plot is inconceivable to me, even with liner notes. But I genuinely think Red Mirror is one of Hansi's best albums in terms of vocal melodies and performance, which is why I really love the album.
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Beyond the Red Mirror is so massively complicated that in retrospect it makes look ANATO an easy album.
Out of the latest album, as "safe" as it may have been, I happen to like At the Edge of Time very much, is the pefect balance between the old school and the new orchestral approach.
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Beyond the Red Mirror is the best thing they've done since Nightfall.
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Beyond the Red MirrorAt The Edge of Time is the best thing they've done since Nightfall.
Fixed for me.
Honestly, I'm surprised by the love for BtRM since it didn't seem to get much love here when it was released. I kind of feel the same as ErHaO with regards to this album. There's some really good songs, but it's a really hard album to listen to in whole. Some of the songs just seem to get long and boring and there's a lack of punch. I think it's grown a bit on me since release and seeing BG twice live since it's release, but it's still far from being top tier BG for me.
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Beyond the Red MirrorAt The Edge of Time is the best thing they've done since Nightfall.
Fixed for me.
Honestly, I'm surprised by the love for BtRM since it didn't seem to get much love here when it was released. I kind of feel the same as ErHaO with regards to this album. There's some really good songs, but it's a really hard album to listen to in whole. Some of the songs just seem to get long and boring and there's a lack of punch. I think it's grown a bit on me since release and seeing BG twice live since it's release, but it's still far from being top tier BG for me.
ATEOT would be my second favorite post-Nightfall album for me. Then would be Twist. Last is ANATO. BTRM took some time to grow on me, but then again, most of their albums do.
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https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/blind-guardian-to-release-live-beyond-the-spheres-concert-album-in-july/
3 CD live album! :metal
I've seen better covers from them honestly.
Tracklist is quite good, pity Miracle Machine and The Holy Grail didn't make it.
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Tracklist is quite good, pity Miracle Machine and The Holy Grail didn't make it.
It's hard to complain about the tracks when there are so many songs included, but I feel like they missed a chance to release a lot more of the rarer stuff they did play over the course of the tour as well as more new songs like you mentioned.
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Tracklist is quite good, pity Miracle Machine and The Holy Grail didn't make it.
It's hard to complain about the tracks when there are so many songs included, but I feel like they missed a chance to release a lot more of the rarer stuff they did play over the course of the tour as well as more new songs like you mentioned.
The last live record was for the A Night at the Opera tour. Since then, they've released 3 albums and had to make room for songs like Fly, Sacred Worlds, and all of the Beyond the Red Mirror tracks.
I'm bummed that there's no Welcome to Dying, but at least there's a few older tunes on there like Banish from Sanctuary. The Last Candle is a pretty rare track, and there hasn't been a live audio release of And Then There Was Silence or And The Story Ends.
I think it's a pretty good mix of the fan favorites, newer songs, and a handful of rarer songs.
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All those songs are on the live DVD though. Those songs mentioned are not the ones I was talking about though.
Here is the track listing with bolded the songs included on thier last live release (some also included in Tokyo Tales). I get that they need to include some of the staples like Mirror Mirror, The Bards Song, Valhalla, and Nightfall, but I think they could of replaced Lord of the Rings, Bright Eyes, Into the Storm, Majesty, Banished from Sanctuary with say... Miracle Machine, The Holy Grail, The Curse of Feanor, Guardian of the Blind, Blood Tears, Skalds and Shadows... (all songs played on the Euro leg referenced where they recorded all these songs).
CD1
01. The Ninth Wave
02. Banish From Sanctuary
03. Nightfall
04. Prophecies
05. Tanelorn
06. The Last Candle
07. And Then There Was Silence
CD2
01. The Lord Of The Rings
02. Fly
03. Bright Eyes
04. Lost In The Twilight Hall
05. Imaginations From The Other Side
06. Into The Storm
07. Twilight Of The Gods
08. A Past And Future Secret
09. And The Story Ends
CD3
01. Sacred Worlds
02. The Bard's Song (In The Forest)
03. Valhalla
04. Wheel Of Time
05. Majesty
06. Mirror Mirror
When I read the article it said there were rare songs included, and honestly it seems like they mean "new songs" in replace of "rare" . I'll be getting this regardless, but it just feels like a missed opportunity. But I guess it's also possible the sons I mentioned didn't come off as well live.
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Will buy without a doubt and I look forward to it, but I am slightly dissapointed by the list.
-Guardian of the Blind. I think they nailed this song live, why is it not here? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ub4VzJR5NDU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ub4VzJR5NDU)
-Blood Tears. The altered chorus melody may annoy some fans, but I would've really liked this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW3fNgCrKUE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW3fNgCrKUE)
-Miracle Machine. It worked fine live, this one or Skalds would've added to the overall album.
-Time what is Time. A classic and one that was only on Tokyo Tales back in the day.
-Wizard's Crown. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq5ArpH4GH8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq5ArpH4GH8) That one is not from this tour, but they played it.
-Barbara Ann. For the hell of it, it's simply fun. ;D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMIkiueuyEc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMIkiueuyEc)
I understand not including Curse of Feanor. Fantastic song, but the vocals don't really work live, probably not even with a much younger Hansi. But the songs I mentioned above? Oh, and that cover is pretty bad.
That said, in itself the setlist is great because I love pretty much all of these songs, so I can't complain too much. But I really hope we will get some of the outtakes. They did release outtakes for Live I believe, via a torrent.
Tracklist is quite good, pity Miracle Machine and The Holy Grail didn't make it.
It's hard to complain about the tracks when there are so many songs included, but I feel like they missed a chance to release a lot more of the rarer stuff they did play over the course of the tour as well as more new songs like you mentioned.
The last live record was for the A Night at the Opera tour. Since then, they've released 3 albums and had to make room for songs like Fly, Sacred Worlds, and all of the Beyond the Red Mirror tracks.
I'm bummed that there's no Welcome to Dying, but at least there's a few older tunes on there like Banish from Sanctuary. The Last Candle is a pretty rare track, and there hasn't been a live audio release of And Then There Was Silence or And The Story Ends.
I think it's a pretty good mix of the fan favorites, newer songs, and a handful of rarer songs.
While I agree. I also have their boxset, which includes the audio CD of Trough the Looking Glass, so technically some of those songs have seen an official live release.
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Yeah, this is a definite purchase for me, and the setlist is alright as far as I'm concerned, but I'm really surprised and disappointed that Blood Tears isn't in the setlist. That was one song I was really looking forward to hear, I thought it was really good live and hoped that it would make the official release.
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I will just leave this here;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVg8eP7KPNQ
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That's awesome, makes me really want a DVD :metal :metal :metal
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I will see them live in a month! :metal 2nd of July, they headline a power / epic metal festival in Milan :coolio
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That editing...At least they could've made it more smoother. Some parts don't match the song and feels off.
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Clip is nice, but nothing will top Mirror Mirror from Live (especially due to the cool higher harmony-ish vocals hansi does over the crowd in the chorus).
In regards to the sound they seem to go for a more clean "isolated" production, which is fine by my ears, though the crowd/environmental sounds are a bit less prominent as a result. I think this sound production will work well for the songs that don't rely on crowd interactions a lot (especially newer songs like Wheel of Time, Prophecies etc.).
And in regards to a potential DVD, Hansi said they also mixed Wacken 2016 for a potential future release. I really like that performance (far better than the two other Wacken shows in my opinion, and a nice setlist), but the thing is, it is online in it's entirety already (unlike the other Wacken shows). Sure, I'd like better sound production but I won't run to the stores for just Wacken 16. I also have a pro-shot concert of I think Rock Hard on my PC and that one is a good watch as well, with pretty good sound. But for a real standalone dvd I wish they do something not available already.
As for Live beyond the Spheres, I am going for the vinyl boxset, which looks very nice and has a good pricetag, 40 euro's for 4 vinyls in a nice box with booklet (see that Dream Theater? Screw your Astonishing box for 100 euro's).
That editing...At least they could've made it more smoother. Some parts don't match the song and feels off.
Yeah, agreed, that seems to be a thing for them. Through the looking Glass has the same issue.
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I'd buy a Wacken 2016 video if it was on blu-ray, probably not if only released on DVD.
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it doesn't sound live....
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I will just leave this here;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVg8eP7KPNQ
Holy shit, did Steve Harris edit this?
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I'd buy a DVD of Wacken 2016 to relive what a great show that was :tup
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So they just announced that after their current tour, they will probably have another break until 2019, so about two years.
My (optimistic) guess is we will see three BG releases in the coming two years. The upcoming live album, the orchestral project (Hansi recently did the vocals, so all material should be ready for mixing now), and I expect a new regular album when they start touring again, if the break really is that long. Probably another Sinbreed album and tour and another Demons and Wizards in terms of sideprojects.
I'd buy a DVD of Wacken 2016 to relive what a great show that was :tup
Well, I am extremely jealous, because Wacken 016 is already blast to watch at home.
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Sucks it'll be some time for more music from them, but they deserve a break of course.
Prophecies Official Live Video (https://youtu.be/QA7Y6ei6gB0)
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For those in the mood of some more live recordings, here is Hellfest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nTTgbb0I4E& (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nTTgbb0I4E&)
Sucks it'll be some time for more music from them, but they deserve a break of course.
Prophecies Official Live Video (https://youtu.be/QA7Y6ei6gB0)
Haha, 4:50 came out of nowhere.
Sounds good, I love this song, but the backing vocals are a bit too much in the back and they could've used a tad more crowd/surrounding noise for that live feel, in my opinion. Also, the Hellfest performance of Prophecies above is actually quite a bit more heavy/energetic in my opinion (Hansi's vocals), and the backing vocals are mixed in better.
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I don't think I'm going to bother with another BG live album.
With the box set I already have 3 live sets and this one doesn't offer enough different songs to warrant a purchase.
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I don't think I'm going to bother with another BG live album.
With the box set I already have 3 live sets and this one doesn't offer enough different songs to warrant a purchase.
Yeah, I get that. Spread across the three discs there is still like 50 minutes of new(er) material, but they could've done so much more had they included Blood Tears, Otherland, Guardian of the Blind, Curse of Feanor, Miracle Machine, Skalds and Shadows, This Will Never End, and Wizard's Crown (looking at setlist.fm). To me it is dissapointing that they are releasing a three disc live album and then don't use this big format for something to diversify their discography.
I really hope they will release a bonus disc with a couple of the aforementioned absent songs one of these days.
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Official live video for Twilight of the Gods:
https://youtu.be/C4TorvOfBWE (https://youtu.be/C4TorvOfBWE)
:metal
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Official live video for Twilight of the Gods:
https://youtu.be/C4TorvOfBWE (https://youtu.be/C4TorvOfBWE)
:metal
The best one thus far, despite it being my least favourite song (studiowise) out of the three vids released. The instruments sound way better than on the album and the lack of overdubbed choirs and some of the high notes actually make the song sound more coherent.
Hansi actually sung the first high notes at the beginning of Twilight of the Gods at the concert I was (partially at least), but I don't miss them here.
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Sunday is coming - I will see Blind Guardian live! :metal they're headlining the "Battlefield metal fest" where also Ensiferum, Turisas, Grave Digger and Firewind will be present.
They will be playing the whole Imaginations from the Other Side album, something that as a longtime fan that has seen them many times I'm not terribly excited about - it's like if Maiden would announce they'd play the whole Number of the Beast album... "yay, can't wait to hear The Number of the Beast, Run to the Hills and Hallowed Be Thy Name at the same concert ::) "
Still, as saturated the album is for me when it comes to live performances, I've realized that last time around I've seen only And the Story Ends off it, they didn't even play Imaginations, and it's been a while anyway that I've last heard Mordred's Song and I'm Alive, and I can't wait to go crazy over Another Holy War :metal HIT ME, NAIL ME, MAKE ME GOOOOOOD :metal
Wet dream: they play The Curse of Feanor!!! fingers crossed on this one.... and there's also a meet n' greet with them, I'll try to attend it, it will be overcrowded for sure but in many years of following them, I never had a pic with them so this may be a great occasion.
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Mirror, I felt the same as you. It's a lot of the same songs they always play.... but Mordeds Song! I love that song and to me, was worth it to play the entire album just to hear that, and plus the others you mentioned. They'll have time to play some other songs too so you may get some other gems hopefully.
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Mordred's Song was basically the song that made me realize that I like Blind Guardian. It will be nice for sure to hear it, but as I said above, Another Holy War is my "The whole album is worth to hear that song alone" song.
Fun fact: when they toured for At the Edge of Time, a buddy of mine met Hansi before the show, and "bribed" him (he had a gift, don't remember it was wine or something else) into playing Another Holy War, since they never seemed to play it in the italian dates, so Hansi agreed and they played it - when he started to announce the song by saying "Someone earlier told me that we never played this song here in Italy...", I knew the mission was accomplished ;D
I swore him eternal gratitude ever since.
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:metal :metal that is awesome
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I haven't heard Red Mirror for over year, didn't really think too much of it really when it came out.
So I decided to load my ipod for work with stuff I haven't heard in ages.
Had it on today at a pretty low volume, but sounded really good, far better than I remember.
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If I counted correctly, yesterday marked the 12th time I saw Blind Guardian live. And it was a blast!!!! :metal the band was on fire and Hansi was excellent, he sang quite a lot of the high lines and never seemed to struggle or to rely too much on the lower register. Impressive performance from him, one of his best that I've seen for sure!
The whole Imaginations album was a tremendous experience live. Yeah, before the show I can coldly reason that those songs have been played plenty of times, but when you're there, in the excitement of the experience, singing along with old time friends you just go with the flow and enjoy the hell out of it.
With bands that one listens since so long, it's great to hear songs I literally haven't heard in years (like Welcome to Dying for example), but the moment they start the words come out of my memory anyway. And I also got to hear the majestic Sacred Worlds, which wasn't played last time they toured here - the two encore openers were Into the Storm and Wheel of Time when they toured for Beyond the Red Mirror.
The only pity is that I couldn't attend the meet n' greet - it was so crowded that they finished their time when the queue was still long, after 20 years or so of listening to them I never had a chance to talk to them properly and a meet n' greet with a photo with all of them would have been nice. Uh well, better lucky next time, it's not that my long story with BG is gonna end anytime soon :hat
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I was listening to some Live stuff while reading interviews in anticipation of Live Beyond the Spheres, and some interesting recent tidbits:
-Orchestral album will consist of all original songs telling a story that blends actual history and fantasy, they specifically mention the Czech Republic in regards to the plot.
-Musically it really is just an orchestra with Hansi, no other bandmates.
-Some parts and/or songs were actually written while they were writing Nightfall in Middle Earth. That was the birth of the project.
-Hansi's vocals are not yet finished but the plans are to do so by the end of this year, plans are late 2018 or early 2019 it seems. Some songs are already finished.
-They also have two new songs written for a "normal" Blind Guardian album, they aim for 2020.
-In regards of the new live album and the lack of songs like Curse of Feanor, they have them lying around in good quality and official bootlegs or bonus releases are still a possibility in the future.
If I counted correctly, yesterday marked the 12th time I saw Blind Guardian live. And it was a blast!!!! :metal the band was on fire and Hansi was excellent, he sang quite a lot of the high lines and never seemed to struggle or to rely too much on the lower register. Impressive performance from him, one of his best that I've seen for sure!
The whole Imaginations album was a tremendous experience live. Yeah, before the show I can coldly reason that those songs have been played plenty of times, but when you're there, in the excitement of the experience, singing along with old time friends you just go with the flow and enjoy the hell out of it.
With bands that one listens since so long, it's great to hear songs I literally haven't heard in years (like Welcome to Dying for example), but the moment they start the words come out of my memory anyway. And I also got to hear the majestic Sacred Worlds, which wasn't played last time they toured here - the two encore openers were Into the Storm and Wheel of Time when they toured for Beyond the Red Mirror.
The only pity is that I couldn't attend the meet n' greet - it was so crowded that they finished their time when the queue was still long, after 20 years or so of listening to them I never had a chance to talk to them properly and a meet n' greet with a photo with all of them would have been nice. Uh well, better lucky next time, it's not that my long story with BG is gonna end anytime soon :hat
Awesome! And funny to hear you mention Another Holy War above. Blind Guardian was the first metal concert (in 2010) where I went for the artist specifically, and I lost my mind when they played Another Holy War, which was my favourite song back then.
I haven't heard Red Mirror for over year, didn't really think too much of it really when it came out.
So I decided to load my ipod for work with stuff I haven't heard in ages.
Had it on today at a pretty low volume, but sounded really good, far better than I remember.
I really like Beyond the Red Mirror, but it remains a tough pill to swallow when taken as a whole and the mixing is odd, but not necessarily bad (it doesn't sound brickwalled and I can hear a lot of the different elements when listening on a proper stereo). Honestly I think in some cases the orchestra's and choirs maybe made it a bit too busy. The bonus track Doom doesn't have those and the music "breathes" a bit more as a result. But still, there is plenty to love on Beyond the Red Mirror for me personally.
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I really like Beyond the Red Mirror, but it remains a tough pill to swallow when taken as a whole and the mixing is odd, but not necessarily bad (it doesn't sound brickwalled and I can hear a lot of the different elements when listening on a proper stereo). Honestly I think in some cases the orchestra's and choirs maybe made it a bit too busy. The bonus track Doom doesn't have those and the music "breathes" a bit more as a result. But still, there is plenty to love on Beyond the Red Mirror for me personally.
I think the muddier guitar tone is what does it for me. I like the classic sounding BG tones!
I bought the digital version of Live Beyond the Spheres - haven't had much time to really absorb it, but it's nice to have live versions of the newer songs like Fly, Sacred Words and Wheel of Time. I saw them in 2016 on their US Imaginations tour, so it's also pretty cool to have a live release from the Beyond the Red Mirror tour cycle, where I saw them play some of these songs (BG Live has more from Imaginations, specifically, but listening to LBTS brings me back to seeing the show and them opening with Ninth Wave, etc.).
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I love the new live album. I first had to get used to the the low crowd noise and sometimes the background vocals are a tad too much in the background (differs on a song by song basis). But overall, the sound is really clear and everything the musicians do is clearly audible.
My highlight is probably Wheel of Time, this version sounds awesome. And then There Was Silence is awesome as well. A couple of high notes less than on their dvd perhaps, but Hansi's singing is much more intense. In general, I think each of the new(er) songs is great, especially the longer epics. The oldschool BG songs like Majesty and Lost in the Twilight Hall are very fun listens too, and the ballads sound and are sung better than on their previous live releases in my opinion. All the Imaginations and Nightfall songs are good, but not my personal highlights.
Taken as a whole, this is a quality release and I will likely listen to it for years to come. And I never mind hearing some new renditions of songs I love, though I still wish they included some of the rarities they played during the tour in favour over some of the Imaginations/Nightfall songs (or just on top of it, the three discs have plenty of spare space).
Here's their Ninth Wave Live clip btw:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn3-uhU6AyY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn3-uhU6AyY)
Awesome performance.
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I still need to get this, but it's not a high priority. I will eventually get to it.
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I was hoping for a DVD but I haven't seen any news of one. Probably because they used recordings from different shows. The ones they've used as teasers for the album are excellent.
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Guest performance of Hansi on a Judicator song (don't know the band):
https://judicatormetal.bandcamp.com/track/spiritual-treason-ft-hansi-k-rsch (https://judicatormetal.bandcamp.com/track/spiritual-treason-ft-hansi-k-rsch)
I like it, it is nice hearing Hansi on a more oldschool powermetal song.
Anyways, I hope we will get some orchestral album news soon.
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I wouldn't call myself a Judicator fan, but that was a nice surprise to have Hansi in there. Nice heavy track. Hansi also appears on the new Orphaned Land, he's not there much but he does a great job as usual.
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Some info from a recent interview:
-Hansi completed the vocals for 9 out of 11 songs of their orchestral project. Will wrap up in a few weeks.
-Orchestral project tells a story based around the 17th century.
-Confident we will finally see its release in 2019.
-Demons & Wizards will be the focus of Jon and Hansi as soon as Jon wraps up touring and Hansi wraps up orchestral project recording.
-Considering doing D&W liveshows somewhere next year.
-It is not out of the question Blind Guardian will not tour for two years in total, not set in stone how long live hiatus will last.
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I'll believe it when I see it, but... I hope we're finally almost there for the orchestral album :metal
I hope it can live up to the 20 years of hype.
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The orchestral thing will be cool, but I'm really happy that Hansi and Jon are both taking time to focus on Demons & Wizards. The second album felt like it was just thrown together compared to the first, where both of them got together to write. So with them finally blocking out some time for a third album, I'm hoping that it will be huge.
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Haha wow are they still doing that? Must be over 10 years since the "orchestral project" rumors started?
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Dude, my copy of A Twist In The Myth has an 'interview' track at the end that's like 12 minutes long and they talk about the orchestral album in there, 'possibly coming out in 2008' or something. That album came out in 2006. I don't believe it's ever coming out, and even if it does, it will not have been worth a 13 year wait
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Haha, yes. The idea stems from the time during recording of Nightfall in Middle Earth and I believe they have been mentioning it ever since. In their defense, I think several songs originally intended for the project were released troughout their regular albums. Don't recall specifically which though. And offcourse they have been recording with orchestras quite a bit over the last decade or so, so in a way they have been doing smaller orchestral projects.
I do wonder if fantasy writer Markus Heitz is still involved. That collab was anounced almost 8 years back and the writer said it was still in the works back in 2016, in which the writer said he expected release in two years (which wouldn't be that far off if it actually comes in 2019). Also initial plans were that the writer made a novel about the concept. At least Blind Guardian already made a song based on a game based on his books (The Dwarves).
And I have no idea what to expect at this point, in terms of quality and direction of songs.
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I think this is different though - at least for me it is. It's not like they've been doing nothing and hinting at the next album for the past 10 years. They've at least been putting out music and touring. Maybe they mentioned the orchestral thing a long time ago, but I don't mind it taking a long time.
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More news! Soon the first four BG albums will be rereleased on CD and vinyl. See their facebook.
The CD releases will be two discs, one containing the original version and the other one being a more recent remix, new mastering (as per the descriptions). Can't find which version is on the vinyl. Tales and Somewhere Far Beyond seem to be the mixes from the 2012 boxset but remastered. Anyways, I like this approach to rereleases, include both the original version and a newer version.
Furthermore, and this excites me more, this year will likely also see a rerelease of Nightfall of Middle Earth on vinyl containing two songs from back in the day that were cut (I assume newly recorded?). One of which we already know, it is bonus song Doom from their last album, except this time with the lyrics restored to connect to Nightfall in Middle Earth. The other one is called Tides of War.
(Someone on the Blind Guardian forum mentioned this and indeed Hansi stated this in a recent interview about Lord of the Rings.)
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Don't really care for re-issues but some bonus songs sounds cool
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Are they just reissues or are they remastered as well?
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On September 14th 2018, Germany-based progressive power metallers BLIND GUARDIAN will re-release their first 4 studio albums via Nuclear Blast! The back catalog has been remixed and remastered, and will be available as 2CD-Digi and black vinyl formats, as well as individual colored vinyl for each album. There will also be a vinyl box available, including all re-issues exclusively available via the Nuclear Blast Mailorder (see details below). The vinyl box can be also purchased separately as an empty slipcase without vinyls.
At the end of this year and also in early 2019, more re-issues are due to follow, so in total there will be 10 BLIND GUARDIAN re-releases. The previously mentioned re-issues due for 14th September 2018, which can be pre-ordered now, are available in the following formats:
1. Battalions Of Fear (1988), remixed 2007/remastered 2018
•2CD-DIGI (remixed/remastered CD+original CD)
•Black LP in gatefold
•NB MAILORDER ONLY violet LP in gatefold
Track list:
1.Majesty
2.Guardian Of The Blind
3.Trial By The Archon
4.Wizard‘s Crown
5.Run For The Night
6.The Martyr
7.Battalions Of Fear
8.By The Gates Of Moria
9.Gandalf‘s Rebirth
2. Follow The Blind (1989), remixed 2007/remastered 2011
•2CD-DIGI (remixed/remastered CD+original CD)
•Black LP in gatefold
•NB MAILORDER ONLY green LP in gatefold
Track list:
1.Inquisition
2.Banish From Sanctuary
3.Damned For All Time
4.Follow The Blind
5.Hall Of The King
6.Fast To Madness
7.Beyond The Ice
8.Valhalla
9.Don‘t Break The Circle
10.Barbara Ann
3. Tales From The Twilight World (1990), remixed 2012/remastered 2018
•2CD-DIGI (remixed/remastered CD+original CD)
•black LP in gatefold
•NB MAILORDER ONLY gold LP in gatefold
Track list:
1.Traveler In Time
2.Welcome To Dying
3.Weird Dreams
4.Lord Of The Rings
5.Goodbye My Friend
6.Lost In The Twilight Hall
7.Tommyknockers
8.Altair 4
9.The Last Candle
10.Run For The Night (live)
4. Somewhere Far Beyond (1992), remixed 2012/remastered 2018
•2CD-DIGI (remixed/remastered CD+original CD)
•Black LP in gatefold
•NB MAILORDER ONLY blue LP in gatefold
Track list:
1.Time What Is Time
2.Journey Through The Dark
3.Black Chamber
4.Theatre Of Pain
5.The Quest For Tanelorn
6.Ashes To Ashes
7.The Bard‘s Song – In The Forest
8.The Bard‘s Song – The Hobbit
9.The Piper‘s Calling
10.Somewhere Far Beyond
11.Spread Your Wings (not on vinyl/only on CD)
12.Trial By Fire (not on vinyl/only on CD)
13.Theatre Of Pain (classic version) (not on vinyl/only on CD)
ALSO NB MAILORDER ONLY:
•BOX 1: slipcase incl. 4 gatefold vinyl: »BoF« LP (orange+white splatter), »FtB« LP (blue+neon yellow splatter), »TftTW« LP (white/grey bi-coloured), »SFB« LP (white/red bi-coloured) – offers space for 10 vinyl in total (-> also for the upcoming BLIND GUARDIAN re-issues)
•BOX 2: empty slipcase – offers space for 10 vinyls in total
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Noinch! Thanks Grappler.
Not sure how to feel about remixing and remastering the first four, honestly - there is a rawness to the production that really adds to the vibe of those records. Could be good or bad - I hope they release a track or two for the sake of comparison. Really hope they didn't get too ambitious though because there's a simplicity to those songs that shouldn't be mucked with.
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I would be all over that vinyl box if it didn't have those silly randomly coloured vinyls. I like colored vinyls, but only if it connects with the album art or relates to the music/title. Maybe I will order that empty BG vinyl box that fits 10 vinyls so I can fill it with BG material myself.
Noinch! Thanks Grappler.
Not sure how to feel about remixing and remastering the first four, honestly - there is a rawness to the production that really adds to the vibe of those records. Could be good or bad - I hope they release a track or two for the sake of comparison. Really hope they didn't get too ambitious though because there's a simplicity to those songs that shouldn't be mucked with.
It will be older remixes, as stated.
The first two albums seem to be 2007 remixes, with Follow the Blind being a remaster from 2011 (probably the same is in the boxset?) and a new 2018 mastering for Battalions.
I assume the other two are the remixes from the 2012 boxset with new 2018 masters.
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I don't think I've heard the '07 remixes so I'm still in the dark on those - my CD copies are really, really old. I only know the original mix. :2metal:
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Didn't they just remix and remaster them last year?
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Still, if they are doing rereleases, I kind of hope they will do more bonus stuff in the future ones. As Hansi stated Nightfall will contain the two new old songs on vinyl, I think it would be neat if they included other stuff in other releases as well (which I assume are coming sooner or later). They are sitting on a massive amount of live recordings, for example. If they do that, buying some of these albums again would be a non-brainer to me.
Didn't they just remix and remaster them last year?
Actually, looking at Spotify, some of them, yes (remastered) :lol
I think that was mainly due to the fact Nuclear Blast obtained the rights to their back catalouge and they wanted to release them on streaming services/iTunes. However, as far as I could tell, the differences in those versions were fairly minimal (if at all and they just slapped 2017 on them?).
These new releases are cool to me due to several reasons: The albums will finally be available on vinyl (without costing like 200-300 euros) and vinyls tend to sell better than CD's in at least the EU. You can now buy the original versions new again, which are preferred by many but have not been available for decades. And the remixes of 2012 were only available in an expensive boxset. Some of these mixes, for better or worst, do sound pretty different.
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Forgot if I ever shared this here (probably did), so here goes:
https://www1.wdr.de/mediathek/video/sendungen/rockpalast/video-rockpalast-blind-guardian---rock-hard-festival--100.html (https://www1.wdr.de/mediathek/video/sendungen/rockpalast/video-rockpalast-blind-guardian---rock-hard-festival--100.html)
It is a 1:45 hour-long pro-shot Blind Guardian concert at Rock Hard Festival 2016, in very good quality. The sound is very clear and since it is way smaller than something like Wacken, it is a more "intimate" viewing. I think it is a very good performance and worth a watch for those (like me) still waiting for an official live DVD of the sorts (to me, this one feels close to watching an official release). Site is the official source and I haven't seen this one on the likes of YouTube, making me feel this concert flew under the radar of many fans.
Anyways, the setlist:
The Ninth Wave
The Script for My Requiem
Nightfall
Fly
Tanelorn (Into the Void)
Prophecies
The Last Candle
Lord of the Rings
Time Stands Still (at the Iron Hill)
Journey Through the Dark
Imaginations from the Other Side
Sacred Worlds
Valhalla
The Bard's Song - In the Forest
Mirror Mirror
Majesty
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That's nice, I'll check it out!
I think I've heard Journey through the Dark only once in my BG "carrer", I would havel oved to hear that one.
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Haven't listened to much Blind Guardian in a while but I will check that out, these guys used to be my favorite band when I was younger.
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That's a cool setlist and great quality video from my quick glimpse, thanks for sharing ErHao. I'll have to watch more some other time not at work though. Was bummed they didn't release a live video from their last tour.
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Watching the concert right now. It sounds so good that I have to think there was some kind of studio post-production on it. And you have to love just how good Hansi is, not only because he can still sing really good, but because he is smart on when to push his voice and when not to. And by doing so he manages to give a new dimension to the songs that is pretty interesting.
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Watching the concert right now. It sounds so good that I have to think there was some kind of studio post-production on it. And you have to love just how good Hansi is, not only because he can still sing really good, but because he is smart on when to push his voice and when not to. And by doing so he manages to give a new dimension to the songs that is pretty interesting.
Yeah, it sounds really good, so much better than the vast majority of festival streams, wouldn't be surprised if they worked on it after the concert took place. And Hansi indeed sounds great here. I generally prefer it over their latest live release. And the band plays really thight as well.
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Hansi quite improved over the last year. There was a time 5-10 years ago when he really was a random mess of "I'll suddenly lower the vocal line", now he's more consistent both in the high notes, and in picking what to sing high and what low.
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So, several new things.
First, in celebration of the new rereleases, they are uploading a series of videos where they sit down and talk about the history of their classic albums. The first is about their early demo's and Battalions of Fear. It is rather in-depth, has classic footage spread throughout, and features the classic formation, which means Thomen is present. While I am usually a music type of guy and don't delve much into the history of an artist, I think this is done very well. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VugxcUccts (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VugxcUccts).
Secondly, the upcoming Rock Hard magazine will contain a special bonus disc, featuring Tides of War, which is a takeout from Nightfall of Middle Earth (don't know if it is a new recording and don't know if it is the track also included for the upcoming rerelease of NiME). Furthermore, it has 5 live tracks from the Rock Hard 2016 performance (which is excellent, and I linked to it last page).
https://www.facebook.com/rockhardmegazine/photos/a.432834706326/10156415304051327/?type=3&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARAY6vDreYUxkUJA2UzFo_X7-0YiVDH524PcW6sHTct70qPOAg8AyJ5s20_xOmZxrlyO4MiaT-5qQr4tJ43VBLfbG8vRbCT-lrJ3MN9mmQFyU8I45qoiafnQARpFhbgGTsmOHOeFHFtdul5fRkOBg8aBVHgEn8QzmZ88_th7-9pNrJ3CeKLK9Io&__tn__=EHH-R (https://www.facebook.com/rockhardmegazine/photos/a.432834706326/10156415304051327/?type=3&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARAY6vDreYUxkUJA2UzFo_X7-0YiVDH524PcW6sHTct70qPOAg8AyJ5s20_xOmZxrlyO4MiaT-5qQr4tJ43VBLfbG8vRbCT-lrJ3MN9mmQFyU8I45qoiafnQARpFhbgGTsmOHOeFHFtdul5fRkOBg8aBVHgEn8QzmZ88_th7-9pNrJ3CeKLK9Io&__tn__=EHH-R)
And, finally, Bloodstock has uploaded the full 2017 set on their youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0P0hjvmkzY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0P0hjvmkzY)
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Also, they've finally announced the release date for the orchestral pr...... uh wait ;D
Anyway, it's big news that a track from NIME surfaces! can't believe it's 20 years by now, that album was such a milestone and a landmark. If not themselves, a cover band crazy enough to afford multiple singers and actors should perform the entire album, interludes included.
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Sooooo who's gonna be the beautiful, kind, loving soul that acquires this disc for me? Will pay. :metal
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I'll have to check out that documentary, sounds cool.
I'd love to hear that "new" NIME track, but I don't plan on buying that magazine/CD just for it.
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So I was going to buy the Blind Guardian 2018 Remasters on Amazon.
But I decided I would buy the mp3 albums. Except when it goes in my cart, it says 2007 Remaster. WTF??
I would buy the CDs except two of the first four are $18.98. I'm not paying that.
Are the 2018 Remasters not available as mp3 purchases on Amazon. Has anyone else bought these?
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Here's the official details, but sometimes Amazon has the wrong listings. I've seen several negative reviews over the years pertaining to that.
https://www.blind-guardian.com/2018/06/22/pre-order-start-for-the-re-issued-back-catalog-2cd-digi-and-vinyl/
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Thanks Zook, but I have the details. I just don't want to buy a 2007 Remaster when they have 2018 Remasters. Looks like if I want them, I have to buy the CD. It's just I'm not paying f'n $19 for them. It's weird that two are listed for $13.49, and two are listed for $18.98. I just buy them outright if they were all the lower price.
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TAC, your tastes line up with mine about as well as anyone on this forum. You recommend? I have had this band on my "Check these guys out" queue forever but haven't been too enthralled with the little I have heard so far.
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TAC, your tastes line up with mine about as well as anyone on this forum. You recommend? I have had this band on my "Check these guys out" queue forever but haven't been too enthralled with the little I have heard so far.
Honestly, I have no idea. I don't have ANY BG albums nor have I ever been into them.
Back around '99-'00, I went through a downloading phase. I downloaded a couple of their albums, and they just didn't hook me. I thought they sounded a bit busy, and I'm wasn't totally sold on Hansi's voice. But then again, I think the files were crappy too.
I was actually using these 2018 Remasters as a jumping in point.
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TAC, your tastes line up with mine about as well as anyone on this forum. You recommend? I have had this band on my "Check these guys out" queue forever but haven't been too enthralled with the little I have heard so far.
I'm not TAC - duh - but what have you heard? BG is like one of the few metal bands that seems to have near universal appeal for all metalheads who venture deeper than Metallica and Megadeth and Maiden, so I'm interested in what you know.
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Good question. Back in my "downloading phase" I dl'ed some of their stuff but as I only knew their name I didn't know where to start. I'd have to check my files to see what of theirs I do currently possess. I need to give them a good, honest listen, meaning not in the car or when I am working not paying much attention which is probably all I have afforded them.
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It's really hard to suggest just a few songs to check out because they started off as speed metal, then became super power metally, then lately have been adding a lot of symphonic elements to their works. Depending on what you're looking for or like/dislike, you have a lot of places to start. They really do have something for almost everyone, even their ballads are loved by metalheads.
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Seems the 2007 Remasters are only $9.99 for the CD. I think I'll start at the beginning.
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Just ordered the first 5 albums. If anyone gives a shit, maybe I'll post as I listen to them.
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I think Live is a good place to start, although it took awhile for me to even get into that. I discovered Blind Guardian through Iced Earth, and their styles aren't exactly the same. Once it clicked, it allowed me to ease into their studio albums. Going from live versions of the Opera tracks to studio is a bit jarring though, so be prepared.
I'd say start with Live, Imaginations, Nightfall, and A Night at the Opera. Personally I'd avoid the first couple. Twilight World is good, but I never really cared for Somewhere Far Beyond. At The Edge of Time is a great return to form after the disappointing Twist in the Myth. The only songs I'd recommend from the first two are Majesty, Valhalla, and Banish from Sanctuary. The studio version of Banish is fine, but the live versions of the other two are where it's at.
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I'm starting at the beginning and will be listening in chronological order. My cds should arrive on Sunday, but I started with Battalions Of Fear on Spotify. Only 3 or 4 songs through, and this is fantastic. This album is a cross between Walls Of Jericho and Show No Mercy. Loving it so far.
Wow, does Run For The Night remind me of Ride The Sky..
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Just ordered the first 5 albums. If anyone gives a shit, maybe I'll post as I listen to them.
Please do. While I love everything Blind Guardian has put out, the first 5 albums are my favorite period. The run from Battalions of Fear through Imaginations is speed-turned-power-metal perfection, Imaginations imo being one of the best metal albums of all time, and many songs on the other 4 being some of the best speed metal out there. And while they're great, 'Tokyo Tales' makes every single one of those songs better, one of the rare instances in which I find a live metal album to be superior to the studio versions in every way.
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My first song was BATTLEFIELD!!!! I really wish they'd play that song.
Then I bought their live album...and got introduced to...
The Bard's Song...
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After one listen, this album is great. Probably like Majesty, Guardian Of The Blind, and the title track the most. I'm going to give each album a few spins before moving onto the next. I really like this. How did I miss this??
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After one listen, this album is great. Probably like Majesty, Guardian Of The Blind, and the title track the most. I'm going to give each album a few spins before moving onto the next. I really like this. How did I miss this??
Good picks. Those are my favorites too. Whooooooooa Majesty!! :metal
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After one listen, this album is great. Probably like Majesty, Guardian Of The Blind, and the title track the most. I'm going to give each album a few spins before moving onto the next. I really like this. How did I miss this??
Yeah, I think the debut is a really cool album. More similar to other artists than their subsequent albums, but it flows really well and has great hooks.
Personally, Follow the Blind, the next one, is my least favourite. And the three albums after that are pure (power/speed) metal bliss.
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Anyone who wants to start with Blind Guardian should start with Imaginations from the Other Side. If you don't like that masterpiece, the band is not for you.
Then, if you like it heavy and hard, go back in time, with the previous Somewhere Far Beyond and Tales from the Twilight World. If you like it more progressive and polished, go forward, with Nightfall in Middle Earth, and then the more recent At the Edge of Time which is a current general idea of what the band is now.
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Imaginations is my favorite of theirs, it's like a perfect mix of their early sound with a mix of the sound they would more evolve into. I was never crazy about the first couple BG albums, but they do get really good after that up until twist in the myth.
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Got the first 5 BG cds today. I just ordered the next 5 along with Tokyo Tales.
Hit Battalions for a third time today. That is a great album. I'm onto Follow The Blind. Listening to Banish From Sanctuary as I type this. :metal
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NO TURNING BAAAAACK :2metal:
That song is so metal. I was flabbergasted when I showed one of my coworkers this song (and a few others from this period) and he just thought they were "okay" even though he loves early Metallica, Megadeth, Maiden etc. Like... dafuq?
Imaginations is gonna rock your world, hopefully. Also I would strongly recommend Tokyo Tales. I rarely advocate live albums but that takes all the songs you're listening to now and makes them sound even bigger and louder and epic...er.
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I'm halfway through my second listen of Follow The Blind.
Banned and Damned are great. Picks right up where Battalions left off.
Not sure this album is as strong in total as Battalions.
Oh and WTF? Barbara Ann? That f'n blows. If you're going to do it, at least do a speed metal version...actually..don't do it at all.
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There's a guitar line from Banish From Sanctuary that is very similar to on in Maiden's Somewhere In Time.
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Oh and WTF? Barbara Ann? That f'n blows. If you're going to do it, at least do a speed metal version...actually..don't do it at all.
This saddens me. Their cover of Barbara Ann is fun. Their entire 'Forgotten Tales' record has a bunch of great covers. I hope you check out their cover of Uriah Heep's The Wizard. They also do Mr. Sandman and even have a video for it which is amazing, and their cover of To France RULES.
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I was never really crazy about their covers, but Barbara Ann always seemed like a solid one IMO.
And also I love both Tokyo Tales and Live. I think they are a great live band and it shows on their live albums, and I love the Imaginations Through the Looking Glass DVD. I actually got that before any of their albums and was just blown away.
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I think their covers for To France, The Wizard, and Dream a Little Dream are fantastic (which I vastly prefer over the originals). In Gadda Da Vida, Don't Talk to Strangers, Beyond the Realms of Death, and You're The Voice are pretty cool too. Barbara Ann is the band having some fun, but not that great (I love it as the encore on Tokyo Tales though). I prefer Surfin USA to it. Don't Break The Circle, Mr Sandman, and Spread Your Wings are decent but I can do without them.
Edit: forgot some covers I like so added them.
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C'mon, Mr. Sandman is awesome, starting just as the original and then degenerating into speed metal :metal
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C'mon, Mr. Sandman is awesome, starting just as the original and then degenerating into speed metal :metal
Fo shizzle. The music video is absurdly awesome.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQqtEmyLcyA
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Nothing beats Barbara Ann played live with a very drunk Jon Schaffer on stage, then off-stage, then wandering back on stage. (from the 2011 70,000 Tons of Metal)
Edit - forgot the video link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8nxRcuYAig
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Sounds horrible, Grap.
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Sounds horrible, Grap.
:lol
Added the link.
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Gee thanks.
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One listen through Tales From The Twilight World.
All I can say is :metal :metal :metal
WOW, what an amazing album.
Compositionally, it's s huge step up from their first two albums. The only song I didn't care for was Tommyknockers. I hated that chorus. But everything else was incredible. Some really crazy drumming.
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Compositionally, it's s huge step up from their first two albums.
Agreed, for me, this is where BG starts hitting their stride and making consistent really good albums.
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Compositionally, it's s huge step up from their first two albums.
Agreed, for me, this is where BG starts hitting their stride and making consistent really good albums.
+1 to this. Twilight World is amazing and the band really stepped up a notch with that one.
Tim, I'd really love to hear your thoughts on the song 'Ashes to Ashes' when you get to Somewhere Far Beyond. I think that was the second BG song I ever heard and it's still one of my favorite metal songs of all time. If you liked Twilight World you should love that album.
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Tim, I'd really love to hear your thoughts on the song 'Ashes to Ashes' when you get to Somewhere Far Beyond. I think that was the second BG song I ever heard and it's still one of my favorite metal songs of all time. If you liked Twilight World you should love that album.
For sure! Going to spin Twilight World for the rest of the night. I'll be on SFB tomorrow. Going with at least 3 listens before moving on.
I love the Weird Dreams instrumental. Very cool.
So far my favorite songs are:
Majesty
Guardian Of The Blind
Wizard's Crown
Battalions Of Fear
Banish From Sanctuary
Damned For All Time
Hall Of The King
Fast To Madness
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There's one track you may have missed from Battalions and that's the bonus instrumental track Gandalf's Rebirth, if you're curious - it's only 2:15 and just a fun little speed metal instrumental.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIEiqbIFbu4
But yeah, keep rockin' Twilight. Damn good stuff. So happy you're enjoying them so far.
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There's one track you may have missed from Battalions and that's the bonus instrumental track Gandalf's Rebirth, if you're curious - it's only 2:15 and just a fun little speed metal instrumental.
I have it. It's on my copy.
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There's one track you may have missed from Battalions and that's the bonus instrumental track Gandalf's Rebirth, if you're curious - it's only 2:15 and just a fun little speed metal instrumental.
I have it. It's on my copy.
Well look at you being one step ahead! :biggrin: :metal
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Been through Tales From The Twilight World 4 times tonight. Awesome album. I feel like it's overall more consistent than the first two, though I love Battalions.
Favorite songs are Traveler In Time and Lost In The Twilight Hall, which might be the best song I've heard from them so far. That and Majesty are my two favorites so far.
I like Lord Of The Rings. It's neat.
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Tales is an awesome record. I saw Blind Guardian in 2016, and they opened with The Ninth Wave, from the newest album. Cool, great, epic song, I'm just taking it in, watching Hansi sing for the first time ever, after being a fan for 18 years at that time. Then Hansi gives his "Welcome to the show....and Welcome....to Dying!" intro and I went ballistic. :metal
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Tales is just :metal :metal :metal
Thomen :hefdaddy :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
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Lost in the Twilight Hall is also probably my favorite of theirs from the first 3 albums. Song is just :metal :metal and it's really good on Tokyo Tales.
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Tales from the Twilight World is, in my opinion, one of the biggest jumps in quality from album to album ever by a band. Especially considering it is only one year after Follow the Blind and features the exact same band members, of whom all are performing significantly better (on top of the overall better songwriting and overall production).
And the songs of Tales are ace live. It is before Hansi goes into overdrive with his vocals, making pretty much all of the songs fit Hansi's voice without notable compromise throughout his career thus far (on top of the two albums prior).
And yes, the drumming is great, Thomen is actually one of my favourite drummers. Especially his work on Nightfall in Middle Earth. I like Fredrick live, but his studiowork doesn't hold a candle to that of Thomen.
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The biggest thing about Tales is that it was the start of their trademark sound. The roots were there in the early albums, but the BG we all know and love today was born with that album. Battalions and Follow are two good albums by one of the many german speed / heavy metal bands. Tales from the Twilight World is a BLIND GUARDIAN album and no one else could have done it at the time.
....and to think that the next one was even better!!!
..........and to think that the further next one was EVEN better!!!
:metal
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I'll get into it in more detail tomorrow, but I must say that Somewhere Far Beyond is fucking incredible. If I stopped right now, I would be so thrilled. This band f'n rocks. I'm amazed. Incredible that they are also so young during this time. This is masterful writing and playing.
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I'll get into it in more detail tomorrow, but I must say that Somewhere Far Beyond is fucking incredible. If I stopped right now, I would be so thrilled. This band f'n rocks. I'm amazed. Incredible that they are also so young during this time. This is masterful writing and playing.
I'm so happy. :2metal:
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Dang, high praise indeed in this thread. Made it through their debut. That style of speed metal isn't generally my thing, but I can hear the foundations being laid for great things. I look forward to listening to more.
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I gave A Night At The Opera a listen today for the first time in a few years, sounds great.
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WHEN THE LIFECLOCK STRIKES YOU WILL OBEY :metal :metal
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WHEN THE LIFECLOCK STRIKES YOU WILL OBEY :metal :metal
LIKE A CANDLE LIGHT THAT FADES
BANG YOUR FUCKING HEADS
:jamaritard:
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I'll get into it in more detail tomorrow, but I must say that Somewhere Far Beyond is fucking incredible. If I stopped right now, I would be so thrilled. This band f'n rocks. I'm amazed. Incredible that they are also so young during this time. This is masterful writing and playing.
It is a sublime album indeed!
I wonder, have you ever checked out Demons & Wizards? (Since you also like Iced Earth).
I gave A Night At The Opera a listen today for the first time in a few years, sounds great.
I have to be in a specific mood to enjoy this one. It is gloriously over the top and probably the most epic power metal album ever, everything is just so huge. The thousand Hansi's singing, Thomens insane drumming, the consistent wall of guitar melodies. But sometimes it is just too much for me when taken as a whole, despite me loving almost each song individually.
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I love and can digest easily ANATO. It's Beyond the Red Mirror that makes it look, in comparison, a standard power metal 4/4 album.
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I wonder, have you ever checked out Demons & Wizards? (Since you also like Iced Earth).
Ive been a BG fan for awhile now and heard of D&W but it wasnt until just last week that I finally gave them a listen and really enjoying it. I've just been listening on youtube (both albums are on there full) but I need to get both so I can listen offline. Sounds pretty much like BG.
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Crimson King is up there with the best of both bands. That song is going to destroy ProgPower next year and my body is ready.
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I'll get into it in more detail tomorrow, but I must say that Somewhere Far Beyond is fucking incredible. If I stopped right now, I would be so thrilled. This band f'n rocks. I'm amazed. Incredible that they are also so young during this time. This is masterful writing and playing.
It is a sublime album indeed!
I wonder, have you ever checked out Demons & Wizards? (Since you also like Iced Earth).
Yes, in fact I have the first album. Been ages since I've heard it. There was always something not agreeable to me with Hansi's voice. I don't remember the first thing about it. At least 15 years since I pulled it out. I'll go back to it after my Blind Guardian run.
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So, to update on Somewhere Far Beyond, I think I actually like this more that TFTTW. This album is incredible.
Favorite songs are ..I love all of them. The Bard Songs are probably the weakest, but I seriously love every other song. Time What Is Time, the title track, Ashes To Ashes. Very impressive album.
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In the Forest > The Hobbit. Not really keen on the latter, but ITF is a classic ballad. All 3 times I've seen them live the crowd pretty much carries the entire thing and it's just magical, one of the coolest moments of any band's set for sure. Definitely comes across better in a live setting.
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I gotta say I’m looking forward to that guy ( ;) )’s reaction to Imaginations from the Other Side. Their best imo.
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Title track is probably my favorite from SFB, but yea...
I gotta say I’m looking forward to that guy ( ;) )’s reaction to Imaginations from the Other Side. Their best imo.
This
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In the Forest > The Hobbit. Not really keen on the latter, but ITF is a classic ballad. All 3 times I've seen them live the crowd pretty much carries the entire thing and it's just magical, one of the coolest moments of any band's set for sure. Definitely comes across better in a live setting.
To echo this comment, look for any live version of The Bard's Song. This one gives me goosebumps since the crowd is mixed so high and you can hear how they overpower the band. Depending on how strong the crowd's singing is, Hansi will sometimes just stand back and let them carry the majority of the song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-RfBfoI4CU
When I saw Blind Guardian in 2016 and they started this song, I took my earplugs out so I could experience the full volume of the crowd around me. It was incredible.
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The Bard's Song (In the Forest) is indeed a magical moment live.
Every time is like the first time. I'm always moved and overwhelmed. Awesome experience.
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My friends and I always put our arms around our shoulders and sing the song together. Brotherhood of metal :metal
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Tides of War is out there https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ4trSNuaE0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ4trSNuaE0).
I think it is a very cool track, especially instrumentally. The guitar work sounds really Nightfall in Middle Earthy (which makes sense, offcourse). Chorus is okay, but I love the rest of the song. For Doom, I thought the overall vocal melodies and chorus gave me strong Nightfall in Middle Earth vibes. For this song, it is especially the intrumental aspects that evoke that feeling.
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Wow I never even knew about this song, thanks for posting the link.
I even checked my BG Traveller's box set and it not on anything there.
This song is too good to be not available on some sort of official album.
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Wow I never even knew about this song, thanks for posting the link.
I even checked my BG Traveller's box set and it not on anything there.
This song is too good to be not available on some sort of official album.
It's now released as an EP with the purchase of the Rock Hard magazine.
The video has this in the description
Previously unreleased song from the Nightfall in Middle-Earth sessions (1998). Now released as EP by the Rock Hard Magazine alongside other five live tracks recorded at the Rock Hard Festival 2016.
I do not own any rights of this song. All the rights belong to Blind Guardian and the Rock Hard label. Buy the new issue of the magazine and get the free CD!
Song is pretty cool and really nice surprise to get a "new" track from such a cool album now.
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Thanks for pointing out the blatantly obvious ;D
I did read the you tube comments...
What I meant was the song is too good to be not on a readily available on a normal BG.
It looks easy to get a copy of the RH CD.
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As a LOTR and Blind Guardian nerd, that song makes me moist. Really good stuff, love it, and I agree it's too good to not have been on the album. Damn. I do still want a copy of that CD though...
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Kind of amazing that song didn't make it to some BG album, but apparently that's not the case for now. I don't even know how such a song lasted so long without being known :lol but then again I hear about some bands I like that have many songs recorded but never released so who knows.
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Haha right? Especially Blind Guardian, here I thought I had everything they had ever released down to demos and B-sides and they still surprised me.
A Facebook friend suggested I pick up the NIME vinyl that's coming out with this track on it and have Hansi sign it at PP next year... I just might do that. :metal
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So, I finished my first week listening to Blind Guardian. With the exception of A Twist In The Myth, their entire studio discog, including Tokyo Tales, has been delivered. I've made it through the first four albums. I just cannot say how impressed I am with this band. I really wish I could have experienced them in real time. Let's just say that the world is a lot smaller than is was in 1990.
I love the fact that the band has basically remained intact all these years. Oh, and the artwork was made for vinyl. Amazing.
I really like all four albums though Twilight and Somewhere are definitely steps up from the first two. But the first two have a great charm to them. I did get one listen in on Imaginations and it definitely continues the quality, but my first impression is that I thought Twilight and Somewhere were stronger.
Anyway, more next week...
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Didn't care much for Tides of War.
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TAC, you're gonna be in for a bit of a shock once you hit Nightfall, and moreso when you hit A Night At The Opera. The sound changes drastically, but hopefully you're locked in and enjoy it. You've gone through my favorite era already, but I love everything they've ever done, so I'm eager to hear your impressions on the modern era of the band. This is when they really begin to slow down on releasing albums and a new album comes out once every 4-5 years.
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Yeah, there was even a gap between Somewhere and Imaginations. Looking forward to the rest. That's why I started at the beginning, so I could see how the band evolved. Bands do change, but the quality of the first four albums is stunning, especially considering the turnaround time between albums.
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Have you checkes out Tokyo Tales? It is a really cool live album with songs from their first four albums, and for me personally some of these live versions are superior to their album counterparts.
For me personally every Blind Guardian album beyond Somewhere Far Beyond needed a bit of time to sink in (save for At the Edge of Time). I didn't even like Nightall in Middle Earth that much initially (I liked it, but not more than that), but it ended up being my favourite album of all time.
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Haha right? Especially Blind Guardian, here I thought I had everything they had ever released down to demos and B-sides and they still surprised me.
A Facebook friend suggested I pick up the NIME vinyl that's coming out with this track on it and have Hansi sign it at PP next year... I just might do that. :metal
Thanks for the info on the NIME re-release with The Tides Of War on it I was just about to drop $40 for Rock Hard Magazine CD.
Release date is 30/11/2018 so a couple months to wait.
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Have you checkes out Tokyo Tales? It is a really cool live album with songs from their first four albums, and for me personally some of these live versions are superior to their album counterparts.
I did get it. I've only dropped the needle in a couple of spots. I haven't had time to really dig into it yet. From what I've heard, it sounds great.
I didn't even like Nightall in Middle Earth that much initially (I liked it, but not more than that), but it ended up being my favourite album of all time.
Wow! I look forward to hearing it.
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It definitely helps if you're a LOTR fan or a nerd over its lore, but I know plenty of people who don't know jack about it and still love the heck out of NIME.
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NIME is my fave all time BG album.
It's so epic, love the songs and interludes, production is great.
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Have you checkes out Tokyo Tales? It is a really cool live album with songs from their first four albums, and for me personally some of these live versions are superior to their album counterparts.
Just gave it a listen. Great love album. I didn't find the live versions very superior, though. Not like Alive In Athens does to IE's studio work. The BG studio albums are pretty strong sound and production wise. But yes, I do generally prefer live versions, and this was no different.
It definitely helps if you're a LOTR fan or a nerd over its lore, but I know plenty of people who don't know jack about it and still love the heck out of NIME.
I am definitely NOT a LOTR nerd. But I really do like that song.
Going to start with the next studio albums this week. I did give Imaginations a listen already, but will dive in tomorrow.
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Have you checkes out Tokyo Tales? It is a really cool live album with songs from their first four albums, and for me personally some of these live versions are superior to their album counterparts.
Just gave it a listen. Great love album. I didn't find the live versions very superior, though. Not like Alive In Athens does to IE's studio work. The BG studio albums are pretty strong sound and production wise. But yes, I do generally prefer live versions, and this was no different.
It definitely helps if you're a LOTR fan or a nerd over its lore, but I know plenty of people who don't know jack about it and still love the heck out of NIME.
I am definitely NOT a LOTR nerd. But I really do like that song.
Going to start with the next studio albums this week. I did give Imaginations a listen already, but will dive in tomorrow.
Having love for LotR helps (as it clearly lays out a story with small interludes and all), but I don't think it is a requirement for loving Nightfall in Middle Earth. It will be interesting to see your reaction to that album, as it is a different type of Blind Guardian album. (also, a good amount of BG songs are about LotR. For example, Majesty, Run for the Night, and Lost in the Twilight Hall).
And I agree it is not as drastic as Alive in Athens (which is my favourite Iced Earth record). I think the best Blind Guardian live recording is Live.
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I did see Live. What tour is that from? Is it a full show? Compilation?
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I did see Live. What tour is that from? Is it a full show? Compilation?
Compilation of various shows
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From the same tour?
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Yes, it is from their 2002-2003 tour.
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Live is really good, if only because it has Mirror Mirror and songs from Imaginations on it, but I think Hansi sounds much better on Tokyo Tales, much more fierce and raw. The crowd reaction is crazy good too. Can't go wrong with either album tbh.
And yeah, lots of literature-inspired songs in their music all the way back to the first album. The last few have several about A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones too (I know BTRM is a concept album/sequel to Imaginations but I can't help but think The Throne is about Game of Thrones).
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Has 'Imaginations From The Looking Glass' live CD set been released officially outside of the Travellers box set?
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Has 'Imaginations From The Looking Glass' live CD set been released officially outside of the Travellers box set?
Unfortunately no, not that I'm aware of. Just in that box.
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Cheers, I am sure now the NB have the right to the Virgin years, they will no doubt plummet this recording in the near future.
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Has 'Imaginations From The Looking Glass' live CD set been released officially outside of the Travellers box set?
Moment of pride: I am in the extras of the DVD, at the time I was cyber-living on the BG official forum and I went to Germany (for the first of many times) to meet all the people and of course to witness those two concerts. It was an amazing experience :metal ruining the DVD by singing off key Valhalla in front of the camera was just an added bonus :biggrin:
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One of my favorite concert DVDs. Crowd just sings along to the whole concert. Hansi gets his stage to go out and just belt the songs. I love how the setlist is heavy on ANATO and IFTO.
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One of my favorite concert DVDs. Crowd just sings along to the whole concert. Hansi gets his stage to go out and just belt the songs. I love how the setlist is heavy on ANATO and IFTO.
My favorite Blind Guardian live show. Man. I still kick myself in the balls for not seeing them when they played here.
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Pretty much wrapped up Imaginations From The Other Side. What is everyone's thoughts on it? Seems it was , at the time, the longest stretch between albums for them.
I am interested for those that were listening in real time, was the wait worth it?
I think it is very solid, but it's the first album of theirs so far where I wasn't like holyshithtisisamazing!
I like the title track, I'm Alive, which kicks ass, and the Script For My Requiem (love that opening riff).
Next: Nightfall In Middle Earth
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Didn't hear it until almost a decade after its release but Script singlehandedly helped change my view on music, metal in particular. Imaginations is one of the greatest metal albums ever made, hands down, in my opinion. The only song I'm not over the moon about is And The Story Ends but that's just because every other track raises the bar so high. I want to be buried with that freaking album. The production, the riffs, the energy, Hansi's voice, the lyrics, perfect.
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My favorite album of theirs. I'm kind of surprised you are saying this is the first one that didn't wow you. It's just the perfect mix of everything that makes BG awesome. Their sound changes a lot after this record, but this record still makes me feel like their past and future albums are from the same band.
Script is a kick ass live song, well all these songs work really well live. Saw them do the whole album live at ProgPower two years ago. Mordred's Song was one of my most wanted to see live songs. Love that guitar solo.
Blind Guardian - Mordred's Song Live @ ProgPower 17 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2EEdx-lBMc)
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That's your favorite song by them? At least that's what you say in the video.
Maybe this album will hit me later, and perhaps age better against what comes later.
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It's definitely the last of the old guard, to put it one way.
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For most people, either Imaginations or Nightfall are considered their best album. Hell, their last tour was focused on playing Imaginations in it's entirety because it is definitely a fan favourite. It probably ranks fifth for me, but it has some of my favourite songs (Another Holy War and Mordred's Song in particular).
After Somewhere Far Beyond they took their sweet time for basically every album. As a result, a lot of the songs became more complex and the studio versions have a lot of layers.
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It probably ranks fifth for me,
Me too. ;D
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Imaginations is amazing. I got into the band with Nightfall in Middle Earth right around when that record was released, but I was lost with the Tolkien story and the big bombastic/epic style of that record, save for a few catchy songs.
So Imaginations and Somewhere Far Beyond were the two albums that I focused on in the late 90's and early 2000's until they put out ANATO. Seeing them do Imaginations in full two years ago was incredible. That album has so many perfect songs.
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BG were one of the earlier bands I've listened to, that mixed with the fact that they played those songs a bazillion times live made Imaginations, for me, a over saturated album.
Having said that, I will never, ever deny that it's a masterpiece of the genre, and an album that stands the test of time. It's the culmination of everything they've done up to that point. It has all the rights to be acclaimed as their best work and all the songs work well live. A masterpiece for the ages.
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Been listening to Nightfall In Middle Earth.
I wasn't aware The Astonishing was a cover album. ;D
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Been listening to Nightfall In Middle Earth.
I wasn't aware The Astonishing was a cover album. ;D
Uh? they're nothing alike.
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So seriously folks...
I like it. A lot. It doesn't really feature the speed that was evident on the previous albums. I can do without the interludes and all that. I definitely like it more than Imaginations. Seems a bit more focused and consistent.
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Interesting. For me, it's my least favorite Guardian album - too many interludes, not enough strong songs (maybe 4 or 5 max), weaker production, even the strong songs rarely reach the highs of Imaginations. Still a fun album, but I disagree with the fanbase massively on this album. I'm drawn to your adjectives 'focused' and 'consistent' 'cause I think it's one of the least consistent! :)
Yeah, it definitely ditches some of what you've come to love the band for - but how about Mirror Mirror? That's absolutely the highlight of the album for me, what a great vocal performance from Hansi ("shall we dare the dragon / merciless he's poisoning our halls!" - love it).
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So, Mirror Mirror has definitely stood out. I've only had time to listen while driving, so I don't even know the songs by name. I skip the interludes. I am planning on burning a CD without them and removing them from my iPod.
I just know that all of the proper songs have been very enjoyable.
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So before I moved on any further, I wanted to give Imaginations another dedicated listen. Going to spend some serious time with Nightfall tomorrow.
Personally of the first five albums, I would rank them like this:
Twilight
Battalions
Somewhere
Blind
Imaginations
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NIME is my fave BG album I love it, with all the interludes and everything.
The music is awesome and I love the story.
So far I have three versions, original, remix/remaster (2012) and this week I bought the 2017 NB re-issue (2007 remaster).
Of the three, the original is overall the best, followed by the 2017 version. The remix sounds a little weak and flat compared to the other 2.
BTW there is already an official version of 'Nightfall' without all the interludes and intro's, but it was only issued in the Travellers Guide box set from 2013.
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BTW there is already an official version of 'Nightfall' without all the interludes and intro's,
I made my own. ;D
I like Nightfall a lot. Ran through it again today before moving on to A Night At The Opera. I love Into The Storm. It's probably the song I liked the most off it based on 4 listens.
Had my maiden listen to A Night At The Opera. This is another excellent album. Again, I was a little worried with people saying that they would leave the speed metal days behind, but these albums have a more consistant feel to them. More mature without getting wimpy. The song that really stood out from the first listen was Age Of false Innocence. A total ass kicker!
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ANATO is underrated, it is very consistent plus it has the epic And The There Was Silence.
The only thing I don't like about it, is the mix, its a little on the muddy side, with the drums being buried too low.
The remix is a little better, but lacks some of the punch of the previous two albums.
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ANATO is underrated, it is very consistent plus it has the epic And The There Was Silence.
The only thing I don't like about it, is the mix, its a little on the muddy side, with the drums being buried too low.
The remix is a little better, but lacks some of the punch of the previous two albums.
One of my fav albums from them.
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Kade, where do you stand on Blind Guardian? What are you favorite albums by them? Incredibly, I'm giving them an honest go for the first time.
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I think ANOTO is the first record where Hansi's vocals are so layered that it sounds like there are 15 of him singing. I prefer the older style (Tales / SFB / Imaginations / Nightfall) to the more bombastic sound of ANOTO and some of the albums that followed, but that doesn't erase the album's awesomeness.
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Well, when I post I usually appear to be down on ANATO, but I do absolutely love it's songs. It is just that as an album it doesn't work as well for me, if that makes sense. The epic dail is always at mac and I don't like the sound production. But every song is some of the most epic power metal out there and feels very unique within the genre. And compared to other power metal artists they somehow sound more serious/less cheesy to my ears, despite being extremely over the top. And Then There Was Silence is something special and it was badass that they actually released that as the single for the album (which, fun fact, charted #1 in Spain :lol) The lyrical subjects of the album are also very cool in my opinion, and generally it is well written. So while I rarely listen to the entire album, I think it's content is sublime.
In regards to Nightfall, I have a playlist that has the spoken words tracks removed, but I usually keep the small musical (acoustic) bits.
Has 'Imaginations From The Looking Glass' live CD set been released officially outside of the Travellers box set?
Moment of pride: I am in the extras of the DVD, at the time I was cyber-living on the BG official forum and I went to Germany (for the first of many times) to meet all the people and of course to witness those two concerts. It was an amazing experience :metal ruining the DVD by singing off key Valhalla in front of the camera was just an added bonus :biggrin:
Very cool! I still check out their (pretty much inactive usually) forum out when there are new releases and Hansi actually posted a couple of times recently, to share some teases.
Quote from Hansi:
As for an official announcement, we may wait a little longer. I already have burnt my fingers with regard to the orchestral project a couple of times, to say it nicely And no, I do not get used to the heat. But I can tell you, that by now I have finished vocals for 10 out of 11 songs. For each song we have a good amount of very good versions (always with different layers). Right now we are pre-selecting the best parts before we internally call these songs finished - lead vocal wise. As said so many times, I am not accompanied by the regular band performance of my long time companions. In a far, far, but not too away future when you will have a chance to listen to the album, you will recognize one song, which has appeared on another B.G. album in a quite different set up. On this upcoming release this song will most probably be entitled "Guardian of the Netherworld". All the other songs are completely new compositions, though 20 years of age, at least some of them. Not a lot of new informations, but some.
(and some other posts, was cool to see him post for the like ten fans that still check the forum)
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I would really like to know why exactly it has taken so freaking long other than Blind Guardian being in the way with writing and touring but even with those factored in it's been a very, very long time for this one project. I sure hope it blows me away.
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I'd say it's a mix of:
- Wanting to do it good and wait for the proper songwriting inspiration rather than churning it out just because
- As you said, writing and touring (and their writing takes a lot of time) for normal albums
- Possibly budget reasons, maybe the earnings from a tour "funded" the project at the quality they wanted to attain
- Which leads us to the last point, they're damn perfectionists to the point of paranoia, they're the Kubrick of metal basically
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Those are all good points. Yeah, ever since they got on the 4-5 year release timeline they've really taken their time. I wonder what the next album will sound like. Three of the guys are 50, 51, and 52 now. I see 2, maybe 3 albums in them max, but I hope I'm wrong.
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Hansi also made a post in regards of their next album, for which they have already started songwriting for a while. Hansi expects that one 24 months from now. He also said the songwriting thus far was less "orchestra abuse" orientated, though that element will probably not go away from their music entirely. Which would make sense in my opinion, after one album with a good amount of songs being orchestral to a large extent and one exclusively orchestral album.
And if they stick to 2020 for the next "regular" studio album (quite the if), we would have Demons and Wizards, the orchestral album, and a regular studio album in 5 years after Beyond the Red Mirror, plus their live album last year. That would be a great half decade for BG fans overall. Since they are taking a major break from touring now, they should have more time to focus on the next album.
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ANATO is underrated, it is very consistent plus it has the epic And The There Was Silence.
The only thing I don't like about it, is the mix, its a little on the muddy side, with the drums being buried too low.
There seems like there are way too many layers on this. The layered vocals in And There Was Silence really detracts from the song, like I can't see the forest through the trees.
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ANATO is underrated, it is very consistent plus it has the epic And The There Was Silence.
The only thing I don't like about it, is the mix, its a little on the muddy side, with the drums being buried too low.
There seems like there are way too many layers on this. The layered vocals in And There Was Silence really detracts from the song, like I can't see the forest through the trees.
I know what you mean, those songs are better on the Live album
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I think the rerecording of And Then There Was Silence on Memories of a Time to Come is the superior version for that reason. It sounds so much more open and at times it is just Hansi singing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8XZgfpLbYI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8XZgfpLbYI)
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I actually love the layered vocals on ANATO. Sounds so epic.
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I think the rerecording of And Then There Was Silence on Memories of a Time to Come is the superior version for that reason. It sounds so much more open and at times it is just Hansi singing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8XZgfpLbYI (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/watch?v=V8XZgfpLbYI)
Production wise, sure, but I was so used to the vocal melodies of the original chorus that I don't like the changes, as subtle as they are.
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I think the rerecording of And Then There Was Silence on Memories of a Time to Come is the superior version for that reason. It sounds so much more open and at times it is just Hansi singing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8XZgfpLbYI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8XZgfpLbYI)
That is so much easier on the ears, man. thank you.
I think overall, I am trying to not let the production get in the way of enjoying the songs on Opera. I think the songs are actually quite strong.
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I love ANATO, but it does tend to induce a headache. Unfortunately the remix, although less headache inducing, is not mixed very well. There are volume drops, and the drums are mixed way too low. The vinyl version is a little better.
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Good, so it's not just me. I'm moving on to A Twist In The Myth. After 3 or 4 listens, I like the songs on Opera a lot. I ordered Live yesterday so I look forward in hearing the Opera tunes on that. But I will definitely have to come back to this.
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tbh I feel that way about Beyond the Red Mirror too. Musically, it's amazing and up there with At the Edge of Time as one of their best for me, but the mixing and production irks me at times. The sound is really thick and muddy and it does bother me after a while.
Would love to hear a remixed version of The Ninth Wave honestly.
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Yeah ANATO's production is the biggest problem for me with the record. It's such a departure from the raw speed metal era in so many ways. It's still an intense, heavy record, but I've never thought it sounded right. Hansi's vocals can sometimes make the trebles just overwhelming and noisy along with the ten thousand other things going on.
Twist... sounds better, but I think it's one of their more straightforward albums. Songs like Turn the Page and Fly are classics all around, and I even like Another Stranger Me, but some of the other songs are just forgettable imo. At The Edge has a few great songs, but I think Beyond The Red Mirror is their best album since ANATO, or maybe even Imaginations.
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On the contrary, I think that At the Edge of Time is one of their best recent records and the perfect balance between the speed / power metal and the orchestral influences, while Beyond the Red Mirror is so bloated and with the super ultra mega orchestrations dialed up to 11 and cranked up to infinity that in comparison ANATO looks like an AC/DC album.
In Italy we have a saying for stuff that seems to lack substance, even though it appears good, don't know the equivalent in english, but the saying goes "there's too much smoke and there's no roast". Well, Beyond the Red Mirror gives me the idea of having so much smoke, that you can't even understand if there's actually a roast beneath.
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Yea, At The Edge of Time is my favorite since Imaginations and I'd say A Twist is easily the worst.
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Interesting. IMO Mirror is much more consistent; although Sacred Worlds is a better opener than The Ninth Wave, only it, Voice in the Dark and Ride into Obsession really kick ass on Edge. Tanelorn is okay but I don't generally like choruses that drop the speed in both drums and vocal melodies by half, it kills the energetic flow for me. Double bass or GTFO :biggrin: I do like Wheel of Time but I remember Hansi hyping it up to be similar to And Then There Was Silence... and although I love Wheel of Time (the books) the song just leaves me wanting more especially with the vocal melodies. Mirror on the other hand only has Miracle Machine and Grand Parade that I'm not crazy about but it's made up for with the bonus tracks Distant Memories and Doom.
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I think the rerecording of And Then There Was Silence on Memories of a Time to Come is the superior version for that reason. It sounds so much more open and at times it is just Hansi singing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8XZgfpLbYI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8XZgfpLbYI)
Oh man, I loved this song when Katt sent it in my roulette, but I did have problems with low the guitars were in the mix. This sounds so much better to me. Thanks for posting it.
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The episode about Somewhere Far Beyond for their docu series is online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLdHnSS7K10 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLdHnSS7K10).
I adore A Twist In the Myth, but in general I think it is their least liked album (along with their first two). The songs are much more straightforward than almost anything of the couple of albums before it. But I like the songs. I think most are catchy and there is not really an album like it, in my opinion. It also sounds very weird, but not unpleasant.
I think At the Edge of Time is one of their best albums. It is kind of like a "best of" consisting of new tracks with a good sound production. Sacred is a great opener and uses the orchestral elements well, whilst being a very accessible song with good hooks. Tanelorn and Ride into Obsession are excellent higher tempo metal songs, of which Tanelorn evokes classic pre-Nightfall BG feelings. Voice in the Dark a good single with some good hooks. Curse My Name is their best folky song and perhaps their best ballad overall, War of Thrones is a very pleasant one as well. Road of No Release is a great track that combines most elements I love about the band. Valkyries and Control the Divine sound more like a progression from A Twist in the Myth, but with a vastly superior sound production. And Wheel of Time is one of their better epics and their best orchestral track thus far.
Beyond the Red Mirror is a great album and generally well liked I feel, but people on this forum seem to be down on it. I do get that though, it has a muddy sound (which I got used to), the songs are very dense, and I feel the tracks don't gel all that well together. After At the Edge of Time (and Memories of a Time to Come) I got to wonder why they went with that sound. It is like each time their producer Charlie wants to reinvent the wheel completely, but I wish they'd be a bit more conservative on that front.
I think the rerecording of And Then There Was Silence on Memories of a Time to Come is the superior version for that reason. It sounds so much more open and at times it is just Hansi singing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8XZgfpLbYI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8XZgfpLbYI)
That is so much easier on the ears, man. thank you.
I think overall, I am trying to not let the production get in the way of enjoying the songs on Opera. I think the songs are actually quite strong.
It might be worth it to check out the remix of A Night at the Opera in the upcoming rerelease eventually. As far as I know, it will have the same remix as the 2013 collector's box, which sounds pretty different.
The remix still is a massive sounding album with lot's of layers (as intended), but overall it sounds clearer and the vocal layers are much easier to distinquish (and some times several layers put into the background). And the rythm guitars are generally also a tad more audible. To me, it sounds more pleasant.
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Red Mirror - took 3 years and many listens before it clicked for me, it's quite complex with many layers and my ears took ages for it all to be fully digested.
Edge - while similar musically and style wise, is a much more immediate album that I appreciated almost straight away.
Twist - a lot more simple song structures and quite raw compared to the album before and the subsequent releases.
ANATO remix - as I have already mentioned above, it's a definite improvement over the original mix, but still lacks those punchy guitars that were evident on Nightfall and Imaginations.
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Yeah, I'm pretty sure the version of And Then There Was Silence that I've heard IS the remix (at least, it's marked "Remastered 2017") on Spotify. And I definitely find it inferior to the Memories of a Time to Come version.
I also listened to the Live Beyond the Spheres version, which I feel has the opposite problem from the album version: too much band, too little symphonic stuff.
That balance of both components is really important to me in symphonic metal, and I'm surprised at how often I hear releases that are off the mark (e.g., Showtime, Storytime from Nightwish, though a very good live album, has the symphonic elements too low in the mix).
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I still prefer the original mix of ATTWS. The drums are nice and loud.
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Yeah, I'm pretty sure the version of And Then There Was Silence that I've heard IS the remix (at least, it's marked "Remastered 2017") on Spotify. And I definitely find it inferior to the Memories of a Time to Come version.
I also listened to the Live Beyond the Spheres version, which I feel has the opposite problem from the album version: too much band, too little symphonic stuff.
That balance of both components is really important to me in symphonic metal, and I'm surprised at how often I hear releases that are off the mark (e.g., Showtime, Storytime from Nightwish, though a very good live album, has the symphonic elements too low in the mix).
The one on Spotify/Deezer isn't the remix. It is the 2017 remaster from around the time Nuclear Blast obtained the rights to the albums. I just checked and it is the original mix for sure. I honestly don't know why they went with the 2017 rereleases, only to do proper ones the year after, but oh well (I think it is probably a rights kind of thing, and they wanted them asap on streaming platforms again for obvious reasons). It is confusing and honestly I doubt the 2017 remasters are actually different from the 2007 remasters.
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Mine is a 2017 Remaster.
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The one on Spotify/Deezer isn't the remix. It is the 2017 remaster from around the time Nuclear Blast obtained the rights to the albums. I just checked and it is the original mix for sure. I honestly don't know why they went with the 2017 rereleases, only to do proper ones the year after, but oh well (I think it is probably a rights kind of thing, and they wanted them asap on streaming platforms again for obvious reasons). It is confusing and honestly I doubt the 2017 remasters are actually different from the 2007 remasters.
Okay, this is very good to know, thank you very much! :tup
In that case, I will wait optimistically for the proper remix before shelling out for ANATO.
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Just to confuse matters even more, the 2017 NB re-issues state on the CD artwork (NIME) that they are 2007 remasters.
So far in the instance of NIME, there are, the original, Travellers Guide 2012 remix/remaster and the the 2017 NB issue of the 2007 remaster?
Plus the remix/remaster coming out at the end of November, which is the same as the TG box?
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Here you can compare the mixes:
2017 remaster: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JOFCfsIn_8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JOFCfsIn_8)
2012 remix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc2Z38zVlQE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc2Z38zVlQE)
Obviously the same recording, but I think the remix has a clearer quality to it, with the seperate layers/intruments having a more defined sound. For example, at the end at 5:18, when two melodies are playing at the same time, in the remix the secondary melody is much more defined, whereas in the original it sounds more muffled into the back. 3:55 is another moment where the guitar melodies are buried in the original compared to the remix. I can hear all the melodies in the original, but in the remix I can appreciate how it is played, if that makes sense. With an album that has so many layers with distinct melodies all at once, I think the remix helps quite a bit. That said, Battlefield is one of the songs I always thought worked well with the sheer bombast of the original mix. Other songs suffer more under the sound production.
(my laptop has shit audio quality even with headphones, but I assume the links both are decent quality uploads).
Just to confuse matters even more, the 2017 NB re-issues state on the CD artwork (NIME) that they are 2007 remasters.
So far in the instance of NIME, there are, the original, Travellers Guide 2012 remix/remaster and the the 2017 NB issue of the 2007 remaster?
Plus the remix/remaster coming out at the end of November, which is the same as the TG box?
As per the Nuclear Blast webshop, for the upcoming rerelease, it is the original, non-remastered version plus the 2012 remix on CD. Vinyl will only feature the remix. Same applies to the other albums, except for the recent rereleases of Battalions of Fear and Follow the Blind, which have completely new remixes (those were only remastered in the Traveler's box set).
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I've been giving the Imaginations remix a chance, and although I love the boosted lead guitar in the title track, the drums are just too low now. Especially the snare. Sometimes you can't even hear it, except for a roll. Bright Eyes is a good example of how low the drums are. I don't need them overpowering the other instruments, but I'd like to hear them ffs.
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Good, so it's not just me. I'm moving on to A Twist In The Myth. After 3 or 4 listens, I like the songs on Opera a lot. I ordered Live yesterday so I look forward in hearing the Opera tunes on that. But I will definitely have to come back to this.
You'll enjoy Live, It's got a great tracklist. Mirror Mirror, Valhalla, The Bards Song, and Lost In The Twilight Hall I knew from videos on Youtube, so I bought it.
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So what's the deal with Fly and Dead Sound Of Misery having the same intro? Is there a story behind it?
Seems like it's the same music. Has the same outro.
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DSOM is quite literally an alternate version of Fly, both musically and thematically. Fly is about about inspiration and imagination (it's influenced by Peter Pan and Neverending Story, by Hansi's own admission), DSOM is a darker take on it about despair and the Whore of Babylon etc. I don't like DSOM much but Fly kicks butt.
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DSOM is quite literally an alternate version of Fly, both musically and thematically. Fly is about about inspiration and imagination (it's influenced by Peter Pan and Neverending Story, by Hansi's own admission), DSOM is a darker take on it about despair and the Whore of Babylon etc. I don't like DSOM much but Fly kicks butt.
Thanks, I actually just read that on Wikipedia.
I think Fly is awesome. I mean, they both are. :lol
I like Twist In The Myth a lot. It seems more of a collection of songs, rather than following a plot. I feel like it's a bit free-er because of it. What I like about it, is that you can sense some change musically, but they never give back any aggression or speed.
I have two more BG albums after this. It's been an amazing journey so far. But God damn, my ears are tired. :lol So much to dissect on these albums.
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There are some fantastic literary references on the next album and I mean that in both senses of the word. Lots of great fantasy literature references as well as, of course, myth and legend. Two songs about The Wheel of Time, one of my favorite fantasy series, and two from A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones).
And one that was written for a video game, which is epic as f%&$. :metal
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I'm gonna tell you right now that all of that will be totally lost on me. :lol
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Believe me, I've become familiar enough with this place to already know :lol
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Got my first listen in to At The Edge Of Time.
Another excellent album.
Bookend symphonic pieces, bit I must say Sacred Worlds is awesome. Wheel Of Time, not so much. Too much symphony and I do not like Middle Eastern influence. I love the real aggressive vocals in the last third of Sacred Worlds.
Favorite tunes are Tanelorn, Control The Divine, Vakyries, and A Voice In The Dark (which smokes).
I like, how even though Blind Guardian continues to evolve, they never turn their back on their speed metal roots.
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I really lost touch with BG with the last two albums, even Twist. I thought they have all been bland, and very average. ANATO is their last real creative brillilant piece of work IMO.
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So after just one listen to At The Edge Of Time, I moved onto Beyond The Red Mirror last night. It's not that I didn't like Edge, but with just one Mirror left on my BG journey, my ears are jonesing for a break.
I can see why Kade thought these albums are bland, but to me Blind Guardian's music can be so busy and dense, sometimes less can be more.
I was thinking Mirror was probably my least favorite of the 10 BG albums. Not saying I didn't like it. But only The Holy Grail and Sacred Mind caught my attention. That was until Grand Parade. Holy shit is that somg awesome. At least on the first listen. Can't wait to dig into it today.
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Just came back to post that Grand Parade is one of the best songs I've heard from Blind Guardian. Amazing!
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Yeah, it is a fantastic track, and it perfectly fits it's name.
I understand most criticisms of Beyond the Red Mirror, but it being bland/more of the same isn't one of them. I think a good amount of the tracks is distinct from what they have done previously.
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I've listened to BTRM a lot when it came out, and The Grand Parade is one song I don't remember anything from. I'll have to revisit it at some point.
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TGP is one of the two tracks on that album that doesn't do much for me.
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I'm glad that people like that song, my main problem with it that it feels so fat and at the same time, all streamlined. I know there's a slower section in the middle, but otherwise the song remains the same for all of its 9 minutes and it ends with the same chorus, there's nothing to look forward to, once you hear the first verse and chorus, you already know how it ends. Sure, it's nothing strange to end the song with a chorus, that's why a chorus is there, to be repeated, but there's no sense of big climax, like it happens for example with And then there Was Silence. It starts, it goes on and on about this grand parade, and then it's over. There's more sense of urgency and "wow, we're at the climax" in the final minute of Somewhere Far Beyond alone.
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For those interested, there is an alternate version of the song, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5QjGr1sYtk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5QjGr1sYtk). It has different vocals and sounds a bit different, but overall is almost the same. I own it on vinyl, but it was never released on cd/digitally.
It actually annoys me a bit, the release of Beyond the Red Mirror was messy with the bonus tracks and all (Distant Memories and Doom).
I'm glad that people like that song, my main problem with it that it feels so fat and at the same time, all streamlined. I know there's a slower section in the middle, but otherwise the song remains the same for all of its 9 minutes and it ends with the same chorus, there's nothing to look forward to, once you hear the first verse and chorus, you already know how it ends. Sure, it's nothing strange to end the song with a chorus, that's why a chorus is there, to be repeated, but there's no sense of big climax, like it happens for example with And then there Was Silence. It starts, it goes on and on about this grand parade, and then it's over. There's more sense of urgency and "wow, we're at the climax" in the final minute of Somewhere Far Beyond alone.
It is more conventionally structured song, I agree. The song has a more singular musical direction, and does not have the many twists of And Then There Was Silence. But I do think it has a clear climax to it. It does contain some more aggressive/darker moments near the end, and it does speed up/intensify throughout, which to me indicates a climax. However, unlike many other songs of theirs, it has a gradual build towards it.
In general, the song has a celebrative/swinging tone to it that makes it stick out for me.
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That orchestral album finally has a release date:
http://bravewords.com/news/blind-guardian-s-twilight-orchestra-orchestral-album-legacy-of-the-dark-lands-due-in-november-teaser-video
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I really hope that metal bands making grandiose, over-the-top rock-operas with full orchestra and choir becomes a trend soon. I'm hyped for this after reading that and listening to the very brief snippet.
Also the main theme they present in that snippet gives me strong Hedwig's Theme vibes. It's like how Michael Romero's War of the Worlds had that theme that straight up sounded like the Force theme from Star Wars.
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That orchestral album finally has a release date:
http://bravewords.com/news/blind-guardian-s-twilight-orchestra-orchestral-album-legacy-of-the-dark-lands-due-in-november-teaser-video
Hell has frozen over.
There were Blind Guardian fans when the orchestral project was announced who were a couple, and then they got married and got kids and those kids are Blind Guardian fan and they're teens who still haven't heard the album ;D
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Is this a metal album with orchestra or just an orchestral album? Does Hansi sing on it? I know I've heard of this album since I became a fan like 10 or so years ago, but I never cared to find the details since it always just seemed like something in the back of the bands mind.
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It's an orchestral album with Hansi singing, there is no full band. The band has made public their indecision about wether to call it or not a Blind Guardian album. "Blind Guardian's Twilight Orchestra" sounds like a good compromise.
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Interesting since Hansi is singing, but I'm not sure if this will be my thing or not. Glad they completed the project though. Hansi seems to be pretty involved in lots of things, just not the traditional Blind Guardian right now though.
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Make Hansi Kursch Sing Aggressively Again
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Make Hansi Kursch Sing Aggressively Again
He can barely sing his current style. I'd rather his voice not be completely shot.
I'm very curious how he's going to pull off the Crimson King material live.
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One octave lower like he always does? (Even though I have to say in later years he positively surprised me when it comes to live performances)
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One octave lower like he always does? (Even though I have to say in later years he positively surprised me when it comes to live performances)
Sometimes when he changes the style to suit his voice, it comes out better, but if they play Crimson King, I don't know. Most D&W songs are sung in a higher register.
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Got some good financial news recently so I decided to treat myself. I was checking out samples from the Demons & Wizards re-releases as I totally missed them initially. Liked what I heard. Sounded like IE with a different singer and I liked what I was hearing from Hansi so I pre-ordered those reissues.
This led me to check out Blind Guardian whom I had never ever heard a note of. Sampled songs from all over their catalog and wasn't finding anything that I disliked so I did my rare order the whole studio discography thing. Got the 2 disc sets of the first 7 albums and the reissue of the 8th. Then just regular versions of 9 and 10. Should hopefully be here by the weekend.
I will probably do what I did when I did this same thing with Coheed recently. Just go in chronological order.
Looking forward to the journey.
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I did something similar in the fall. Lots of posts on that in this thread.
I had sampled them many years ago, but I just couldn't get into it. I got a big fat Amazon GC for my 50th and I bought the entire discog. Really liking it.
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I did something similar in the fall. Lots of posts on that in this thread.
I had sampled them many years ago, but I just couldn't get into it. I got a big fat Amazon GC for my 50th and I bought the entire discog. Really liking it.
I was actually reading through your journey recently. Got a lot of insight from it.
These weren't easy to find at a decent price. Found a store on eBay that had everything brand new and a 99.9% rating. Plus, since I ordered 10 albums I got another $10 off my order. Was able to lock the whole thing down for $133.50. I thought that was a pretty good deal, considering.
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I did something similar in the fall. Lots of posts on that in this thread.
I had sampled them many years ago, but I just couldn't get into it. I got a big fat Amazon GC for my 50th and I bought the entire discog. Really liking it.
I was actually reading through your journey recently. Got a lot of insight from it.
These weren't easy to find at a decent price. Found a store on eBay that had everything brand new and a 99.9% rating. Plus, since I ordered 10 albums I got another $10 off my order. Was able to lock the whole thing down for $133.50. I thought that was a pretty good deal, considering.
Insight? maybe I should reread it. :lol
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Well, you weren't scaring me away. It's takes a lot for me to pull the trigger like that so I'm always looking for a reason to bail.
Hey, does this mean I can blame you if it ends up being a flame out? :biggrin:
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Blessed are the ones embarking on their Blind Guardian journey for the first time. Enjoy the ride, it's a damn good one.
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Hey, does this mean I can blame you if it ends up being a flame out? :biggrin:
Blame Kattelox!
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Blind Guardian is one of the very very few bands I can say (imo) have zero bad albums. Even my least favorite is still a good album in my opinion. Hey, you might see them on my top 50... :biggrin:
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Blind Guardian is one of the very very few bands I can say (imo) have zero bad albums. Even my least favorite is still a good album in my opinion. Hey, you might see them on my top 50... :biggrin:
Actually they have 1 bad album, Beyond the Red Mirror. Although it isn't really so much bad as just mediocre. And extremely disappointing after how good At the Edge of Time was.
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A Twist in the Myth isn't all that good either. I also never cared for their first two or Somewhere Far Beyond, but SFB has some good stuff on it.
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Beyond the Red Mirror is my 2nd favorite Guardian album. I came to this conclusion just the other night while I was listening to it to be sure. Twist is one of their weakest, but I think Nightfall is the biggest offender, and I'm a giant LOTR dweeb. *shrug* Just a whole bunch of filler on that damn thing, and such a drop in quality from their magnum opus imo (Imaginations).
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I have finally started my BG journey. All of the albums were delivered on 6/8 but I was getting ready to go away with the wife for our 20th. Didn't think she would appreciate non-stop BG. Then the Demons & Wizards albums arrived. I went through those first. Like the first more than the second.
Today I made it through the first two records and most of the third. I absolutely loved the first two. That is some quality speed metal. There wasn't anything that I didn't like. I should note that I am listening to the remixes of these.
The third album seems a small step down for me so far. Not bad, but isn't grabbing me as much as the first two.
I'm very aware that things will be changing but I am really loving these guys so far.
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Ain't a bad record in the lot. Exciting times for you! :2metal:
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Enjoy the journey, personally I feel it only gets better from there
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With the exception of their second record, I like or love all their albums. Interesting to see you prefer albums 1 and 2 over 3.
And in regards to Demons & Wizards, I think the general consensus is that the first record is indeed superior.
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I might be in the minority then. I think Touched By The Crimson King is a superior record without question.
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Well, that is just a feeling I get from reading discussions/comments online. But the second record is great as well, so to me it is not weird to prefer it or something. Actually, I am looking forward to the new Demons & Wizards (a tiny bit) more than the orchestral album by Blind Guardian. Both are actually albums of which at some point I expected to never come out and now it seems we will be getting them relatively close to each other.
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Still regularly listening to the first two. Just really enjoying them.
Re-listened to Tales From The Twilight World and liked it much more the second time around. About halfway through Somewhere Far Beyond and no complaints there either.
Went back to the same eBay seller that I got the entire 2019 2-disc studio album set from and picked up the 2019 2-disc versions of Tokyo Tales, Live and Forgotten Tales. Skipped the newest live album for now.
I can't get Majesty and Valhalla out of my head. They are ear worms that I find myself singing constantly.
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That first album is great, and I love Twilight. Probably my two faves.
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Yeah, Guardian's early speed metal era is just the best, imo. So many heavy riffs and Hansi's voice is strong as hell. I love the Tokyo Tales live album, that might be my favorite live record ever. The setlist is basically the best of all the first four albums.
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One of the things that held me back on BG was Hansi's voice. I don't know. It kind of grated on me. But It was important to start from the beginning, to hear him grow into his voice.
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(https://i.imgur.com/38PvKMi.jpg)
Promising to be one of the most ambitious projects in metal history, BLIND GUARDIAN’s upcoming release will be well worth the wait. The idea of recording an orchestral album originally formed in the minds of the two leading lights of the BLIND GUARDIAN universe - guitarist André Olbrich and singer Hansi Kürsch - during the 1990s when BLIND GUARDIAN started to use orchestral elements to enhance their opulent sound.
Today, they reveal the album's amazing cover artwork, which was created by the renowned artist Gyula Havancsák.
Hansi Kürsch comments: "The cover artwork by Gyula Havancsák just perfectly fits our upcoming project and I think it's a true masterpiece. Gulya's love for details is incredible and his ability to see behind complex stories and reproduce them in art is amazing. We are more than happy since he could absolutely capture the monumental atmosphere of the music. Literally a perfect match!"
On July 19th the pre-orders for the upcoming album "The Legacy Of The Dark Lands" will kick off.
In recent years the giant project started to take shape, and parallel to its epic sound cascades, the lyrical concept was developed. For this, BLIND GUARDIAN was able to find support in German bestselling author Markus Heitz, whose latest novel “Die Dunklen Lande” was released on March 1rst 2019. The book is set in 1629 and contains the prequel to BLIND GUARDIAN’s opus “Legacy Of The Dark Lands”, which will be released November 1st.
Watch the short trailer, to get a first impression of the album: https://youtu.be/PW8zzTlp03I
The Novel “Die Dunklen Lande” is available starting today.
Visit: http://nblast.de/BGLegacyOfTheDarkLands
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So....The Astonishing?
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So....The Astonishing?
No, not even close. This is an orchestral album.
Side note: I love Gyula's art. He is a gifted artist and has worked with tons of bands. He did the art to Wintersun's The Forest Seasons, and Stratovarius's last 5 albums, among plenty of others. And he has more variety than Felipe Machado Franco, who I like, but has the most predictable template and color palette choices ever.
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So....The Astonishing?
No. Not even close. This is an orchestral album.
Side note: I love Gyula's art. He is a gifted artist and has worked with tons of bands. He did the art to Wintersun's The Forest Seasons, and Stratovarius's last 5 albums, among plenty of others. And he has more variety than Felipe Machado Franco, who I like, but has the most predictable template and color palette choices ever.
You need some artwork for a new album? Well I've got that brand new, innovative blue/red color palette for you!
Also the second half of the year is suddenly quite exciting, release-wise. This, IQ, iamthemorning, Opeth, probably some other stuff I'm forgetting right now.
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For me I got Blind Guardian, IQ, Opeth, Fairyland, Sonata Arctica, maybe Dragonforce, and maybe iamthemorning (a group I'm interested in but not technically a fan of). And maybe more I'm forgetting. So yeah, second half of 2019 is looking dope for me too.
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So....The Astonishing?
No, not even close. This is an orchestral album.
I'm kidding of course.
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So....The Astonishing?
No, not even close. This is an orchestral album.
I'm kidding of course.
I can rarely tell when you're joking because you're so out of the loop with media :lol :lol
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That's no joke, Brother. :lol
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For me I got Blind Guardian, IQ, Opeth, Fairyland, Sonata Arctica, maybe Dragonforce, and maybe iamthemorning (a group I'm interested in but not technically a fan of). And maybe more I'm forgetting. So yeah, second half of 2019 is looking dope for me too.
I can't believe how uninterested I am in Sonata Arctica. I have no desire to even check out the next single, whenever that's out.
I'm also pretty sure Tim loves The Astonishing.
Also just remembered: new Vanden Plas is out soon too. Holy shit I'm excited as fuck for that. :metal
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Crap there's VP too! This world has too many bands and not enough hours in the day :facepalm:
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I waited so long for this album that it doesn't even seem real that it's actually coming :lol it's weird if I have no anticipation at all for it when I've waited 20 years for it? I mean, it's good that it's coming, when it's gonna be here, I'll listen to it, heck, I'll probably blindly buy it because Blind Guardian are a "take my money first, hear later" kind of band for me, but after 20 years I'm not gonna count the weeks and the days and the minutes.
When it will be out, it will be out.
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I have no idea what to expect anymore. The album cover looks pretty good. Clearly a modern epic metal cover, but thay is not a bad thing.
Not likely that I will read it, but I hope the novel is good/competent. Having a professional fantasy writer involved hopefully means the concept is well done.
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Tracklist!!! Double CD!
01. 1618 Ouverture
02. The Gathering
03. War Feeds War
04. Comets And Prophecies
05. Dark Cloud’s Rising
06. The Ritual
07. In The Underworld
08. A Secret Society
09. The Great Ordeal
10. Bez
11. In The Red Dwarf’s Tower
12. Into The Battle
13. Treason
14. Between The Realms
15. Point Of No Return
16. The White Horseman
17. Nephilim
18. Trial And Coronation
19. Harvester Of Souls
20. Conquest Is Over
21. This Storm
22. The Great Assault
23. Beyond The Wall
24. A New Beginning
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Hopefully has far less filler than Nightfall in Middle-Tier BG :P
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http://bravewords.com/news/blind-guardian-s-twilight-orchestra-legacy-of-the-dark-lands-album-tracklisting-formats-revealed-new-video-trailer-streaming
Formats:
- 2CD Digipak
- 2LP Gatefold (different colours)
- 3CD Comic book (album, instrumental, no interludes version)
- 4CD Comic book (album, instrumental, no interludes version, audiobook)
- 5LP BOX (Album 2LP, Instrumental 2LP, Audiobook LP)
There is a trailer in the link too with some background.
EDIT: Great news for Kat, the narrators from Nightfall are back!
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:lol
My, this is sounding epic. Can't wait.
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Nightfall is my fave BG and one of my all time top ten metal albums, love every second of it ;D
The orchestral album is going to be milked to the hilt by NB, counted at least 10 different versions already.
Looks as though the 4CD set is already gone, get it fast, although we know this stuff is bound to get a reissue somewhere down the line.
I'm a huge fan of metal bands doing orchestral only stuff, Nightwish, Septicflesh and even Sabaton (new album) have done it and quite good too.
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Dunno what to think of this one. To be honest, I haven't liked much of what BG have been doing since Opera but I'll try this one with an open mind.
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The snippets sound amazing!!!
The only very minor downside is that, thanks to the orchestral influences BG used in the latest years, those snippets sound like the rehearsal stage of stuff like Sacred Worlds or Wheel of Time - meaning, that you could almost expect the full band coming in at a point.
I mean, I know it won't happen, it's Hansi + orchestra only, but I hope they will stand on their own without giving away too much the "eh, I can almost imagine here the guitars and the drums" vibe since it sounds really BG-ish so far.
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Be nice if there's some nuggets in the compositions paying homage towards past Blind Guardian songs. I would love an orchestral snippet that references the chorus of ATTWS for example...
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Hopefully there'll be references to what Faythe and Xander are up to.
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The snippets sound amazing!!!
The only very minor downside is that, thanks to the orchestral influences BG used in the latest years, those snippets sound like the rehearsal stage of stuff like Sacred Worlds or Wheel of Time - meaning, that you could almost expect the full band coming in at a point.
I mean, I know it won't happen, it's Hansi + orchestra only, but I hope they will stand on their own without giving away too much the "eh, I can almost imagine here the guitars and the drums" vibe since it sounds really BG-ish so far.
Really? I didn't know that. Now I really dunno what to think. Will check the snippet.
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I watched the trailer. Can pretty much garuntee that this will be something that doesn't interest me, but the whole thing does seem pretty neat.
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If it's Hansi plus orchestra only, it's going to be like We Are Sentinels, and that didn't interest me at all. I need metal with my orchestra.
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If it's Hansi plus orchestra only, it's going to be like We Are Sentinels, and that didn't interest me at all. I need metal with my orchestra.
Interesting take. I'm not sure what to think. I loved Sentinels, but Barlow is Barlow. Hansi is no Barlow. As I am still new to the world of BG, this is not an auto-buy for me. I will probably wait until I can check out more samples. The completest in me will probably buy it either way but I need a bit more first.
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If it's Hansi plus orchestra only, it's going to be like We Are Sentinels, and that didn't interest me at all. I need metal with my orchestra.
Interesting take. I'm not sure what to think. I loved Sentinels, but Barlow is Barlow. Hansi is no Barlow. As I am still new to the world of BG, this is not an auto-buy for me. I will probably wait until I can check out more samples. The completest in me will probably buy it either way but I need a bit more first.
This is interesting to me because I thought WAS was boring as hell and Barlow sounded strained, whereas from the clips in the trailer, this sounds phenomenal to me. Hansi's no Barlow, certainly, but he's a god damn legend in his own right.
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If it is indeed Hansi only (Andre's involvement being?), really it is not a legitimate BG album, and the Blind Guardian name is being used as a 'brand' to sell this?
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If it is indeed Hansi only (Andre's involvement being?), really it is not a legitimate BG album, and the Blind Guardian name is being used as a 'brand' to sell this?
Andre was heavily involved with the composing of the record as well. Considering the spirit of BG is almost entirely both Hansi and Andre, IMO think this counts as a legitimate BG album. Not a metal record, maybe, but BG for sure.
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If it is indeed Hansi only (Andre's involvement being?), really it is not a legitimate BG album, and the Blind Guardian name is being used as a 'brand' to sell this?
Yeah, I thought this too. With Hansi and the orchestra only putting the BG name on it is very misleading.
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NOT INTERESTED.
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NOT INTERESTED.
Open your mind! :lol
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It was until I heard it wasn't Blind Guardian playing. I don't like Hansi's voice enough to listen to a symphony (which I also don't care for).
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It was until I heard it wasn't Blind Guardian playing. I don't like Hansi's voice enough to listen to a symphony (which I also don't care for).
Symphonies rule, brah. Especially the ones about enchanted lands.
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Sad to say, I'm not terribly interested either. I'll check it out, but right now, I'm not interested in buying it because I really don't think it's something I would continue to listen to. I thought some of those clips sounded cool with Hansi, his voice is really awesome, but I just have no interest in a full on orchestral album. Give me the full band and an orchestra and I'll give you money, but this just seems like a project that maybe isn't meant for me.
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One thing I am looking forward to is the albums actual sonics.
Recent BG albums have had way too much compression on them and sound pretty flat in places.
Without the loud metallic instruments, I hope that Charlie Bauerfeind allows the orchestra to have a huge sound.
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If it is indeed Hansi only (Andre's involvement being?), really it is not a legitimate BG album, and the Blind Guardian name is being used as a 'brand' to sell this?
Well, it's Blind Guardian's Twilight Orchestra to be precise.
Andrè helped with the songwriting.
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Yeah, it has always been a Hansi and Andre thing I think. Perhaps more Hansi than Andre, but I think that just seems so because Hansi is the frontman that usually does the talking. In the past I know they were considering calling it something else than Blind Guardian, but personally I feel that a fantasy themed concept with Hansi singing and big choirs is already very BG. The focus is different, but these elements have also been a part of BG's sound for a very long time. Earlier this year, or last year, Hansi said they had enough material for two albums, but my bet is that they merged it into a two disc release (which is the best option).
Snippet sounds good, anticipation levels are slowly rising. I love the presence of the narrators and the fact they got an established fantasy writer to be involved. Anyways, as someone who listens to game/film soundtracks and classical music fairly frequently, I don't need guitars in my music to love it.
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Still regularly listening to the first two. Just really enjoying them.
Re-listened to Tales From The Twilight World and liked it much more the second time around. About halfway through Somewhere Far Beyond and no complaints there either.
Went back to the same eBay seller that I got the entire 2019 2-disc studio album set from and picked up the 2019 2-disc versions of Tokyo Tales, Live and Forgotten Tales. Skipped the newest live album for now.
I can't get Majesty and Valhalla out of my head. They are ear worms that I find myself singing constantly.
So, I have been on a bit of a break (for those that care) in my BG journey as I stumbled onto Ihsahn and went and bought his entire solo discography and have been focusing on that.
Here is where I am right now. I have listened up to Nightfall. These are my early rankings based on a very loose scale as it's still early.
Battalions of Fear - Love
Follow the Blind - Love
Tales from the Twilight World - Pretty Good
Somewhere Far Beyond - Great
Imaginations from the Other Side - Pretty Good (I know, people love this. Only 1 or 2 listens so far)
Nightfall in Middle-Earth - Pretty Good (segues are nice the first time, unnecessary after that)
Something cool that I noticed is that since I bought all of the 2 disc 2019 reissues, the spines make up a cool picture on my CD shelf. The thing that bothers me though, is that the last 3 releases that I bought - the 2 live albums and Forgotten Tales - have to be at the end for the picture to work. They can't be placed in release order, yet they are also a part of the image. Drives my OCD a bit crazy. The image is essentially the hooded dude from Forgotten holding up the book in his hands that he is writing in on the cover of that record.
Once I finish my detour into Ihsahn I will return to BG.
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Would love to hear your opinion on Ihsahn, his solo album's are quite varied.
My fave is Arktis.
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Would love to hear your opinion on Ihsahn, his solo album's are quite varied.
My fave is Arktis.
Looks like he has his own thread. I will bump that one when I am ready. I have heard 4 of the 7 so far and I am loving his work. I still have The Adversary, After and then I am saving Das Seelenbrechen for the last record as I am aware it is challenging.
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Yes 'Das' is his most diverse and not what you would expect.
I was playing it on Monday and I though wow how did he ever come up with this stuff?
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After considering myself to be a very 'casual' Blind Guardian fan for the past seven years or so, the band finally clicked for me in a big way over the past week. Too early to give my definitive album rankings for the band's discography, but surprisingly I think my current favorite is probably Somewhere Far Beyond. I'd always imagined that album to be significantly 'cheerier' sounding than it actually is, considering its legacy as a power metal album, but I was pleasantly surprised by the album's rather dark vibe. Also IMO the band was already putting in some impressive proggy elements there.
My second favorite, for now, is Nightfall. I really love a lot of the individual songs on Imagination and the darker vibe that album has, but it feels a little... disorganized? The album doesn't quite flow as smoothly as SFB and Nightfall both do IMO, despite its incredible highs. Oddly enough A Night at the Opera, the BG album I typically went to when I was a casual fan, is the album I've been a bit hesitant to revisit. :lol
Also at the risk of being a tad excessive, I picked up all three of the band's live albums. While I need to give Live more time to sink in, I'm head over heels for Tokyo Tales. It's this close to being one of my new all-time fave live albums... if only it had Ashes to Ashes and the title track off of Somewhere Far Beyond on there. :lol I'd be interested in hearing The Bard's Song on there too, but that song's on Live and Live Beyond the Spheres so that isn't as big a loss. I'm tempted to say the same of Live not including And Then There Was Silence, which would probably tilt that into Alive in Athens territory.
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After considering myself to be a very 'casual' Blind Guardian fan for the past seven years or so, the band finally clicked for me in a big way over the past week. Too early to give my definitive album rankings for the band's discography, but surprisingly I think my current favorite is probably Somewhere Far Beyond. I'd always imagined that album to be significantly 'cheerier' sounding than it actually is, considering its legacy as a power metal album, but I was pleasantly surprised by the album's rather dark vibe. Also IMO the band was already putting in some impressive proggy elements there.
My second favorite, for now, is Nightfall. I really love a lot of the individual songs on Imagination and the darker vibe that album has, but it feels a little... disorganized? The album doesn't quite flow as smoothly as SFB and Nightfall both do IMO, despite its incredible highs. Oddly enough A Night at the Opera, the BG album I typically went to when I was a casual fan, is the album I've been a bit hesitant to revisit. :lol
Also at the risk of being a tad excessive, I picked up all three of the band's live albums. While I need to give Live more time to sink in, I'm head over heels for Tokyo Tales. It's this close to being one of my new all-time fave live albums... if only it had Ashes to Ashes and the title track off of Somewhere Far Beyond on there. :lol I'd be interested in hearing The Bard's Song on there too, but that song's on Live and Live Beyond the Spheres so that isn't as big a loss. I'm tempted to say the same of Live not including And Then There Was Silence, which would probably tilt that into Alive in Athens territory.
Imaginations Through the Looking Glass is on par with Alive in Athens, and includes ATTWS and SFB.
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Imaginations Through the Looking Glass DVD is the first BG thing I owned. It blew me away.
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Imaginations Through the Looking Glass DVD is the first BG thing I owned. It blew me away.
I'm on it :metal
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After considering myself to be a very 'casual' Blind Guardian fan for the past seven years or so, the band finally clicked for me in a big way over the past week. Too early to give my definitive album rankings for the band's discography, but surprisingly I think my current favorite is probably Somewhere Far Beyond. I'd always imagined that album to be significantly 'cheerier' sounding than it actually is, considering its legacy as a power metal album, but I was pleasantly surprised by the album's rather dark vibe. Also IMO the band was already putting in some impressive proggy elements there.
My second favorite, for now, is Nightfall. I really love a lot of the individual songs on Imagination and the darker vibe that album has, but it feels a little... disorganized? The album doesn't quite flow as smoothly as SFB and Nightfall both do IMO, despite its incredible highs. Oddly enough A Night at the Opera, the BG album I typically went to when I was a casual fan, is the album I've been a bit hesitant to revisit. :lol
Also at the risk of being a tad excessive, I picked up all three of the band's live albums. While I need to give Live more time to sink in, I'm head over heels for Tokyo Tales. It's this close to being one of my new all-time fave live albums... if only it had Ashes to Ashes and the title track off of Somewhere Far Beyond on there. :lol I'd be interested in hearing The Bard's Song on there too, but that song's on Live and Live Beyond the Spheres so that isn't as big a loss. I'm tempted to say the same of Live not including And Then There Was Silence, which would probably tilt that into Alive in Athens territory.
Imaginations Through the Looking Glass is on par with Alive in Athens, and includes ATTWS and SFB.
Kind of stunned that it hasn't been released on a CD/MP3 format. Definitely a top notch performance from the Bards!
Also, still not entirely sure about my absolute favorite BG album yet, but I've finally checked out A Night at the Opera again and it holds up ridiculously well. Far and away the proggiest the band's ever been and I'd say it's hands down Hansi's finest hour as a singer overall.
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After considering myself to be a very 'casual' Blind Guardian fan for the past seven years or so, the band finally clicked for me in a big way over the past week. Too early to give my definitive album rankings for the band's discography, but surprisingly I think my current favorite is probably Somewhere Far Beyond. I'd always imagined that album to be significantly 'cheerier' sounding than it actually is, considering its legacy as a power metal album, but I was pleasantly surprised by the album's rather dark vibe. Also IMO the band was already putting in some impressive proggy elements there.
My second favorite, for now, is Nightfall. I really love a lot of the individual songs on Imagination and the darker vibe that album has, but it feels a little... disorganized? The album doesn't quite flow as smoothly as SFB and Nightfall both do IMO, despite its incredible highs. Oddly enough A Night at the Opera, the BG album I typically went to when I was a casual fan, is the album I've been a bit hesitant to revisit. :lol
Also at the risk of being a tad excessive, I picked up all three of the band's live albums. While I need to give Live more time to sink in, I'm head over heels for Tokyo Tales. It's this close to being one of my new all-time fave live albums... if only it had Ashes to Ashes and the title track off of Somewhere Far Beyond on there. :lol I'd be interested in hearing The Bard's Song on there too, but that song's on Live and Live Beyond the Spheres so that isn't as big a loss. I'm tempted to say the same of Live not including And Then There Was Silence, which would probably tilt that into Alive in Athens territory.
Imaginations Through the Looking Glass is on par with Alive in Athens, and includes ATTWS and SFB.
Kind of stunned that it hasn't been released on a CD/MP3 format. Definitely a top notch performance from the Bards!
Also, still not entirely sure about my absolute favorite BG album yet, but I've finally checked out A Night at the Opera again and it holds up ridiculously well. Far and away the proggiest the band's ever been and I'd say it's hands down Hansi's finest hour as a singer overall.
Technically they did release it on CD, but only apart of that box set. But...
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The mix of ATTWS on that DVD is bad imo, so I never go to that version. Obviously it's hard to recreate the orchestral depth of that track live, nevermind the choir vocals, but the mix itself just sounds wimpy to me. When I saw them play it in person in 2010, however, that was another story. Right up front for it and it was heavy as hell. I'm still not sure if I prefer the remastered version, because the updated vocals aren't quite as interesting and they're too up front in the mix. I don't think they've ever figured out how to perfect the mix on that song. :lol
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The mix of ATTWS on that DVD is bad imo, so I never go to that version. Obviously it's hard to recreate the orchestral depth of that track live, nevermind the choir vocals, but the mix itself just sounds wimpy to me. When I saw them play it in person in 2010, however, that was another story. Right up front for it and it was heavy as hell. I'm still not sure if I prefer the remastered version, because the updated vocals aren't quite as interesting and they're too up front in the mix. I don't think they've ever figured out how to perfect the mix on that song. :lol
Yeah, same for the whole album. For the remix, they lowered the drums too much. They did that on IFTOS as well. Brought up the lead guitar, and lowered the drums... I believe I first heard the title track on Live, so when I listened to the studio version, I was disappointed that the lead guitar parts during the chorus weren't there. Nope, they were just too damn low in the mix.
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Since that live DVD was my first time hearing those songs, I kind of disagree, but it may simply be because of that. When I finally got ANATO after IFTLG, I thought all those layered vocals really were too much when I got accustomed without it. It goes for all those tracks on both that live album and ANATO. I'm actually not much of a fan of the production on ANATO at all. It sounds too bloated to me.
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ANATO is easily their worst sounding album, if we just concern the mix, next to maybe their debut and that gets a pass because it was a speed metal about from the late 80s. ANATO was a 2002 record and the band was huge, I'm still puzzled as to how that record came out sounding the way it does :lol
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The songs are awesome though. My first experience was either IFTOS or also Live, and I didn't listen to ANATO for a long time. The production was surprising but I thought, and still think, that the quality of the actual songs is incredible.
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Oh yea, those songs are great, but I hardly ever listen to the album. I'd rather go to the Live versions.
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Oh yeah the songs themselves are great, but that production. Production? More like proSUCKtion! This joke brought to you by TAC Farms
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Aside from giving me a headache on occasion, I don't mind the production.
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Aside from giving me a headache on occasion, I don't mind the production.
Yeah, the production on ANATO is hardly the worst I've heard. Just overwhelming at times, namely if I'm listening with headphones on.
That said, I don't entirely disagree that I prefer hearing the songs on Live instead... it's just a shame that that album only has three songs from ANATO on it. If Live included Age of False Innocence (no idea if they ever played that song live) or Precious Jerusalem and And Then There Was Silence to help better represent the material from that album, I'd be appreciative.
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Oh yeah the songs themselves are great, but that production. Production? More like proSUCKtion! This joke brought to you by TAC Farms
:lol
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It is not just the sound, it is a massively overdubbed Hansi at the top of his range at most times in different layers of the music. And the choirs don't sound like choirs at all (I think the overdubbed vocals and the use of them on Nightfall in Middle Earth are vastly superior). It is honestly why I prefer the rerecording of And Then There Was Silence (for the most part), it has restraint at times, which allows for more impact at other moments. Rhythm guitars also sound weird on ANATO, though I do really love the lead guitar melodies/solo's and drums on ANATO. That said, most songs on ANATO are great, I just can't deal with the album as a whole at once, in part due to the sound.
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First full orchestral song, it's real!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YVtQ0jX9zB4#menu (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YVtQ0jX9zB4#menu)
I like it! It is most definitely different than "usual" BG.
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You say? 'cause to me it feels like a Blind Guardian songs without the metal part, and only the orchestration.
Which is not a complaint at all, I love Hansi's voice, I love his songwriting so I'm all down for an album like that!
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You say? 'cause to me it feels like a Blind Guardian songs without the metal part, and only the orchestration.
Which is not a complaint at all, I love Hansi's voice, I love his songwriting so I'm all down for an album like that!
Well, kind of. I think the vocals and use of choirs are undeniably BG, as is the overall song structure, but the more upbeat "riffs" (not sure how to call them, not overly familiar with classical terms) that now fill up the music between the massive orchestral parts feel fresh too me.
That said, after a couple of listens I really like it. Apparantly the song set to be the lead single will be a song they wrote back in the day this all started, really looking forward to it!
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I'll have to check it out when I get home, probably shouldn't of washed my hands after shaking Hansis last night.
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I'll have to check it out when I get home, probably shouldn't of washed my hands after shaking Hansis last night.
(https://66.media.tumblr.com/01ea9c38899eb220abf3600b9cb16a90/tumblr_inline_ou9xd8jDh31tg5wat_640.jpg)
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Second orchestral song is out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dR_VJ-jJosI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dR_VJ-jJosI)
It is a bit hard wrapping my head around this one, as it seems to be constantly doing something different. I liked the first song better, but I am intrigued. One thing I dislike is how the choirs are mixed, they sounds like typical power metal choirs, whereas just Hansi and an orchestra should allow for a more organic sounding choir (just compare how the choirs sound in the making of vids of this very album).
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Wanna know what the upcoming Blind Guardian orchestral album sounds like? Read this excellent review and find out!
https://www.facebook.com/SonicPerspectives/posts/2795508737126300
:metal
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I can't believe it's almost here!
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Based on the two released tracks this will be a tough pill to swallow for me, but one worth swallowing. Now that I got more used to their structure and lack typical BG instrumentalization, I really enjoy them.
Reviews so far sound good.
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I interviewed Hansi Kursch last week. Check it out:
https://www.sonicperspectives.com/interviews/interview-with-kursch-hansi/?fbclid=IwAR1lteMEt9pGb6LUUZzAA84E1Q3-IrTJG0v9eDlw4dLUkjqx-iSak2z_RM8
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So... to have a Metallica / BG crossover, today is the day that never comes.
But guess what... it came!
The orchestral album is out today. Feels unreal. I ordered it yesterday off EMP and I still can't believe it's coming. I'll probably even hear it before its arrival, since I assume it will be out on Spotify and available for naughty children, and even then I'll have a hard time realizing this is actually it ;D
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Listened to it and I really enjoy it. Red Dwarf is probably my favourite. Honestly, I think This Storm (the single) is probably the weakest song. Hansi sounds great and is really varied throughout the album. One thing I like is that at many times it is just Hansi singing and not many overdubs. And unlike the two singles at times, most songs don't sound like a band is missing. Even for Harvester of Souls, which is a reworked version of At The Edge of Time from their last album. It is actually interesting to compare these two. I think Harvester is better, as there is more breathing room in the song and Hansi sings more varied.
Overall, this album is Blind Guardian for sure. I can see why it isn't for everyone, but if you enjoy A Night at The Opera/Beyond the Red Mirror Blind Guardian (the songwriting reminds me the most of those two), I think you should give it a try.
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An actual videoclip for War Feeds War! Last time was 10 years ago for A Voice in The Dark I think?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bZjrn6IhOw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bZjrn6IhOw)
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I actually watched that this morning (didn't realize it was just released) but as much as I love Hansi here, I'm just not that interested in an orchestral album. I don't see much context of me actually listening to it to want to buy it. Totally respect the art, and it's actually kind of cool from what I heard. But it's not for me, at least not for what I am typically looking to listen to.
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I’m on the fence about this orchestral thing.
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I’m on the fence about this orchestral thing.
I have no interest in it.
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I’m on the fence about this orchestral thing.
I have no interest in it.
Didn't you like most of BG's discography though? It's absolutely worth checking out, dude. If only because they've been working on it for so long and put so much work into it. Do it for me :-*
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I did, but I hate symphonic music in my metal, and I don't exactly love Hansi's voice.
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Just like TAC doesn’t like spices in his beer.
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Just like TAC doesn’t like spices in his beer.
Exactly!
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I did, but I hate symphonic music in my metal, and I don't exactly love Hansi's voice.
We are not a match.
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Finally got the CD version (Earbook) of the new album and bloody hell it sounds amazing.
That said it's not an easy album to fully listen to and digest.
The guy at the music store who sold me the album, asked me, 'would you prefer a full on BG metal album or this?'
I immediately answered the orchestral album, been waiting a loooooooog time for it and with all the hype, I finally get to hear it.
I reckon this will be my album to test speakers (that I am just about to start looking for) and headphones from now on.
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I've decided to make an abridged version of the orchestral album, cutting out all the spoken interludes. Which requires more than just simply skipping those tracks - they flow one into and out of the other so each song starts and ends with ambient noises from the preceeding track, and so I had to rely on the instrumental versions to use their beginnings and endings which are "clean".
It's not that the interludes annoy me per se, they never did on Nightfall, but they block the flow of the album and they're every other song with no exception. Furthermore they're always played by "Sauron and Morgoth" and so you can't even follow the different characters with different voices - two guys voice them all basically. So I figured I might as well save 10 minutes and have a songs-only version of the album.
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So I've listened to this thing...
It sounds awesome. Unfortunately, it's bloated as all get out and the narration doesn't make it any more interesting. Cripes, I heard more compelling (if corny as hell) narration on Rhapsody's CDs. This just sounds like Nightfall's most boring moments with a massive orchestral score behind it. The score itself is powerful and exquisite, but there's a whole lot of time spent waiting for something memorable to pop up. And even in classical symphonies and operas, there is composition that is more striking, more bold, more memorable than a lot of what is on here.
I'll buy it to have a copy for the BG collection but it's not something I'll probably ever put on again in its entirety. Not worth 20 years of waiting, that much I can say for certain.
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I really enjoy it. My main gripe is that indeed the narration is not that compelling. The dialouges just do not flow that well. The way these songs were written definitely screams BG/Andre to me, and that density always takes a bit for me to get into but ultimately is worth it.
I actually prefer Harvester of Souls over At The Edge of Time (song) now. The song has a bit more room to breathe this way. And This Storm has grown on me quite a bit. I love it in the context of the album.
I've decided to make an abridged version of the orchestral album, cutting out all the spoken interludes. Which requires more than just simply skipping those tracks - they flow one into and out of the other so each song starts and ends with ambient noises from the preceeding track, and so I had to rely on the instrumental versions to use their beginnings and endings which are "clean".
It's not that the interludes annoy me per se, they never did on Nightfall, but they block the flow of the album and they're every other song with no exception. Furthermore they're always played by "Sauron and Morgoth" and so you can't even follow the different characters with different voices - two guys voice them all basically. So I figured I might as well save 10 minutes and have a songs-only version of the album.
On streaming services there is an official abridged version. Special editions of the alnum have it as well I believe.
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I honestly need to listen to this one again. I liked the music quite a bit but I agree, the narration is quite annoying actually.
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I've decided to make an abridged version of the orchestral album, cutting out all the spoken interludes. Which requires more than just simply skipping those tracks - they flow one into and out of the other so each song starts and ends with ambient noises from the preceeding track, and so I had to rely on the instrumental versions to use their beginnings and endings which are "clean".
On streaming services there is an official abridged version. Special editions of the alnum have it as well I believe.
You mean I spent 2 hours working out all the blendings and edits while I could have just went online? :lol
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Yes Spotify has a version without the narration and the 3CD Earbook set also contains a disc with the abridged version.
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I've decided to make an abridged version of the orchestral album, cutting out all the spoken interludes. Which requires more than just simply skipping those tracks - they flow one into and out of the other so each song starts and ends with ambient noises from the preceeding track, and so I had to rely on the instrumental versions to use their beginnings and endings which are "clean".
On streaming services there is an official abridged version. Special editions of the alnum have it as well I believe.
You mean I spent 2 hours working out all the blendings and edits while I could have just went online? :lol
Yes :lol
And the minor narration within some songs is removed as well (Red Dwarf does not have the acting part around the 5 min mark for example, just the music).
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I took off that as well :hat
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Fix the track, cut the red dwarf
(There's a red
There's a red
There's a red dwarf)
Fix the track, cut the red dwarf
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Fix the track, cut the red dwarf
(There's a red
There's a red
There's a red dwarf)
Fix the track, cut the red dwarf
:lol
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(https://scontent-ort2-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/p960x960/78230149_431675514172350_335687140547493888_o.jpg?_nc_cat=108&_nc_ohc=6M-dmpNS9qkAQk0nQPN4r2BMcw4fFPsPE99Zl2n-8oO-jxSNtrveighbA&_nc_ht=scontent-ort2-2.xx&oh=6cc74c92a08c000e19055d7cad4a467f&oe=5E89024A)
DEMONS & WIZARDS are proud to announce February 21st, 2020 as the worldwide release date of the group’s highly anticipated studio album, “III”!
Jon Schaffer states: “I’m excited to be releasing another D&W album after all of these years. I feel like we’ve put together something really special, and I'm looking forward to hearing what the fans think about it. I’m proud of this album. It’s definitely a journey of epic proportions.”
Hansi Kürsch adds: “2019 is an extremely exciting year for Demons & Wizards in general. We have accomplished a lot. A lot! This third album is the peak of our career for sure. Mark my words, you will love this album!”
Now, the band presents “III”, a stunning monument of dynamic and powerful heavy metal that simply has all you would expect from these iconic musicians! “III” is epic, melodic, crushingly heavy, atmospheric, and all in between. 65 minutes of heavy metal mastery!
The track-listing can be viewed below:
01. Diabolic
02. Invincible
03. Wolves In Winter
04. Final Warning
05. Timeless Spirit
06. Dark Side Of Her Majesty
07. Midas Disease
08. New Dawn
09. Universal Truth
10. Split
11. Children Of Cain
A little underwhelmed by the title BUT IT'S ALMOST HERE!!!
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Indeed, I'm very excited and the cover and the titles sound cool, but.... seriously? you name the third album III? they couldn't think of *anything else* at all???
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That's an awesome cover. Do we know who the musicians are that recorded this?
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More excited for this than BG's latest honestly, and yea, that album title is weak.
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MMXX, Apocalypse & Chill and now III? Is there a secret competition for the most underwhelming album title in 2020?
Apocalypse & Chill actually begins to sound good compared to this.
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Hey, at least it's a title. Looking at the tracklist alone I can see these titles as potential and valid title tracks: Diabolic, Wolves in Winter, Dark Side Of Her Majesty, New Dawn and Children Of Cain.
Uh well, in the long run it won't matter, but yeah, as you said, the race for the worst 2020 album title has begun :D
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Album title, really who cares?
As long as the music is good, the title is not that important :yarr
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MMXX, Apocalypse & Chill and now III? Is there a secret competition for the most underwhelming album title in 2020?
Apocalypse & Chill actually begins to sound good compared to this.
:lol
Album title, really who cares?
As long as the music is good, the title is not that important :yarr
True
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Yeah I also am not too fussed with the album title. It's pretty funny though. Could at least have had something like Chapter 3 or Vol. 3 or something.
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Well I think the album title is killertastic.
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Anyway, at long last, Hansi is finally checking out two major and landmark boxes on his To Do list, right? first the orchestral album and then a new D&W.... it took forever but both are / will be out in a matter of mere months!
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Anyway, at long last, Hansi is finally checking out two major and landmark boxes on his To Do list, right? first the orchestral album and then a new D&W.... it took forever but both are / will be out in a matter of mere months!
Aaand they will enter the studio early 2020 for the start of the production of the new Blind Guardian album. I assume that means a 2021 release (knowing they take their time during production).
Hansi on the next Blind Guardian studio album in a very recent interview:
We are finishing the last songs until Christmas and then from January on we’re basically in the production.
Source: https://www.metalinsider.net/interviews/hansi-kursch-on-future-blind-guardian-and-demons-wizards-plans (https://www.metalinsider.net/interviews/hansi-kursch-on-future-blind-guardian-and-demons-wizards-plans)
:metal
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I know people poo-poo Beyond The Red Mirror but that's become my #2 Guardian record. I really can't wait to hear what they've cooked up this time. Glad we won't be waiting too long. Hopefully the end of 2020?
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I know people poo-poo Beyond The Red Mirror but that's become my #2 Guardian record.
It's got some great songs and some duds for me. The duds mostly being the big orchestral songs (Ashes of Eternity, Grand Parade). I hope Hansi and Andre got their orchestral stuff out on Legacy of the Dark Lands, and I hope this one rocks just a bit more. Definitely looking forward to this one (and to the subsequent tour!)
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I think Grand Parade is a bit overblown and bloated, but Ashes of Eternity freaking rocks. I would prefer more songs like The Throne or The Holy Grail on the next one though. Fingers crossed.
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I would prefer more songs like The Throne or The Holy Grail on the next one though. Fingers crossed.
I'm absolutely up for that, both great songs :metal
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I loved BG's evolution, I'll defend it to death and I consider At the Edge of Time one of their best albums. Still Red Mirror was to much even for me. Too smoke to even understand if there was actually the fire beneath it.
The aforementioned AtEoT was, for me, the perfect balance between the heavy stuff they became famous for, and the orchestral / prog influence of the latest records.
And yes, The Holy Grail kicks all kind of asses :metal
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I loved BG's evolution, I'll defend it to death and I consider At the Edge of Time one of their best albums. Still Red Mirror was to much even for me. Too smoke to even understand if there was actually the fire beneath it.
The aforementioned AtEoT was, for me, the perfect balance between the heavy stuff they became famous for, and the orchestral / prog influence of the latest records.
And yes, The Holy Grail kicks all kind of asses :metal
I agree with all of this. I'm definitely looking forward to the next BG traditional album and tour.
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Don't know what to listen to today?
Well, celebrate the 25th years anniversary of the release of IMAGINATIONS FROM THE OTHER SIDE, a landmark album in the history of Blind Guardian and modern heavy metal!!! :metal
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/5156DtLgDML._SX425_.jpg)
Released on this day in 1995!
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One of the greatest metal albums ever made. Ever. A true milestone for power metal; this album is an absolute force to be reckoned with.
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One of the greatest metal albums ever made. Ever. A true milestone for power metal; this album is an absolute force to be reckoned with.
Yea, it's their best album IMO and one of the best in the genre
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After all these years I’m surprised to say that Hansi is now one of my all time favorite singers. I say that because when picked up NIME as a blind buy (holy crap has it been over 20 years?), my first reaction to his voice was EW. I plowed through simply because the music was so good and have kept up with the band on and off ever since (I was a member of BGF before DTF).
But then when I listened to Ayreon The Source (without knowing he was in it) I immediately perked up to the fact that his voice cut through with so much soul and nuance. I just never really appreciated the uniqueness of his vocals until now. I guess I was deaf dumb and blind all this time. So when I listen to the BG discography now, it’s with new ears, and that’s a beautiful thing.
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After all these years I’m surprised to say that Hansi is now one of my all time favorite singers. I say that because when picked up NIME as a blind buy (holy crap has it been over 20 years?), my first reaction to his voice was EW. I plowed through simply because the music was so good and have kept up with the band on and off ever since (I was a member of BGF before DTF).
But then when I listened to Ayreon The Source (without knowing he was in it) I immediately perked up to the fact that his voice cut through with so much soul and nuance. I just never really appreciated the uniqueness of his vocals until now. I guess I was deaf dumb and blind all this time. So when I listen to the BG discography now, it’s with new ears, and that’s a beautiful thing.
01 actually did that for me. It got me into Blind Guardian based on Hansis voice alone.
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After all these years I’m surprised to say that Hansi is now one of my all time favorite singers. I say that because when picked up NIME as a blind buy (holy crap has it been over 20 years?), my first reaction to his voice was EW. I plowed through simply because the music was so good and have kept up with the band on and off ever since (I was a member of BGF before DTF).
But then when I listened to Ayreon The Source (without knowing he was in it) I immediately perked up to the fact that his voice cut through with so much soul and nuance. I just never really appreciated the uniqueness of his vocals until now. I guess I was deaf dumb and blind all this time. So when I listen to the BG discography now, it’s with new ears, and that’s a beautiful thing.
My friend couldn't get into BG because he didn't understand the love for Hansi... and then similarily, he heard the Avantasia song The Raven Child where Hansi sings, and he was like "whoa I never realized how good Handi is" :lol I even dragged him to a BG concert like 6 years ago and he wasn't into it at all. Yet had that revelation last year.
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In case you aren't paying attention to the live streaming thread and are available to watch live, BG is performing a live set virtually at Wacken World Wide https://wacken-world-wide.com/ (https://wacken-world-wide.com/)
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BTW, I didn't find any official and spread to the whole world announcement, but there are people out there who are sure that in the next tour - whose first dates are announced 13 months from now (mostly in Germany) - they will play Somewhere Far Beyond in its entirety. Must have been something told between the lines (like if it was not a huge m'f'k'n deal!!!) while the dates were being shown on the screen during the stream.
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I think Hansi's voice has actually got better as he gets older.
I don't know if it an improvement or just that he knows how to get the best out of himself, or the producer does.
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BTW, I didn't find any official and spread to the whole world announcement, but there are people out there who are sure that in the next tour - whose first dates are announced 13 months from now (mostly in Germany) - they will play Somewhere Far Beyond in its entirety. Must have been something told between the lines (like if it was not a huge m'f'k'n deal!!!) while the dates were being shown on the screen during the stream.
ASHES TO ASHES, YOU ALL WILL BE DUST AGAIN :2metal:
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I think Hansi's voice has actually got better as he gets older.
I don't know if it an improvement or just that he knows how to get the best out of himself, or the producer does.
Either he took singing lessons, or he learnt to self discipline himself.
There was a time back in the Twist in the Myth era where at their concerts I was thinking "do people ragging on James LaBrie ever heard Hansi live? they'd want to crucify him"... I worship the man, BG are one of my favorite band and I admire them and especially Hansi quite a lot, but you'd have to be deaf or the biggest stubborn fanboy to not notice how inconsistent and all over the place he was with his vocals. This changed for the better in the more recent tours and now, 10 years older, he's giving quite strong performances.
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I'm usually too invested in singing along during BG shows to notice Hansi's faults live, so I had a blast both during ATEOT and BTRM tours; last time I saw him live on Demons and Wizards tour though, he was amazing. Pretty much nailed all the vocal parts.
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Hansi had several rough periods and, thus far, each time he managed to bounce back. I think one of the reasons Blind Guardian takes large touring breaks is to keep periods of studio recording and touring seperate.
And I also think there are a couple of things that he does better than ever. Most notably is that his pitch is usually on point. Even in recent shows where his pitch is weaker, it is not to an extent it detracts from the show in my opinion (take the Hellfest Demons and Wizards vs Wacken, Wacken is better in that regard).
Also, compared to the classic era his English has greatly improved. I especially prefer the ballads nowadays because of that.
And in general he has gotten better with timing and emphasising words. It is something that many aging metal/rock vocalists struggle with and I really appreciate that Hansi does his best to convey words. Take the new song for example, I can make out most of the words clearly. And in regards to timing/emphasizing, I think Majesty on Live Beyond The Spheres vs Live (2003) is a good example (mostly minot differences, but I prefer the former, and offcourse that version is quicker).
And Demons and Wizards Wacken 2019 is probably one of my favourite Hansi live performances.
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New as yet unrecorded song, sounds pretty good too
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBieoMlzOEg&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR0LxD89iSDVQZPRPfks21gML4aHE3w_cjfnPFUWaarRNhvD5b2F8OUjf34
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I wonder how much the setlist was a necessity - playing "safe" songs for an almost improvised show - and how much was an attempt to win back some of the fans that weren't crazy about the orchestral album.
I mean, announcing a "speed metal" set, playing old and fast songs, playing a new fast songs.... maybe it was a way to say "Hey, remember all that stuff you liked about us before we embraced our more orchestral side? it's still there and there's new stuff like that coming!"
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I wonder how much the setlist was a necessity - playing "safe" songs for an almost improvised show - and how much was an attempt to win back some of the fans that weren't crazy about the orchestral album.
I mean, announcing a "speed metal" set, playing old and fast songs, playing a new fast songs.... maybe it was a way to say "Hey, remember all that stuff you liked about us before we embraced our more orchestral side? it's still there and there's new stuff like that coming!"
Probably a bit of that and also a bit of "we haven't played in awhile and just threw together a set of our most familiar songs, plus a new one to change it up"
I think it was a cool set overall though, going with all fast/heavy classics and a new song that fit in just fine. Also not being a full headline set, they could push themselves hard and just do all the heavy stuff. No need to slow it down for a song or two.
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I wouldn't mind a turn into a fast/heavy direction once more. BTRM was a bit too orchestral for my taste, and the actual orchestral album I only listened to once and didn't bother after that. BG can do orchestral stuff well (Sacred Worlds, Wheel of Time), but I wouldn't mind something in their earlier vein.
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I love the orchestral album and I still listen to it from time to time. I think that album has been almost killed by the interludes - having literally ever song broke up by an interlude slows down the momentum so much, and it doesn't help that only two people voice different characters. The no interludes version is almost a different album, more tight and more coherent.
It's not something worth 20 years of waiting, but it's good. Heck, probably not even Scenes from a Memory or The Dark Side of the Moon were worth a two decades wait. I had unrealistic expectations about this but overall I liked it.
I agree that Beyond the Red Mirror went overboard with the orchestral complexity (wouldn't surprise me if the album will be "dead" for future setlists, and skipped like A Night at the Opera), while on the other hand At the Edge of Time was fantastic, the perfect blend between orchestral stuff and the good ol' aggressive music of old.
I'd welcome too a more metal and speedy album, I'm confident they have enough talent to make it good and strong and not make their own version of Death Magnetic, AKA "so.... how it was this thing that we used to do back in the day? anyone remembers?"
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I think the new song can put to rest the idea they may have forgotten how to do the heavy fast stuff
I didn't even listen to the orchestral album and have no desire to.
I'd love them to do something similar to At The Edge of Time, that's one of their best albums IMO and definitely favorite in the last 25 years.
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Legacy of the Dark Lands is worth visiting at least once if you're a Blind Guardian fan. Even I'm not very crazy about it, but BTRM is my #2 Blind Guardian record, so I do love that side of the band.
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I love the orchestral album and I still listen to it from time to time. I think that album has been almost killed by the interludes - having literally ever song broke up by an interlude slows down the momentum so much, and it doesn't help that only two people voice different characters. The no interludes version is almost a different album, more tight and more coherent.
I agree that Beyond the Red Mirror went overboard with the orchestral complexity (wouldn't surprise me if the album will be "dead" for future setlists, and skipped like A Night at the Opera), while on the other hand At the Edge of Time was fantastic, the perfect blend between orchestral stuff and the good ol' aggressive music of old.
I should try that. I was definitely annoyed by the spoken interludes.
I think they were supposed to add The Throne on BTRM tour to their later setlists but it never happened, so I wouldn't be surprised if that song made the setlist on the next tour. I also think either Prophecies or Twilight will stay in the set maybe. For ANATO they were alternating And Then There Was Silence with IFTOS / And the Story Ends for the past two tours, and honestly it's a perfect representation of that album, so I'm fine with that.
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:lol
I was listening to this, and also doing other stuff. When I heard Violent Shadows, I thought it was an older Blind Guardian song.
it's really good though. And Hansi hits the high note again.
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I wish they'd play more ANATO songs, I don't think Ive seen any of those songs live yet. And while I didn't didn't love BTRM, those songs were pretty solid live.
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A Night At The Opera is my favorite Blind Guardian album. The one song that I would like to see live is Battlefield. I do see why they don't play it either.
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I'd love to see pretty much everything from ANATO, it's a fantastic album. Unfortunately unless I'm misremembering I've only seen ATTWS from it. Which was great.
What I really hope to see on the next tour is Imaginations from the Other Side (the song). They were rotating it last two tours, and first time I've got ATTWS, then, five years later, I've got And the Story Ends. Both times I went in knowing the setlists and hoping for Imaginations. :lol
In fact, if they once again come to Moscow and St. Petersburg, this time I may go and see them two times. They seem pretty good about rotating songs.
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To me it seems that another reason why they chose this setlist was that this concert had no crowd, so the band had to deliver the energy themselves. A series of dense speedmetal songs delivers on that front. Furthermore, all of these songs flow well with just Hansi and some minor background vocals by the band and they don't need background tracks to enhance them (like they do with Sacred Worlds, Ninth Wave, Wheel of Time).
One thing I wish for them to do live in general though: turn up those backing vocals a bit. They have four (!!!) other members singing and on some of the latest pro live releases (streams and the recent live album) you can barely hear them. Especially for the modern songs I feel this adds much, because there are many parts Hansi does not sing. You can hear from bootlegs/youtube vids the band sounds fine and in tune. Take the pro-shot Hellfest 2016, for example, you hear the backing vocals fairly well here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nTTgbb0I4E (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nTTgbb0I4E). And, again, they sound fine, nothing that warrants drowning it in the mix to my ears.
I love the orchestral album and I still listen to it from time to time. I think that album has been almost killed by the interludes - having literally ever song broke up by an interlude slows down the momentum so much, and it doesn't help that only two people voice different characters. The no interludes version is almost a different album, more tight and more coherent.
It's not something worth 20 years of waiting, but it's good. Heck, probably not even Scenes from a Memory or The Dark Side of the Moon were worth a two decades wait. I had unrealistic expectations about this but overall I liked it.
I agree that Beyond the Red Mirror went overboard with the orchestral complexity (wouldn't surprise me if the album will be "dead" for future setlists, and skipped like A Night at the Opera), while on the other hand At the Edge of Time was fantastic, the perfect blend between orchestral stuff and the good ol' aggressive music of old.
I'd welcome too a more metal and speedy album, I'm confident they have enough talent to make it good and strong and not make their own version of Death Magnetic, AKA "so.... how it was this thing that we used to do back in the day? anyone remembers?"
I love the orchestral album as well. Also, that album seems to be labelled as Blind Guardian Twilight Orchestra, rather than Blind Guardian. Even on streaming services the album is listed under a seperate artist's page.
New as yet unrecorded song, sounds pretty good too
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBieoMlzOEg&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR0LxD89iSDVQZPRPfks21gML4aHE3w_cjfnPFUWaarRNhvD5b2F8OUjf34
I really like it. I also enjoy that it seems to be a chorus where it is just Hansi singing and it flows really well (that applies to the whole song). I would actually enjoy them not taking the overdub/choir route here in the studio.
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Seeing how they have taken the orchestral thing as far as they can, I am almost expecting a return to the fast and raw sound of the earlier albums.
Red Mirror is actually a good album with great songs, it's spoilt by CB terrible mix that sucks the life out of the energy and dynamic's of the music.
I hope that band look for someone else to produce/mix/master their next release and that Charlie doesn't butcher the new Helloween record that he is working on.
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Paging Firewings/Walrus/Kattlelox/whatever your name is today:
Today, metal masters Blind Guardian kick off the pre-order for the special 25th anniversary edition of their Imaginations From The Other Side album. This edition will contain live recordings and other special versions of the Blind Guardian classics featured on the album.
Hansi Kürsch comments: "What can I say? A brilliant album celebrates its 25th anniversary. It is great to celebrate this in such a bombastic manner. Luckily we filmed our 2016 show in Oberhausen when we performed the entire album live. This is the perfect moment for us to present this master piece in so many different facets. An ideal resurrection of precious memories long gone by, but not, yet, forgotten. This album is made for eternity... I hope. Enjoy."
Imaginations From The Other Side 25th anniversary edition will be available in the following formats:
- CD
- Earbook (40p Earbook LiveCD, RemixedCD, original instrumental/demos CD, Blu-ray - limited to 2000)
- CD-Boxset (Box incl. 40p Earbook (LiveCD, RemixedCD, original instrumental/demos CD, Blu-ray) + puzzle - limited to 1000)
- 2LP Black Vinyl
- 2LP Picture Vinyl (limited to 1000)
- 2LP Burgundy Vinyl (limited to 500)
- 2LP Pearl White Vinyl (limited to 500)
- 2LP Bronze Vinyl - Band Exclusive (limited to 300)
https://shop.nuclearblast.com/en/shop/item/groups/51000.1.html?article_group_sort_type_handle=rank&custom_keywords=blind%20guardian
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(https://i.imgur.com/1wGbMcg.gif)
BRUH YES SOLD
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I love this...but I don't want to pay $70 for a box set, just to get the live blu ray. Hopefully that's included with the regular cd.
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That puzzle looks really intriguing...
But I'll have to go with the earbook.
Good thing I put off buying this album for as long as I have.
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Pre-ordered the entire box, Blind Guardian is one of those bands where I am fine ordering the full package. And in case of this album I know it is a masterpiece.
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I decided to get the $70 box, plus $30 shipping to Australia, ended up cost me close to AU$150, which is a lot, but I thought why not?
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Also ordered the bronze vinyl edition on their own merch site, which will be signed by the band.
For the vinyl guys like me, this version consists of the live tracks and the demo's, so it is not just a reissue of the recent vinyl reissues.
Thankfully, for me shipping only costs a couple of euros because I live next to Germany.
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Oh shit, I didn't realize there was a live blu-ray available with this under certain editions... ugh hate how this gets bundled to make you spend the money but I want it.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLVh18LYxbg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLVh18LYxbg)
New live video from the upcoming release of Bright Eyes
:metal :metal
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLVh18LYxbg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLVh18LYxbg)
New live video from the upcoming release of Bright Eyes
:metal :metal
Jesus, that was pretty disappointing.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLVh18LYxbg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLVh18LYxbg)
New live video from the upcoming release of Bright Eyes
:metal :metal
Jesus, that was pretty disappointing.
Here's the new live video for Born in the Mourning Hall, bet you'll like this one more Kade
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USSvuIyhzrU
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:metal :lol
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:lol
No seriously, did we not find the performance in that vid pretty underwhelming?
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:lol
No seriously, did we not find the performance in that vid pretty underwhelming?
Hansi's first scream isn't that good, otherwise, I find it pretty solid. He's a bit low in the mix, but I think his vocals are much better as the song goes on. Band seems fine. The lighting is SHIT though. Way too dark.
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:lol
No seriously, did we not find the performance in that vid pretty underwhelming?
Hansi's first scream isn't that good, otherwise, I find it pretty solid. He's a bit low in the mix, but I think his vocals are much better as the song goes on. Band seems fine. The lighting is SHIT though. Way too dark.
I thought his vocals were awful. Seems to sing too much in a lower octave and seems a bit shaky. Lead guitar sounds a bit out of tune too.
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:lol
No seriously, did we not find the performance in that vid pretty underwhelming?
Hansi's first scream isn't that good, otherwise, I find it pretty solid. He's a bit low in the mix, but I think his vocals are much better as the song goes on. Band seems fine. The lighting is SHIT though. Way too dark.
I thought his vocals were awful. Seems to sing too much in a lower octave and seems a bit shaky. Lead guitar sounds a bit out of tune too.
As one of the comments say "I appreciate when a band isn't fear to show how they sound in live. Respect! \m/" It's not perfect, but it actually feels and sounds live which I can enjoy more than say DT's current live release that sounds completely fake. I think Hansi's vocals aren't the best. Certainly not awful though, but I think that's why he's a little lower than I'd hope in the mix.
Also, I don't know this, but I wonder if this was a rushed live release to include on the remaster and hence it's not the best live album. More like an "official bootleg" type quality. It definitely looks and sounds more raw. I can dig it. I already preordered the bundle that included the blu-ray so I'm looking forward to it. Personally, Bright Eyes isn't a top song from the album for me so I'm curious how my favorites sound.
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Bright Eyes I suppose was always one of those special studio songs for me that always was difficult to replicate live. I'll give more songs a chance though when they are released.
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Bright Eyes I suppose was always one of those special studio songs for me that always was difficult to replicate live. I'll give more songs a chance though when they are released.
I feel like a lot of BG's songs are
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Bright Eyes I suppose was always one of those special studio songs for me that always was difficult to replicate live. I'll give more songs a chance though when they are released.
I feel like a lot of BG's songs are
That's true.
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Bright Eyes I suppose was always one of those special studio songs for me that always was difficult to replicate live. I'll give more songs a chance though when they are released.
I feel like a lot of BG's songs are
That's true.
Yup...It would be so fun to hear Battlefield live, but that is one that would be hard for them too, with all those layers.
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Christmast song! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug2lRwdqubE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug2lRwdqubE) Sounds like something they'd do in the early 90's
, even has Hansi playing the bass (edit: only holding the bass). I unironically like it a lot. Fun little retrostyle clip as well.
Furthermore, a fairly recent studio report from Hansi: https://metal-sound.net/2020/10/22/blind-guardian-studio-report/ (https://metal-sound.net/2020/10/22/blind-guardian-studio-report/). Seems like we can expect a heavier/faster album less focused on orchestra's this time around.
A quote from the interview:
These songs are quite heavy, very fast and I would say this is the direction we have taken. Very early during the song-writing we decided not to go into more orchestral direction and it turned out very obvious for us that we do not want to go into a more progressive direction and that it would not do any good for us at the moment. So, we kept ourselves focused on intense song-writing, very melodic as well and still its new song-writing.
They are also currently reacting to the fanmade covers for the recent contest, which they upload as reaction videos on youtube.
And the boxset/earbook looks really nice, received it a couple of days ago. I like the type of (new) art they went with. See the unboxing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StpYCs-AaKc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StpYCs-AaKc)
And I ordered tickets for the Somewhere Far Beyond show in the Netherlands, which is the start of their 2021 tour. I am feeling positive about the end of june. :metal
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Wait, June? I thought the only dates were the German ones in September/October.
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Wait, June? I thought the only dates were the German ones in September/October.
As has been a tradition for many of their previous tours, they will do the first show in The Netherlands, close to the border.
In this case labeled as the warmup show, for 20 euros. But yes for the time being the tour is mostly Germany.
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I'd love to get to see them again... I am waiting for my box set with the blu-ray concert.
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Yeah, I am looking forward to the concert very much. It will be their first full live concert performance since 2016 (?) and likely my first concert in well over a year (unless Nightwish in ziggodome is not cancelled).
I'd love to get to see them again... I am waiting for my box set with the blu-ray concert.
I unfortunately need to warn you it really is more of a bonus consisting of the Imaginations album. Still nice seeing them and I enjoy the performances, but do not expect something like the Looking Glass. The earbook as a package is most definitely worth it though, overall a very nice edition of one of the best powermetal albums. You can see Hansi showing the book in the unboxing vid last page. I am quite happy that they did not went for the Machado art they were using for like a decade.
It is also already sold out at all the official shops, I believe the earbook was limited as well? (the boxset for sure, it is numbered).
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I'd love to get to see them again... I am waiting for my box set with the blu-ray concert.
I unfortunately need to warn you it really is more of a bonus consisting of the Imaginations album. Still nice seeing them and I enjoy the performances, but do not expect something like the Looking Glass. The earbook as a package is most definitely worth it though, overall a very nice edition of one of the best powermetal albums. You can see Hansi showing the book in the unboxing vid last page. I am quite happy that they did not went for the Machado art they were using for like a decade.
It is also already sold out at all the official shops, I believe the earbook was limited as well? (the boxset for sure, it is numbered).
Well if it's similar quality to the video of Bright Eyes they put on youtube to promote this, I will be happy. I know wolfking might not, but it set my expectations. Being its a bonus, I really didn't expect Looking Glass or really any modern normal release video quality. But I did still want the live release because I enjoy watching concerts.
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My Earbook of Imaginations From The Other Side has finally shipped and was delivered today. After I emailed Nuclear Blast telling them I hadn't received my order, they replied that pre-orders were stuck in customs, and once they reopened they processed all those orders and shipped them out.
It is a really amazing and durable Earbook. I think it's one of the best and durable ones I have ever gotten. It's smooth, glossy, and really shiny.
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What is an Earbook?
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What is an Earbook?
Stadler asked the same question in the LTE thread. Link to his post and then read several follow-ups. They explain it.
https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=55999.msg2739120#msg2739120
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OK, well I can figure out what an artbook is. But Ben said Ear Book, and I had no idea what that meant. Is that slang for art book?
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OK, well I can figure out what an artbook is. But Ben said Ear Book, and I had no idea what that meant. Is that slang for art book?
It is labelled as an Ear Book. Art Book and Ear Book are pretty much the same thing. I am thinking though, if Ear Book is referencing that the liner notes have words like Interviews or perceptions of the album, and Art Book is just the Art and lyrics?
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Same thing, big overpriced CD that looks like a vinyl sleeve.
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Earbooks are usually 40-something euro's here, which I think is a good price if it is a proper one.
And yes the Imaginations earbook as well as the boxset are very well made. Here is Hansi showing(selling :P) it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StpYCs-AaKc&t=240s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StpYCs-AaKc&t=240s) I like the artists they went with, they did a good job.
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and he's wearing a Dead Kennedy's tshirt, maybe just to piss off Jon Schaffer? :lol
now where is my earbook...
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and he's wearing a Dead Kennedy's tshirt, maybe just to piss off Jon Schaffer? :lol
now where is my earbook...
If you ordered from Nuclear Blast, I would email them. I think emailing helped get my package out faster, :lol. I emailed on the 6th, then got a automated reply back with the message of them being closed, and their stock coming in on the 4th when they opened. On my invoice, they sent it out the next day on the 7th. I sent them my name and order number, that is actually the only time I ever emailed about not receiving my package. Well, other then the IndieGoGo that was a marketing ploy, and never got my cd.
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Yea, I just wrote them an email. Let's see. I accidentally deleted my order confirmation email but since I used paypal, it has all the invoice details saved so they should be able to track it.
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Yea, I just wrote them an email. Let's see. I accidentally deleted my order confirmation email but since I used paypal, it has all the invoice details saved so they should be able to track it.
The only problem I have with the packaging is how the Disks are kept in place. They're a squishy stuff and I had to fiddle with it a bit to make sure they're placed in tight. My Disc 1 (Live) was scratched when I took it out, but amazingly, it ripped without a hitch, but then it wasn't really too bad either.
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Yea, I just wrote them an email. Let's see. I accidentally deleted my order confirmation email but since I used paypal, it has all the invoice details saved so they should be able to track it.
The only problem I have with the packaging is how the Disks are kept in place. They're a squishy stuff and I had to fiddle with it a bit to make sure they're placed in tight. My Disc 1 (Live) was scratched when I took it out, but amazingly, it ripped without a hitch, but then it wasn't really too bad either.
That's really annoying. My DT artbook is almost the opposite, it's actually quite hard to get the discs out, but at least I know they are secure so I'd rather that.
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Yea, I just wrote them an email. Let's see. I accidentally deleted my order confirmation email but since I used paypal, it has all the invoice details saved so they should be able to track it.
The only problem I have with the packaging is how the Disks are kept in place. They're a squishy stuff and I had to fiddle with it a bit to make sure they're placed in tight. My Disc 1 (Live) was scratched when I took it out, but amazingly, it ripped without a hitch, but then it wasn't really too bad either.
That's really annoying. My DT artbook is almost the opposite, it's actually quite hard to get the discs out, but at least I know they are secure so I'd rather that.
I know. I was all, ooo pretty and then opened and saw those squishy things and went, Oh...hope the discs are ok. You'll know what I mean when you get it.
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Well it only took almost 2 full weeks to respond to my email :facepalm: and it looks like I got the exact same canned response as you Ben:
We're very sorry for the delay with your order. We had just received our import shipments later than expected (At the end of last week) I do see that your order was pulled, so you should be receiving a shipping notification within the next 24 hours.
But considering what you wrote two weeks ago, it seems like they are waiting for the complaints before shipping them out. I fucking HATE buying products direct. Customer service is such trash with these companies. Too bad some releases never make their way to amazon.
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Well it only took almost 2 full weeks to respond to my email :facepalm: and it looks like I got the exact same canned response as you Ben:
We're very sorry for the delay with your order. We had just received our import shipments later than expected (At the end of last week) I do see that your order was pulled, so you should be receiving a shipping notification within the next 24 hours.
But considering what you wrote two weeks ago, it seems like they are waiting for the complaints before shipping them out. I fucking HATE buying products direct. Customer service is such trash with these companies. Too bad some releases never make their way to amazon.
:lol
That email sounds about right.
Yeah, I haven't ordered from Nuclear Blast in a while. And this is one reason why.
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Damn, that sucks, my experience with Nuclear Blast Germany has been good, with customer service as well, though I had to delve through some German.
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(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EtrKtBIXAAETnyv?format=jpg&name=large)
Got it a couple days ago, finally. These artbooks are beautiful, very well done package. I haven't listened to any of the CDs, but watched the blu ray last night. I'd say the Bright Eyes video is one of the better songs from it from a video perspective. SOme of these songs are not shot very well IMO. The audio is decent, nothing to say is really good and not bad to complain about. It's live and raw. I just think some of the camera shots are off, but otherwise it's pretty damn cool. I can see why it's like a more rare release because of the quality, but it's pretty awesome to have. My only real complaint is Nuclear Blast's communication.
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Anyone following the Imaginations Song Contest?
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeB8j809B_K8AlzbNxMqSfoAuPi9cxHb5xVs4m850a0FGiewA/viewform
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Heads up for the vinyl lovers, they apparently cleaned out some attics (or something) and are/were selling some rare old stuff on their merch sites. As well as signed newer rereleases.
They promised fair prices on facebook and they weren't lying, no markups for autographs and some rare items the same price as a regular new release. I ordered the 1998 Nightfall picture disc signed by the original members along with the recent Tokyo tales remastered on vinyl signed by the original lineup and A Twist in The Myth clear vinyl (2011 release) signed by the new(er) lineup.
Unfortunately (or luckily?) I was too late for some of the other goodies, because I would've easily bought it all :lol
I only hate I missed out on At The Edge of Time, as I do not own that one on vinyl (yet).
Anyone following the Imaginations Song Contest?
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeB8j809B_K8AlzbNxMqSfoAuPi9cxHb5xVs4m850a0FGiewA/viewform
I watched some of the more viewed ones and there were some quality acts among them.
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Sucks that it wont ship to the US, I would have picked up some signed CDs.
As of now, I have a signed ticket stub from Hansi, but it's also signed by Jon Schaffer sooo I'd totally buy a signed CD or two from BG. I had a couple in my shopping cart before I realized they won't ship to the US.
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Sucks that it wont ship to the US, I would have picked up some signed CDs.
As of now, I have a signed ticket stub from Hansi, but it's also signed by Jon Schaffer sooo I'd totally buy a signed CD or two from BG. I had a couple in my shopping cart before I realized they won't ship to the US.
That sucks, but it does seem they have other items, including CD's, signed in the US shop (at the Blind Guardian website you get the option for an NA or EU. The one they linked on facebook was the EU one (in a German post).
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and the US shop is all sold out, I wish I knew that earlier. Oh well.
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So this is a surprise. BG completed mixing on their new album. Of course, I had no idea they were even in the studio.
https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/blind-guardian-completes-recording-very-aggressive-and-very-dark-new-album-it-is-a-roller-coaster-ride/
BLIND GUARDIAN frontman Hansi Kürsch spoke to Sakis Fragos of Rock Hard Greece about the progress of the recording sessions for the band's next studio album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "As of today, we finally decided who's going to do the mastering, which means we have finished the mixing. And I wanna hand in at least the audio stuff to the record company within the next two weeks."
As for the musical direction of BLIND GUARDIAN's new material, Hansi said: "It is by far the most intense album we did in a very, very long time. It is, in every measure, a roller-coaster ride. There is a lot of let-your-hair-down stuff — more than I expected. There are some typical surprising BLIND GUARDIAN elements.
"I'm just curious to see, really, or to hear what people will think about it. I think it's a very, very strong album. It will surprise a lot of people.
"It is straight-forward in the sense of BLIND GUARDIAN, so don't expect a straight-forward album if you compare it to anything else," he explained. "It's not a straight-forward album at all, but it's very straight-forward for BLIND GUARDIAN. It's very aggressive, it's very dark.
"The composing mostly has been accomplished before corona started to happen, but you can feel that there is a lot of anger in the album. It really delivers also very catchy and positive vibes, but there is a very raw energy you will feel."
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This isn't much of a surprise since they played a new song last summer
https://youtu.be/oBieoMlzOEg?t=437 (https://youtu.be/oBieoMlzOEg?t=437)
but the description sounds like a bit of a surpise given their last few releases... but then again, the new song Violent Shadows (linked above) kind of feels like that description :metal
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Not feeling Violent Shadows. Didn't like the last album either.
I've been listening to A Night at the Opera a lot lately, minus 2 songs: Minstrel Knight and False Innocence. Never been a fan a fan of either, but the rest of the album is brilliant. It used to give me a headache, but the headphones I use at work make it sound amazing, and the kick drums sound so good. I don't really like in ear buds, but love the booming bass they produce. Imaginations, Nightfall and Opera and an incredible 3 album run. I wish I liked the two songs I mentioned more.
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Yeah, I thought the last real BG album was awful. Didn't even check out the orchestral thing. Interested by the description of this new one though.
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While I'm more than happy with BG's evolution and I never wanted another Imaginations, I think they took the orchestral approach as far as they could and if there's a band that can pull off a convincing and not corny "back to the roots" album, it's them.
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I like the orchestral album and Beyond the Red Mirror, but I think the direction they are aiming for is a good thing for sure. Violent Shadows live is a great track and I think it fits the desciption of the album well, so here is hoping for more of that.
And I feel like Holy Grail and Tanelorn (into the void) are good examples of modern BG writing old(er) school songs.
The new album is mixed by Joost van den Broek. I hope it sounds better than the majority of BG's albums, which should be possible.
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And I feel like Holy Grail and Tanelorn (into the void) are good examples of modern BG writing old(er) school songs.
Yeah, Holy Grail is great.
More generally, I thought At the Edge of Time was the perfect bland between their old school power metal fast roots, and the orchestral embellishments, the perfect balance between old and new.
Red Mirror was "too much" even for me. I applaud them for doing what they want to do but I never really clicked with that album.
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I would agree, except I kind of feel the same about Edge of Time too. You are right it's not quite as "extreme" in its over-arranging, but still. You can tell that are doing what they want and stand behind it, but I'm having some trouble remembering stuff from their last two albums (which I admittedly haven't spent as much time with as their older ones).
I do enjoy A Twist in the Myth quite a bit.
My favorite BG is Imaginations, followed by Tales from The Twilight World, then Somewhere Far Beyond and Nightfall close behind...
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The new album is mixed by Joost van den Broek. I hope it sounds better than the majority of BG's albums, which should be possible.
That's good to hear. Joost has really impressed me with his production and mixing talents the last several years. I have no complaints regarding his work.
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More generally, I thought At the Edge of Time was the perfect bland between their old school power metal fast roots, and the orchestral embellishments, the perfect balance between old and new.
At the Edge of Time was the perfect blend, and Beyond the Red Mirror was the perfect bland. :neverusethis:
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The Traveller's Guide remix of ANATO is pretty damn good. I remember not liking it when it first came out, but it's quite good. I still like how the kick drums sound on the old mix more, but everything is so clear on the remix. That omitted line in Precious Jerusalem doesn't bother either. Why did they take that out again?
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I personally think ANATO sounds so bad that most changes would/will result in a better sound. The remix is a lot more tolerable to me. I do agree the drums on the original mix sound massive and satisfying though.
The new album is mixed by Joost van den Broek. I hope it sounds better than the majority of BG's albums, which should be possible.
That's good to hear. Joost has really impressed me with his production and mixing talents the last several years. I have no complaints regarding his work.
He did the Christmas single (recording, mixing etc.), which sounded pretty good to me.
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Also, as part of the Slay at Home corona online events, Hansi did a cover of Rainbow's Kill the King recently, along with members of other bands.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8blDpOIJeMg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8blDpOIJeMg)
Totally missed this, sounds nice.
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I never had an issue with the sound on ANATO. Never heard the remix.
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More generally, I thought At the Edge of Time was the perfect bland between their old school power metal fast roots, and the orchestral embellishments, the perfect balance between old and new.
At the Edge of Time was the perfect blend, and Beyond the Red Mirror was the perfect bland. :neverusethis:
Kind of agree with this. AtEoT is maybe my 2nd favorite BG album. It's really good and the best of their modern albums easily. Red Mirror... well, they just kind of missed on this one. There's some good songs and decent moments, but bland definitely describes it overall.
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I think Edge is really good, but with several bland or skippable songs but Red Mirror was pretty good overall. Production, like all Guardian albums for the last 20 years needs a lot of work but I thought it was as good as anything they've done. Production-wise, anything is better than the hot mess that is Opera. Speaking of Red Mirror, on Spotify, why is arguably the best song on that album the only one unavailable to listen to (The Throne)?
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Johan van Stratum is their new bassist (from Stream of Passion and Ayreon). Technically that probably means he is a "session musician", as all other bass players post Hansi were. I wonder if he already was the recorded bass player for the new album.
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Single from the new album out on 12/3. The album will be out in September. Yes, September. :tdwn
https://bravewords.com/news/blind-guardian-announce-new-single-deliver-us-from-evil-new-album-due-in-september
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Wait, what :lol Why even release a single in december?
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Nooo, just saw that the concert next week in The Netherlands has been postponed to June 2022 :-\
I imagine this sucks super hard for the band as well, especially since they did not tour for several years prior to covid hit.
Anyways, I ordered the 7" single from their webstore, also to support the band.
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Single from the new album out on 12/3. The album will be out in September. Yes, September. :tdwn
https://bravewords.com/news/blind-guardian-announce-new-single-deliver-us-from-evil-new-album-due-in-september
And people bitched about the length of time between The Alien and AVFTTOTW's release! :lol
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September!!!! :rollin
Just around the corner lads, nothing to fear. :lol
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Single from the new album out on 12/3. The album will be out in September. Yes, September. :tdwn
https://bravewords.com/news/blind-guardian-announce-new-single-deliver-us-from-evil-new-album-due-in-september
And people bitched about the length of time between The Alien and AVFTTOTW's release! :lol
Shame DT wasn't put off until next September. :biggrin:
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(https://c.tenor.com/l13JZBBUHIIAAAAC/oh-wow.gif)
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:biggrin: :lol
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Is the new single going to be Violent Shadows?
Geeze they performed a new song at Wacken 2020 virtual concert and the new album won't come out until over 2 years later?
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Is the new single going to be Violent Shadows?
Nope, Deliver Us From Evil
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Is the new single going to be Violent Shadows?
Nope, Deliver Us From Evil
Nice, but still odd to release songs so far out. Whatever, I am excited for it.
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Is the new single going to be Violent Shadows?
Nope, Deliver Us From Evil
Nice, but still odd to release songs so far out. Whatever, I am excited for it.
The live version from Wacken will be on the single release.
We know as BG fans that we are used to being very patient :)
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Single is here
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=d1mkqz422lg (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=d1mkqz422lg)
Sounds like an evolved version of early 90's Blind Guardian. If this and Voilent Shadows are representative of the new album, it will be well worth the wait for me :metal
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Totally forgot this was being released, great to hear some riffage back in BG and an old school sound harking back to the 1990's.
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Damn, that's some old school sounding BG. Surprisingly good.
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Definitely like the two songs so far, gives hope for a good return to top form BG
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Listened once. Sounded like a B side from At the Edge of Time, but not a good one.
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So...I finally got around to listening to the live 'Imaginations' disc, even bought the CD, even though I have the box set and vinyl :metal
Massively impressed with how good sonically it sounds and how great the band's performance is.
It sound so alive and dynamic, something I can't say about the terrible live 'Spheres' set.
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New single!
Secrets Of The American Gods (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReaFJ_MD2cs)
:metal :metal
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Wow I was surprised how good this sounded, even CB production sounds decent and you can actually hear the drums in the mix too :yarr
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Yeah it sounds good! Hansi's voice is clear and not layered to death and you can hear all bad members well. Solid midtempo track. As much as I enjoy modern Blind Guardian, it was about time we got an album that feels like a band playing. Artwork looks nice too, hopefully the album will have good art as well.
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Between this and the song they did a couple summers ago, I'm pretty excited for the album. Good songs, good production... and Hansi!
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I've abstained from the new tracks, but it was mentioned earlier that Joost van den Broek mixed the album so I had no concerns on the sound. Sounds like I was right based on comments.
Joost's work has not disappointed me on any of the albums he has produced/mixed. He's really become a great engineer.
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Amazing track! love at first listening :metal
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Great song. Can't wait to hear the full version.
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I've abstained from the new tracks, but it was mentioned earlier that Joost van den Broek mixed the album so I had no concerns on the sound. Sounds like I was right based on comments.
Joost's work has not disappointed me on any of the albums he has produced/mixed. He's really become a great engineer.
Anything that Karl Rudolf Bauerfeind is involved with worries me, but so far so good...
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Eh, I haven't been able to get into newer BG. This song did nothing for me.
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New song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCzE9LX8cgc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCzE9LX8cgc) :metal It's a fast one.
Album will arrive in september.
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Indeed, here's the cover art and the tracklist for THE GOD MACHINE:
(https://metalitalia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/blind-guardian-the-god-machine-2022-700x700.jpg)
1. Deliver Us from Evil (5:22)
2. Damnation (5:21)
3. Secrets of the American Gods (7:29)
4. Violent Shadows (4:18)
5. Life Beyond the Spheres (6:03)
6. Architects of Doom (6:21)
7. Let It Be No More (4:49)
8. Blood of the Elves (4:38)
9. Destiny (6:47)
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Good song
Shaping up to be a better album than Beyond the Red Mirror, looking forward to September 2nd
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Song was good indeed, but I guess I'll try to forget about it. I didn't even go back to Secrets of the American Gods which I loved.
I understand that the market has changed and you need Spotify numbers and YouTube hits but can I say I find a bit annoying and "depressing" how this album has been drawn out? We got a live song at a Wacken show, and that's ok. Then a "single" ONE FRIGGIN' year before the album was meant to come out. Then after several months another song, and now this one with the announcement of the album for when summer is basically over.
It's a 9 songs album, but if you listen intensively to the released songs, it will basically feel like a compilation album with 5 new songs, and four of the songs you've already heard over the course of an year.
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Yeah, I'm not a fan of this release timeline. I wonder how much of that may have been impacted by covid. I haven't gone back to listen to these songs either, I enjoyed them on first listen, maybe two, but I don't want to spoil the whole album when the release is far away.
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Love the new song, I'll listen a couple of times and then that is it to the album.
Call old fashioned, old school or a dinosaur, but I'll wait for full album to drop to get the full experience and not OD
on all the pre-release songs.
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Song was good indeed, but I guess I'll try to forget about it. I didn't even go back to Secrets of the American Gods which I loved.
I understand that the market has changed and you need Spotify numbers and YouTube hits but can I say I find a bit annoying and "depressing" how this album has been drawn out? We got a live song at a Wacken show, and that's ok. Then a "single" ONE FRIGGIN' year before the album was meant to come out. Then after several months another song, and now this one with the announcement of the album for when summer is basically over.
It's a 9 songs album, but if you listen intensively to the released songs, it will basically feel like a compilation album with 5 new songs, and four of the songs you've already heard over the course of an year.
I agree that the release schedule is odd, I assume covid influenced their planning and they wanted to have some form of output during the pandemic.
The live single wasn't a bad decision to me, it was nice to do a new song live in that setting. I wonder how different the album version will be.
Deliver Us From Evil in december was just odd.
That said, the material thus far has been really great in my opinion. Pre-ordered the boxset ;D
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Yes the pre-order conundrum?
I'm not going to tie my money up for three months, then wait weeks after its release to arrive ;D
My local record shop will stock it and I'll get the Earbook, picture vinyl and Japanese version if there are any exclusive bonus tracks.
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It does sound like we are getting a rare studio Blind Guardian record that does not sound weird/off in terms of sound production.
Yes the pre-order conundrum?
I'm not going to tie my money up for three months, then wait weeks after its release to arrive ;D
My local record shop will stock it and I'll get the Earbook, picture vinyl and Japanese version if there are any exclusive bonus tracks.
Spent way too much money ;D went for the box on Nuclear Blast and a vinyl/earbook via the band's own webshop.
But in the Netherlands I can atleast expect it at release I think.
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The art is awesome and it's about damn time for something that isn't dark. I would like more light colors in metal album art along these lines.
This seems like a really short album. I'm not a fan of the release timeline either and the longest song was a single that I'm still not impressed with. Beyond the Red Mirror is one of my favorite BG albums but this one seems like it could be something of a departure from the last couple of albums. I'm intrigued and wonder how it will sound.
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BG Facebook page is broadcasting live their Rockpalast show right now...
Hansi sounds mazing :metal
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Just watched the stream on youtube, great performance!
https://youtube.com/watch?v=J3l5YNUb3qI (https://youtube.com/watch?v=J3l5YNUb3qI)
They played Somewhere Far Beyond (the album) in its entirety! So by the nature of this setlist you get some live rarities. Other songs were some 90's classics. No modern or new song was played. Wasn't expecting this at a festival set, but it worked really well. The sound is clear too, I can hear the entire band in all it's glory. Good crowd as well.
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Today is my day! after having seen BG in 2019 perform Imaginations from the Other Side in full, I'm gonna witness them play the entire Somewhere Far Beyond :metal
Can't wait, off the top of my head that album was criminally ignored during their tours, aside from The Bard's song, I don't even remember if I ever heard Time what is Time live (one of my favorite songs from them), and I had to go in Germany to their Open Air to hear Somewhere Far Beyond (the song).
Seeing Imaginations live with friends was a blast but I've heard all those songs too many times, hearing in the same gig Theatre of Pain, Ashes to Ashes, The Quest for Tanelorn and obviously the rest (especially the first two tracks and the title track) will be a worthwhile experience :metal :metal :metal
Pity that the festival I'm attending (in an actual castle) has a weird bill, today I get Mercyul Fate and Venom, tomorrow I won't be there and I will miss Priest and Saxon.... you'd figure that BG would go along better with Priest and Saxon...
Anyway, today I'm gonna see again live one of my favorite bands :metal
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Today is my day! after having seen BG in 2019 perform Imaginations from the Other Side in full, I'm gonna witness them play the entire Somewhere Far Beyond :metal
Can't wait, off the top of my head that album was criminally ignored during their tours, aside from The Bard's song, I don't even remember if I ever heard Time what is Time live (one of my favorite songs from them), and I had to go in Germany to their Open Air to hear Somewhere Far Beyond (the song).
Seeing Imaginations live with friends was a blast but I've heard all those songs too many times, hearing in the same gig Theatre of Pain, Ashes to Ashes, The Quest for Tanelorn and obviously the rest (especially the first two tracks and the title track) will be a worthwhile experience :metal :metal :metal
Pity that the festival I'm attending (in an actual castle) has a weird bill, today I get Mercyul Fate and Venom, tomorrow I won't be there and I will miss Priest and Saxon.... you'd figure that BG would go along better with Priest and Saxon...
Anyway, today I'm gonna see again live one of my favorite bands :metal
Nice!
I really hope to finally catch them again later this year. Still have tickets from their "tryout" show of this tour from way back. I wonder if that will just be their new album tour (I don't mind either way).
Also, there will be a Hellfest stream this sunday ;D
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I'd love to see them play Somewhere Far Beyond in full. When I saw the Imaginations tour in 2016, they played Time What is Time, which was a big surprise. And of course, The Bard's Song.
Have fun! :metal
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What festival is this OOC? I'm so jealous of all the awesome European metal festivals. Have fun! I'm sure it will be good and I can't wait for them to come back to the states
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This is the link to the upcoming Hellfest stream this sunday:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq8T0QWpGA0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq8T0QWpGA0)
I doubt it will top Rock Hard, the stars aligned for that one (I hope they will do a release of it, like they did with the full Imaginations set).
Hellfest has overall been killing it this year. Many high quality streams that looked and sounded good. And by having two weekends they have a lot of material.
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And I've come back!!! man, what a show!!! :metal :heart
Hansi is like a good wine, he improves with age. His live performance has vastly improved since 10-15 years ago. I guess he took singing lessons, or changed singing coach, anyway, he was amazing and so was the whole band!!!
They were second in the bill before Mercyful Fate so they couldn't play forever, setlist was:
War of Wrath
Into the Storm
Welcome to Dying
SOMEWHERE FAR BEYOND ENTIRE ALBUM
Mirror Mirror
Valhalla
It's funny 'cause BG are one of those bands that I listen since forever so they fall in the category "I don't listen to the old studio albums anymore, but I still know all the songs anyway". During the second song I couldn't remember at the moment how it went, then from muscle memory I remembered it and sang along, like "ah, yeah, that's how this song goes" :lol
Somewhere Far Beyond the album was amazing, as I said not only I got to hear one of their best albums ever, I got the added bonus of hearing songs I rarely, if ever, heard from them!!! every song came out with fully energy and, even if I finally started again to see concerts, finally being at a proper festival, even moreso in a cool kickass location like the actual courtyard of an actual castle (check a public photo from the FB page of the festival (https://www.facebook.com/rockthecastleofficial/photos/1063424187609182)), brought me immense joy.... and a fountain of tears during The Bard's Song :lol
Mirror Mirror obviously was a huge riot, and usually it's the last song so I was so glad, as I was hoping and guessing, that we could get an extra song, and especially Valhalla. I can't remember the last time I heard the studio version of the song and probably I will never hear Follow the Blind again but man, being finally at a gig and seeing Blind Guardian kick ass and hearing a song with such a bombastic chorus, it was a tremendously energetic experience, screw the overplayed factor of it :metal :metal :metal
Amazing show worth alone the price of admission!!!
(Here's another photo of the show, (https://www.facebook.com/rockthecastleofficial/photos/1063541630930771) I was somewhere on the far right relatively close to the stage)
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The stream is several songs in now, they sound great ;D I love that they got a night slot.
And I've come back!!! man, what a show!!! :metal :heart
Hansi is like a good wine, he improves with age. His live performance has vastly improved since 10-15 years ago. I guess he took singing lessons, or changed singing coach, anyway, he was amazing and so was the whole band!!!
They were second in the bill before Mercyful Fate so they couldn't play forever, setlist was:
War of Wrath
Into the Storm
Welcome to Dying
SOMEWHERE FAR BEYOND ENTIRE ALBUM
Mirror Mirror
Valhalla
It's funny 'cause BG are one of those bands that I listen since forever so they fall in the category "I don't listen to the old studio albums anymore, but I still know all the songs anyway". During the second song I couldn't remember at the moment how it went, then from muscle memory I remembered it and sang along, like "ah, yeah, that's how this song goes" :lol
Somewhere Far Beyond the album was amazing, as I said not only I got to hear one of their best albums ever, I got the added bonus of hearing songs I rarely, if ever, heard from them!!! every song came out with fully energy and, even if I finally started again to see concerts, finally being at a proper festival, even moreso in a cool kickass location like the actual courtyard of an actual castle (check a public photo from the FB page of the festival (https://www.facebook.com/rockthecastleofficial/photos/1063424187609182)), brought me immense joy.... and a fountain of tears during The Bard's Song :lol
Mirror Mirror obviously was a huge riot, and usually it's the last song so I was so glad, as I was hoping and guessing, that we could get an extra song, and especially Valhalla. I can't remember the last time I heard the studio version of the song and probably I will never hear Follow the Blind again but man, being finally at a gig and seeing Blind Guardian kick ass and hearing a song with such a bombastic chorus, it was a tremendously energetic experience, screw the overplayed factor of it :metal :metal :metal
Amazing show worth alone the price of admission!!!
(Here's another photo of the show, (https://www.facebook.com/rockthecastleofficial/photos/1063541630930771) I was somewhere on the far right relatively close to the stage)
Jealous of the concert location for sure! That is awesome. And SFB is a great set. I was surprised they don't play one of the new songs during the festival tour, but them playing SFB in full means you are getting some live rarities anyways.
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Hansi is great live, I think he's lost weight and looks healthier than he did 20 years ago.
He seems to be in control and very comfortable with his range now too.
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The album will arrive in a couple of days! Hopefully my pre-orders will arrive soon :biggrin:
I saw some behind the scenes stuff and it was nice to see Marcela and I believe Marjan (?) there. It seems Blind Guardian has surrounded themselves with Ayreon-related talents.
In the meantime they had some stuff released:
The studio version of Violent Shadows https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUpF6VjIC-8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUpF6VjIC-8)
A Metal Hammer Magazine CD, including some rehearsal takes of older songs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4J69tNlo4E (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4J69tNlo4E)
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I'm pretty excited for the album :metal
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I'm listening to the compilation album today. First time I've listened to BG in several years, honestly, and want to get into the headspace to enjoy the album!
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Well, well, well...
I walked down to the record store at lunch and, low and behold, one of the longboxes was sitting on the shelf.
They sold it to me, without comment or question :biggrin:
Listening to it now... it's very good! Good sound, lots of energy.
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Well, well, well...
I walked down to the record store at lunch and, low and behold, one of the longboxes was sitting on the shelf.
They sold it to me, without comment or question :biggrin:
Listening to it now... it's very good! Good sound, lots of energy.
Oh man, I miss being able to "walk down to the record store" so much...
Very curious to hear this. What I have heard from the (too many!) songs that were released didn't blow me away, but there's always good stuff to be found on a BG album...
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Well, well, well...
I walked down to the record store at lunch and, low and behold, one of the longboxes was sitting on the shelf.
They sold it to me, without comment or question :biggrin:
Listening to it now... it's very good! Good sound, lots of energy.
Oh man, I miss being able to "walk down to the record store" so much...
Very curious to hear this. What I have heard from the (too many!) songs that were released didn't blow me away, but there's always good stuff to be found on a BG album...
I'm know right? I felt like I was in a time warp from 10 years ago. Wasn't even looking for it/expecting it, just a (mostly) vinyl place I like to visit once a month or so...
Album is great, but not sure what people have heard already. I have been waiting for the full thing, and I felt good about it. It reminded me a bit of Imaginations from the Other Side.
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Good first impression. I wasn't expecting it based on three of the already released songs, but this album has plenty of modern proggy sounding BG and fresh elements. It has a Night at The Opera and Twist of the Myth feel to it in some songs. I think some of the choruses in particular don't feel like they could've been on BG albums of the past. It is also one of the better sounding Blind Guardian albums.
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Really liking the new album. I'm not really a Blind Guardian guy, so I can't say it sounds like this album or that album. Hansi's voice isn't nearly a grating and there's not that BG wall of sound. Fells a bit more riffy. I like it!
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Listening now. Finally, some hearkening back to the first 2 records with some speed metal. Finally again, so glad they had Joost mix this. It's not a muddy mess.
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Picked the Earbook up in person today from Utopia Records in Sydney.
First thing I noticed compared to the 20 odd EB I have, have cheap and flimsy it felt when flicking through the pages.
Now the important part, the music, love the huge sound and the mix sounds pretty good for modern metal.
So glad Charlie Bauerfeind kept his fat sticky fingers away from this mix, he's butchered the last few BG and recent Helloween albums, to the point of :censored
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This is a ripping album. Really enjoyed that first listen. Now, don't take so long until the next one.
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Still having a blast with the album. And it is probably their most intense record overall since Imaginations.
I really hope they keep this approach for audio production from now on. Finally a Blind Guardian record where I don't have to get used to the weird sound.
Picked the Earbook up in person today from Utopia Records in Sydney.
First thing I noticed compared to the 20 odd EB I have, have cheap and flimsy it felt when flicking through the pages.
Now the important part, the music, love the huge sound and the mix sounds pretty good for modern metal.
So glad Charlie Bauerfeind kept his fat sticky fingers away from this mix, he's butchered the last few BG and recent Helloween albums, to the point of :censored
Too bad to hear that the earbook is a bit flimsy. My preorder from the Blind Guardian store has been delayed (postal services have a massive shortage of personnel here, it is what it is). But I did pay 35 euros for the earbook, which is 15 euros less than the usual ones. Perhaps it is deliberately a cheaper product?
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Was on vacation, heard it today for the first time. Overall good first impression, Secrets of the American Gods feels like the standout track to me. Gotta dig into the other ones I didn't know yet.
I'm glad I didn't overplay the single, I want to preserve the "whole album" feel as much as possible.
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This album is great. Really enjoyed the ride last night.
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I bought the album but only listened a bit, but liked what I heard. Being a holiday weekend in the US, I just haven't had that time to sit back and listen fully. Reading what everyone has said here is really good news though.
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I really can't think of when Blind Guardian have ever really disappointed me. Not that I am some kind of Hardcore fan but I've been listening to them for at least 20 years now, I still remember all the negativity around A Twist in the Myth and I couldn't understand why because I thought it was a pretty good album, with Fly being one of their funnest singles ever.
The only thing I have not listened to is the orchestral album, and I don't care to. I love classical music, but it doesn't matter who is at the helm, classical albums composed and orchestrated by rock musicians always strike me as incredibly bland and blocky.
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Listened at work. Didn't get the whole experience because I only had one earphone in, but nothing really caught my ear. I haven't been impressed with Blind Guardian's work since At the Edge of Time. I think they lost me. Hansi still sounds amazing though.
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I wonder what happened to the release schedule, as the album was finished and mastered well over a year ago as per the earbook credits. I hope they keep this approach. Charlie Bauerfeind did play a large role and was the main producer, but Joost mixed it and someone else mastered it.
I prefer the heavy vocals version of Let it be No More (bonus track). Differences are subtle and don't expect an actually heavy version, but the added grit to me works better for this song and make the verses connect more to the chorus.
On a sidenote, I think the Nuclear Blast boxset I just received looks great. It has the original commissioned album cover and I personally prefer it as the cover. The band ultimately preferred another work by the artist and went for that design as the cover. Overall I am glad they are working with different artists these days (the Imaginations earbook from a while ago was nicely done).
I really can't think of when Blind Guardian have ever really disappointed me. Not that I am some kind of Hardcore fan but I've been listening to them for at least 20 years now, I still remember all the negativity around A Twist in the Myth and I couldn't understand why because I thought it was a pretty good album, with Fly being one of their funnest singles ever.
The only thing I have not listened to is the orchestral album. I love classical music, but it doesn't matter who is at the helm, classical albums composed and orchestrated by rock musicians always strike me as incredibly bland and blocky.
I enjoy the orchestral album. Not peak BG by any means, but there are a couple of gems on it that are mainstays in my playlists. Harvester of Souls is a top tier BG track and I prefer it to the At The Edge of Time (same song at it's core).
I don't consider it classical music. Choirs and orchestras don't necessarily mean something is classical music. That to me is like saying all music with an electric guitar is rock n roll, or something like that. It feels more like a film/game soundtrack with Hansi singing, sometimes venturing slightly into musical/Disney territory. As with their metal, it is hard to find somethine quite like it. The only thing I can think of that really kind of feels the same are the orchestral versions of some songs on Sonata Arctica's The Days of Gray. Since I have listened a lot to the orchestral version of Deathaura and As if The World Wasn't Ending on that album, I think I am of the specific crowd that enjoys this approach.
My biggest gripe with the album overall is the sound, they kinda produced it like a power metal album without the guitars. A sound with more natural sounding choirs and harmonies would've served the album better.
Picked the Earbook up in person today from Utopia Records in Sydney.
First thing I noticed compared to the 20 odd EB I have, have cheap and flimsy it felt when flicking through the pages.
Now the important part, the music, love the huge sound and the mix sounds pretty good for modern metal.
So glad Charlie Bauerfeind kept his fat sticky fingers away from this mix, he's butchered the last few BG and recent Helloween albums, to the point of :censored
I got my earbook. Thankfully i don't think it feels too cheap or flimsy, but I get what you mean. My Ayreon earbooks have a higher quality feel to them and are less glossy. Interestingly the God Machine vinyl booklet is sizable with the same content (on first glance at least) and of higher quality paper, it does make the earbook feel a bit redundant for me. But I am glad the vinyl version is well done.
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Know enough of their work to comment and wouldn't consider myself a BG fan by any means but was so taken by the last Demons & Wizards album was keen to hear this one and as was on a major Megadeth run since release day only gave The God Machine a background listen. Have just today finally gave it the attention it needed playing it a few times through and, well...
Holy shit! :o
This is fucking epic! :metal
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The album is slowly growing on me.
I still think that Secrets of the American Gods is the best song. Deliver us from Evil and Violent Shadows are the best of the fast ones, I'm also warming up to Life Beyond the Spheres.
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The album is slowly growing on me.
I still think that Secrets of the American Gods is the best song. Deliver us from Evil and Violent Shadows are the best of the fast ones, I'm also warming up to Life Beyond the Spheres.
Agreed. As I mentioned in the ...listening thread, another favorite of mine is Damnation. It's an excellent "second track", with great riffs and a memorable chorus.
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The album is slowly growing on me.
I still think that Secrets of the American Gods is the best song. Deliver us from Evil and Violent Shadows are the best of the fast ones, I'm also warming up to Life Beyond the Spheres.
Same. I listened a bunch since I last posted here. It's a good album, but really nothing has stuck out too much to be "top BG". But the album as a whole really is starting to grow on me. I also think Secrets of the American Gods may be my favorite on the album.
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Gave At the Edge of Time a spin the other dday. Man, I love this album to pieces. It's so good.
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Gave At the Edge of Time a spin the other dday. Man, I love this album to pieces. It's so good.
Their last good album.
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Gave At the Edge of Time a spin the other dday. Man, I love this album to pieces. It's so good.
I think it's the perfect balance between the symphonic influences, and the heavy metal roots. Beyond the Red Mirror was waaaay too tilted toward the complexity (even the storyline was a mess to understand) and the orchestrations. The God Machine is quite ok but not on At the Edge of Time levels.
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Gave At the Edge of Time a spin the other dday. Man, I love this album to pieces. It's so good.
I think it's the perfect balance between the symphonic influences, and the heavy metal roots. Beyond the Red Mirror was waaaay too tilted toward the complexity (even the storyline was a mess to understand) and the orchestrations. The God Machine is quite ok but not on At the Edge of Time levels.
Yeah, I agree with you on this. The God Machine is pretty good so I can't say it's the last good BG album, but At the Edge of Time may be the last BEST BG album :biggrin: It's probably my second favorite album of theirs.
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At The Edge of Time is amazing, a great balance between all the elements that make them great and probably their most well paced/flowing album.
The God Machine is still a frequent spin for me, it was a welcome change at this point in their career. Intense, riff/guitar driven, not many vocal layers/symphonic bombast for a modern BG album. I think the fast/intense tracks are some of the best in their careers (Deliver Us From Evil, Blood of the Elves, Violent Shadows). Interestingly Secrets of the American Gods is my least favourite track, which seems to be a fan favourite online.
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I'd have to respin At the Edge of Time. Never did anything for me from memory.
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At the Edge of Time is great, but The God Machine is almost just as good. Both have great balance between classic kickass aggressive BG, which are just as good as any 90's track, and epic songs, midpaced songs, and ballads. I dare say Let It Be No More is their best ballad since Lord of the Rings.
ATEOT >TGM > ANATO = ATITM > BTRM as far as post 2000's albums go.
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Interestingly Secrets of the American Gods is my least favourite track, which seems to be a fan favourite online.
It's my favourite track of the album ;D
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Can't say I'm a fan of BG, only heard Imaginations From the Other Side before, and some odd songs (most popular ones), but this latest album is great. Can't really pick my favorite, I like all of them :metal
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So, in the spirit of the necrothread-icity of this topic, I bring it back from its slumber, for yesterday I have seen Blind Guardian live :metal
The good: being in third row and seeing them close, overall good performance (not Hansi's best but still more than acceptable), hearing again some old classics that were missing (it was 7 years since their last show in my hometown, and the previous italian show was dedicated to play Somewhere Far Beyond in full so not much room for much else), and more generally knowing that you can count on a band you follow since so many years to let you have a good time.
The bad: the sounds. GEEZ IT WAS LOUD, I can't imagine how people without earplugs must feel, ringing in their ears for 48 hours I believe! Blind Guardian is a band I follow since the last millennium, I know the classics inside out and in my sleep, and there were times when I lost track of what was going on in the songs because of the absurd wall of exagerate sound. I mean, I know the songs like you all know Pull Me Under, imagine losing track of what's going on in Pull Me Under because the volume is too loud.
All in all I'm glad I saw them again, as I said BG are one of my die hard, longest-following bands, and knowing that from time to time you can have a great evening and sing The Bard's Song all together is amazing :metal they still have a lot to offer and even though Marcus' hair is grey and Hansi sometimes struggled (Who was even able to scrutiny his performance anyway, with that exagerated volume), they're far from giving me the feeling of "eh, they're getting old as well". Long live one of the best and most consistent german bands! :hefdaddy
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Interesting setlist they are doing.
I just want them to come back to the US. It's been too long.
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US/CAN Tour
04/18/2024 US Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore
04/19/2024 US Norfolk, VA – The NorVa
04/20/2024 US Charlotte, NC – The Underground
04/21/2024 US Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
04/23/2024 US Dallas, TX – The Factory
04/24/2024 US Austin, TX – Emo’s
04/26/2024 US Phoenix, AZ – Cresent Ballroom
04/27/2024 US Los Angeles, CA – The Belasco
04/28/2024 US San Francisco, CA – The Regency Ballroom
04/30/2024 US Portland, OR – The Roseland Theater
05/01/2024 US Seattle, WA – The Showbox Market
05/03/2024 US Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex
05/04/2024 US Denver, CO – The Summit Music Hall
05/06/2024 US Minneapolis, MN – The Varsity Theater
05/07/2024 US Des Moines, IA – Wooly’s
05/09/2024 CAN Toronto, ON – Rebel
05/10/2024 CAN Montreal, QC – L’Olympia
05/11/2024 US Worcester, MA – The Palladium
05/12/2024 US New York, NY – The Palladium
05/14/2024 US Harrisburg, PA – HMAC
05/16/2024 US Cleveland, OH – Agora Theater
05/17/2024 US Milwaukee, WI – Milwaukee Metal Fest*
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Why no Dutch concerts this year (and next year?) :huh: :sadpanda:
We got that little cheap show that was supposed to be a try out last year, and that was it. And while they were great, the venue fucking sucked (basically a refitted barn with the shittiest sound I had in years).
So, in the spirit of the necrothread-icity of this topic, I bring it back from its slumber, for yesterday I have seen Blind Guardian live :metal
The good: being in third row and seeing them close, overall good performance (not Hansi's best but still more than acceptable), hearing again some old classics that were missing (it was 7 years since their last show in my hometown, and the previous italian show was dedicated to play Somewhere Far Beyond in full so not much room for much else), and more generally knowing that you can count on a band you follow since so many years to let you have a good time.
The bad: the sounds. GEEZ IT WAS LOUD, I can't imagine how people without earplugs must feel, ringing in their ears for 48 hours I believe! Blind Guardian is a band I follow since the last millennium, I know the classics inside out and in my sleep, and there were times when I lost track of what was going on in the songs because of the absurd wall of exagerate sound. I mean, I know the songs like you all know Pull Me Under, imagine losing track of what's going on in Pull Me Under because the volume is too loud.
All in all I'm glad I saw them again, as I said BG are one of my die hard, longest-following bands, and knowing that from time to time you can have a great evening and sing The Bard's Song all together is amazing :metal they still have a lot to offer and even though Marcus' hair is grey and Hansi sometimes struggled (Who was even able to scrutiny his performance anyway, with that exagerated volume), they're far from giving me the feeling of "eh, they're getting old as well". Long live one of the best and most consistent german bands! :hefdaddy
From the clips I saw of recent concerts I think they sounded good. That period post covid after years of vocal rest is probably not something Hansi will top again (that Rock Hard stream of Somewhere Far Beyond concert was something else, and Hellfest was great too).