Khendon Sevon
Dec 1st, 2006, 05:43:05 PM
Blind Guardian is one of my top ten favorite bands of all time. So, when I saw they'd released a new album I jumped on Amazon and ordered myself a copy.
A Twist in the Myth
Band: Blind Guardian
Website: www.blind-guardian.com
Genre: Power/Folk Metal
Tracks:
This will never end
Otherland
Turn the page
Fly
Carry the blessed home
Another stranger me
Straight through the mirror
Lionheart
Skalds and shadows
The edge
The new order
Dead sound of misery
So, I put the CD in my laptop's drive and started listening.
This will never end's opening guitars had me excited. I heard promise and power in Kursch's strong vocals.
Otherland was interesting. It's about the Tad Williams series.
As the tracks progressed I started to frown. Luckily there was no one around to notice. The motives in the music seem to be meh. The album is extremely experimental and is akin to a lot of modern classical in that it has an unbelieveable amount of motion and very little resolution.
The songs are chromatic and beautiful; but, they miss out on the almost sing-along feel of past Guardian works. A lot of Demon's & Wizards (Kursch's side project) has filtered through to Blind Guardian. It's not particularly a bad thing; yet, I can't help but feel saddened by the lack of direction and solid, repeated, emphasized melodies. There's far too much reliance on overdubbed vocals, talking guitar, and constantly pouding drums.
A lot of the intros are amazing and then the songs become typical. I really think it has a lot to do with the drums. They're just there.
If Guardian had removed half the dubs, taken a page out of Iron Maiden's drum book, and focused more on "less", I believe they would've made a much better album. As is, they've just attempted to make it too much of a production.
That being said, I have a feeling it's an album that is amazing live. It does have an epic sense and form to it and I can imagine it playing out like a modern rock opera.
Still, I crave more of the Guardian that wrote Nightfall In Middle Earth.
Fin.
A Twist in the Myth
Band: Blind Guardian
Website: www.blind-guardian.com
Genre: Power/Folk Metal
Tracks:
This will never end
Otherland
Turn the page
Fly
Carry the blessed home
Another stranger me
Straight through the mirror
Lionheart
Skalds and shadows
The edge
The new order
Dead sound of misery
So, I put the CD in my laptop's drive and started listening.
This will never end's opening guitars had me excited. I heard promise and power in Kursch's strong vocals.
Otherland was interesting. It's about the Tad Williams series.
As the tracks progressed I started to frown. Luckily there was no one around to notice. The motives in the music seem to be meh. The album is extremely experimental and is akin to a lot of modern classical in that it has an unbelieveable amount of motion and very little resolution.
The songs are chromatic and beautiful; but, they miss out on the almost sing-along feel of past Guardian works. A lot of Demon's & Wizards (Kursch's side project) has filtered through to Blind Guardian. It's not particularly a bad thing; yet, I can't help but feel saddened by the lack of direction and solid, repeated, emphasized melodies. There's far too much reliance on overdubbed vocals, talking guitar, and constantly pouding drums.
A lot of the intros are amazing and then the songs become typical. I really think it has a lot to do with the drums. They're just there.
If Guardian had removed half the dubs, taken a page out of Iron Maiden's drum book, and focused more on "less", I believe they would've made a much better album. As is, they've just attempted to make it too much of a production.
That being said, I have a feeling it's an album that is amazing live. It does have an epic sense and form to it and I can imagine it playing out like a modern rock opera.
Still, I crave more of the Guardian that wrote Nightfall In Middle Earth.
Fin.