 A truly great album from the masters of power. With this album, Blind Guardian gained something, but lost something else. This album has a much more orchestral feel to it, as well as being more complex than most of the Blind Guardian releases. Does that make it bad? Not at all, just different, some will like it, some will not, personally, I think it was an imaginative step forward. But if you covet the older Blind Guardian sound, don’t expect much here.
Starting off strong, you are instantly thrust into the song “Precious Jerusalem”. At first, I didn’t really expect much from this song. I gave it a listen, and saw it was a complex, melodic, and powerful song, with a desert-like feel incorporated into it very well. It gave you the feel as if you were listening to a “Israeli inspired power metal band”. Something totally unexpected, but not anything that does not register as great.
Battlefield keeps some of the elements of Precious Jerusalem, like the very noticeable drums, however, it has a much more epic feel to it. Like the title may suggest, the song evokes scenes of large armies marching toward a city. Especially the chorus, which really blows me away, and of course, Hansi’s vocals, are very special to this song, if not a bit repetitive at some points.
Under the Ice, the next song, was not as great as the previous two, but still manages to pull off the feeling of the last songs, and the album itself. The instruments are all in check, a few well sung vocals, and the normal orchestral stuff, all of it keeps it in tone with the album, but there wasn’t much that made this song memorable.
Most of the songs carry this with them. An epic feeling created by combining orchestral instruments, with powerful choruses, mixed in with the sheer force of the guitars and drums. Not only does this album grow in quality (In my opinion), it also provides the listener with feelings of sadness and hope throughout the various melodies it includes.
Another thing about this album I noticed is the near perfect transition from angry parts of songs, to epic segments, through the sad parts, and back to the angry areas. This, the band manages to pull off incredibly. Rarely has any band done this so well.
A song on this album that defies much of what I said earlier, is “The Maiden and The Minstrel”. Why? Because it is very orchestral, barely a guitar or drum to be heard in the whole thing, only Hansi singing is familiar in this one. Slightly, it’s hard to find the right word, “deceptive” at first, because, in all honesty, I didn’t think it would be anything more than just a waste of CD space. But, give it some time, and let the song unfold around you. You won’t be disappointed, if anything, you will have found something out about metal. Always, and I mean always, have patience when dealing with songs you may not like at first, because they may soon unfold into something you will like.
So, even though I give this album all this praise, some people still do not like it. In fact, there is even a topic about this on the Blind Guardian official forums. I may not agree with the following viewpoints, but I will still delve into them, because these opinions are valid as well.
Some people dislike this album, I believe, because it is something new, foreign, and different, than what Blind Guardian has done in the past. It is more orchestral, which some people don’t like, but that is a personal taste. Others also fear that all future albums will be in this style, of course, by now that has been proven wrong with “A twist in the Myth”, but that was a big reason I believe. Not only that, but the feel of the songs has changed dramatically, especially from the early BG stuff.
I, for one, disagree, and believe that it is only natural for a band to progress like this. And truly, the songs go hand in hand with what the band was trying to get across. They lost .5 points for sometimes trying to go too far with the orchestration. Overall, that is not much of a problem, and a personal taste as well. So, wether you like or dislike this album, you cannot disagree with me that this is a new direction for Blind Guardian. Most, I believe will enjoy this new face of Blind Guardian, some will not, but I shall recommend this album for all and any looking for an epic feeling along with their coveted metal.
Happy Listening!
Patrick Burent
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01. Precious Jerusalem
02. Battlefield
03. Under The Ice
04. Sadly Sings Destiny
05. The Maiden And The Minstrel Knight
06. Wait For An Answer
07. The Soulforged
08. Age Of False Innocence
09. Punishment Divine
10. And Then There Was Silence
11. Harvest Of Sorrow / Mies Del Dolor
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 Read also: Blind Guardian - A Twist In The Myth, Blind Guardian - Battalions Of Fear, Blind Guardian - Follow The Blind, Blind Guardian - Imaginations From The Other Side, Blind Guardian - Nightfall In Middle-Earth, Blind Guardian - Somewhere Far Beyond, Blind Guardian - Somewhere Far Beyond, Blind Guardian - Tales From The Twilight World, Blind Guardian - The Forgotten Tales
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