 The single, Mirror, Mirror, from Blind Guardian, is a nice little collection of their songs, plus one more. But, will this bonus track make it worth it? Find out….
First, comes out Mirror, Mirror, with it’s own powerful instrumentals, and lyrics. Not much to complain about here. But not much to praise, as this song is very good, most Guardian fans probably have already heard it. There is no difference or remix here, it’s the same song as on Nightfall in Middle Earth. A good listen indeed.
Then we have a live version of “And the Story ends”. I’m not sure what language it is in at first, when Hansi speaks, but it’s a brilliant live song. The drums really stand out as much as they should, plus there aren’t any orchestral instruments to back the song up, as they do in the studio, making it a much more raw sound. I even like this version better than the studio one, as it really shows Blind Guardian raw and unedited, pure power metal, that’s how I like it.
Following up, we have “Imaginations Through the Other Side” live. Again, it sounds much more raw, as they only have the keyboard in the background, but other than that, it’s just Marcus, Andre, Thomas, and I think Oliver, playing their instruments in perfect harmony while Hansi dominates the stage singing out his heart. A very strong performance. I just wish all bands did performances as good as Blind Guardian.
The new song on the album is entitled “Beyond the Realms of Death”. A very slow work, along with some haunting echoes, and an acoustic sound like no other, it isn’t a very heavy song, although it does have it’s parts. Some of the lyrics are really powerful, however, this is not the best Blind Guardian song. It has transitions from heavy to soft, but they are done too rapidly I think. Overall a good song. But nothing more than good.
Basically, this is a very strong album. Some minor sound problems on the live shows, and because of “Beyond the Realms of Death”, the band receives an 8.5. Still, this I only recommend to fans and collectors. If you do not fall into one of these categories, you really shouldn’t get this one. A decent single, but nothing spectacular.
Patrick Burent
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01. Mirror, Mirror
02. And The Story Ends [live]
03. Imaginations From The Other
Side [live]
04. Beyond The Realms Of Death
[Judas Priest cover]
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 Read also: Blind Guardian - A Night At The Opera, Blind Guardian - A Twist In The Myth, Blind Guardian - Battalions Of Fear, Blind Guardian - Bright Eyes, Blind Guardian - Fly, 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 Bards Song (In The Forest), Blind Guardian - The Forgotten Tales
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