Not a fan of power metal, but Blind Guardian is undeniably amazing. One of the few bands where there isn’t a weak link to be found. Even their worst albums are solid in their own right. Also, you can’t not love a band that composes a full album around The Silmarillion
It's really a shame that they weren't allowed to use the names of that book in the lyrics. Just read the Silmarillion again and that would have made it much easier to keep track with the album! Anyway: Nightfall... is my all-time nostalgia barrel I keep in the shelf forever to take it out and swallow it all at once when I need it :D
Although Blind Guardian has been my favorite band for over 20 years, I just can’t agree with the statement that there isn’t a weak link to be found. Beyond the Red Mirror was a complete mess. A lot of really cool ideas, but poorly executed…haphazard transitions, and Hansi trying to cram way too many lyrics into every song to the point that they’re just cumbersome. Also, for how hyped it was and how long it took, the orchestral album was a huge disappointment. I had some of the same issues with it as I did with BtRM, plus it was frankly boring… nothing about it stuck out as memorable, and the narration felt pointless and lacked cohesion - much in the same way as the segues on NiME, though that was my first and favorite BG album, and I tend to view it with rose-tinted glasses. Idk, maybe I’m just getting old. I’d blame it on nostalgia, except I found At the Edge of Time incredible. I haven’t listened to The God Machine all the way through yet though, so maybe if I do it’ll reignite some spark in me.
They are a power metal band. This kind of thrashiness is what I'd call speed metal. Which is not exactly thrash, since it kind of lacks thrash's aggressiveness, while still being very fast. Their later albums are more epic and orchestral. Also, if you want a fantasy album with a story you should check out their album "Nightfall in Middle-Earth".
Someone once said that speed metal doesn't actually exist. It's either a power metal band with shitty vocals or a thrash metal band with good vocals. Thought it was pretty funny ngl.
Congratulations, you finally discovered my favorite band of all time! Blind Guardian are such amazing composers and writers of melodies. Nostalgic is a perfect way to describe many of them. From this album in 1992 all the way to their 2000s and 2010s albums, every thing they did was perfection. But every single album was also a growth and evolution to their sound - no two alike. Truly godfathers of multiple subgenres... speed metal, power metal, progressive metal, symphonic/orchestral metal... and did each amazingly. Of course, it helps when you have one of the greatest metal singers and vocal arrangers in Hansi Kürsch ;) Next, I would love to see you react to something from one of their more ambitious and progressive albums like Nightfall In Middle-Earth or A Night at the Opera. Or even "Wheel of Time" from their 2010 album.
The storyline is from Stephen King's The Dark Tower. Blind Guardian is about the most literary band I know of, many (most?) songs contain references even including an entire album based on Tolkein's The Silmarillion (Nightfall on Middle-Earth) and a 14 minute long song based on the Iliad called "And Then There Was Silence." The lead singer also sings with Ayreon, which is sort of an operatic metal super-group, each album featuring about a dozen singers taking different roles in a story. Check out "The Day the World Breaks Down" from The Source as an example. Tab on paper was totally a thing before the Internet. Guitar magazines would feature tablature as a regular feature and you could buy books covering full albums. To this day, many people play some Metallica songs incorrectly because the "authorized" tablature was wrong.
Blind Guardian is a speed metal band that evolved in to a power metal band and this album is pretty much in the middle of that transition (released 92 i think). To me a unsung hero in the metal guitar world is their rythm guitarist Marcus Siepen who is just crazy accurate at wicked high speed. Of course Hansis vocals are awesome (he also plays bass in the band at this point), Andrés lead work has a great personality and Thomen The Omen is a monster on drums...but as mentioned I've just loved the rythm guitars from BG
They were always power metal, in the beginning their song writing style was heavily influenced by bands like Metallica and more so Helloween before developing their own more defined style around the twilight and imaginations records.
@@neberque well...if you are right then I'll change to that they were a pretty shitty power metal band in the beginning that then got better at this genre
@@neberque that said I've followed them since 1991 and stand by my own definition, you may disagree of course but i view them as speed metal turned power metal. They were much more straight forward than say Helloween in that era but Speed vs Power metal is a misty subject with shady borders between so alot of subjective opinion here.
Thrash is considered to have grown out of a combo of metal and punk so your thoughts on it make sense. Blind Guardian are power metal (and early on kinda speed metal) but their early stuff has definite thrash influences. I'd highly recommend stuff from Nightfall in Middle Earth as its amazing (and has interested bits of symphonic and prog influences, they really over time have a lot of queen influences as well), this song specifically though is inspired by The Dark Tower by Stephen King.
Oh, this is nostalgic from the mid-90s alright! There's plenty of hair too. Blind Guardian basically established this kind of folky power metal, they have a very rich and distinct sound, coupled with Hansi's enormous lungs. They are pretty much mandatory in the understanding of European metal. PS. It would be a good time to do some Be'lakor this week, right?
Blind Guardian is one of the few power metal bands that even a lot of metalheads who typically hate power metal like, probably because they have a lot of thrash and quasi-proggy elements, so even though they're heavily melodic they can also be quite ferocious and complex. I really dig them too, though I slightly prefer Helloween and Iced Earth for the genre. This also isn't one of my favorite tracks or albums from them. I think you would've preferred And Then There Was Silence, which is them at their most most complex and (IMO) their peak. Thrash was basically a combination of punk and metal. Metallica themselves said they wanted to combine the punk speed/attitude of Motorhead with the more complex metal compositions of Maiden and Priest. Most 80s metal was something of a push-pull between the punk and classic metal influences. The "pure" punk side went from Motorhead to Venom to Bathory to later black metal, while the metal side went from Priest/Maiden, to thrash, to prog metal. Hair metal was a combination of pop and metal. It broke through to the mainstream thanks to Quiet Riot, and then tons of bands followed in their wake, much like what happened with alternative rock in the early 90s after Nirvana broke through. Final note: Remasters are very different from remixes (I'm sure you know, but your commentary talked about the mix while this is a remaster). Problem with most remasters isn't clarity, it's that they increase the volume which decreases peak dynamic range, meaning stuff like drum hits have less punch to them. Many people like remasters because they don't have a quality amp that can amplify older, quieter recordings to normal listening volume, especially for portable players. All home listeners should invest in decent amps and then try to listen to music with quieter masterings to appreciate the greater dynamic range. One way to hear the difference is to put a remaster and original track on a program like JRiver, run an audio analysis, turn on volume leveling, and then listen back-to-back. Original is going to sound better 99% of the time IME because remasters are always flatter.
Yeah. I am one of those. I really don't like most of the power metal. Yet I really like Blind Guardian. His voice is different in texture and their is much more going on in the songs than just "honor, glory and victory" emotions.
It´s the tragic side of power metal..."The Battlefield is lost..." more of an anti hero vibe, the outlaws in the fantasy world somehow. Dragonforce is something what little children would jump around to, I admit my inner child likes Dragonforce as well, but Blind Guardian is about rather mature emotions.
Hi i´m from Germany and a big BG Fan and this Album is from 1992, in this time the Album was valid as experimental but it was a big success in the comunity, but haer in the album before "Tales from the twilight world" the Song is "The last Candle"
It wouldn't surprise you then, that the vocalist (being one of 2 main songwriters) Hans Kuersch was listening to "The Exploited" and other punk bands in his youth. But he was also a big fan of Deep Purple and other classic rock/metal bands. So you pretty much nailed it. The band was in their 20s when they wrote this album, and yes, it's from 1992, so kind of exactly where it would fit. Great analysis and close to facts actually. On a side-note though, I haven't seen any other band that has made such a journey in terms from where they came from with their first album and how they developed their style throughout the years. Each album you can hear them "gradually" move more towards epicness, with more parallel tracks used, more dense sound, more choir, more musicality. If you listen to the first song of each album it really tells a musical story of how a band of dedicated hobby musicians turned professional, while keeping their "naivety" as a creative driver to be expressed in their songwriting. To this day, I haven't found another band with a similar vibe and journey (taking into account all albums).
I loved this album so much back in the ancient days, still one of my all time favs! The thrashy influences these early albums have gives them something unique that really clicks for me. Edit: forgot to request Nevermore - this godless endeavor.
About the tablature: We had tabs on paper in my band, since no one of us could read notes. That was 1995. I started using GuitarPro around 1997. I even remember tabs being printed in some mags you could buy before GuitarPro came out.
Musically not much going on? Blind Guardian are well known for switching modi to build up for the refrain. Also solos usually switch mode multiple times (not the fills). Check the tab, they are doing that a lot. Usually fourths and seconds. As far as I know not so many bands do this to this extend, and the song still sounds very condensed despite this. Meaning, you as a listener, do usually not get that there was a modus change. And that is an own quality from my experience.
One of my favourite albums from the 90s. This is a great song but I like to put Journey Through the Dark a bit above especially for the great guitar solo. The album that got me into the band. Saw them live in a club in front of about 50 people just after I bought it.
Your'e right about the punk elements. This era of Blind Guardian straddled the line between Thrash and Power metal. And Thrash is like a combination of NWOBHM and the extreme energy and roughness of really hard punk.
The first album i ever bought. And at that time it meant leaving my town in the middle of nowhere and take the train for 40 min to the closest city to find a music store. I feel so old right now 😅
Blind Guardian have gone on to add many facets to their music, up to the point where their latest album is just orchestra and voice. Before they got there, they greatly elaborated on their metal sound. So there's a lot more stuff to check out.
@@CriticalReactions first 5 albums pretty aggressive(Imaginations From The OtherSide literally has death metal song in it) and full of galloping riffs, anyway Imaginations and Somewhere Far Beyond are really melodic either
Hello Bryan, awesome videos as always! Just a quick suggestion as a quick breather between these dense bands, please react to Ichikoro-James? or Ichikoro-Enemy. Short, 3-4 min pieces that I would like to hear a professional commentary on since they are pretty much unknown. Other than that, keep up the good work as always!
Please for the love of god please listen to these 3 songs. BE'LAKOR- COUNTLESS SKIES SLUGDGE- SALT THROWER VEKTOR- RECHARGING THE VOID BE'LAKOR- MELODIC DEATH METAL VERY DARK DEMON TELLING A STORY VOCALS THAT WILL SOUND A LITTLE OFF AT FIRST BUT WILL GROW ON YOU.MAJESTIC RIDE INTO BATTLE!!Magnificent riffs. SLUGDGE- MELODIC PROGRESSIVE TECH DEATH MELODIC CHORUS, CHANTS,ANGRY DEMON VOCALS. SONG TITLES ARE SLUG PUNS. GET LYRICS READ THEM BEFORE AND AFTER LISTENING. GROOVY! Supernatural riffs. VEKTOR- TECHNICAL PROGRESSIVE DEATH THRASH YA YOU HEARD RIGHT. INTERGALACTIC SPACE VAMPIRE VOCALS!!! HOW ARE THEY DOING THAT WITH GUTAIRS!!! HUH WHAT! BEAUTIFUL MEADOWS?THE ENDING!! Imploding neutron star riffs. Lmfao
I forgot how breakneck earlier Blind Guardian were, they mellowed out in time and went into sometimes overly proggier pastures much to the dismay of one band member who kept wishing for the speedfest to continue. It won't surprise to learn said ex member was the drummer. I guess that part of why bands like these touch a nostalgia bone regardless of age is partly because of how innocent it sounds. It's over the top and a tad silly and just deprived of cynicism and it's easier to just take it as is, I guess. Also, I'll never not be amused by how amused you are whenever you hear punk elements in metal. Blind Guardian are a ciuple years removed from the thrash boom of the early 80s, enough to be heavily influenced by it, but also taking it to different places. Thrash itself was where metal and punk began gravitating towards each other; first with Venom, then more proficiently with Metallica, Slayer or Kreator. They were essentially metal played at punk speed and with generally competent musicians. It all came to its logical conclusion in grindcore and crossover, and the bar for speed and agression was raised again un death and black metal, as drums went blasting and vocals went growling. Regarding triplets, that's definitely inherited from Metallica. Who took it from punk, pretty much. Both Metallica and slayer released cover albums of almost exclusively punk songs. And this crossover was even more apparent in Germany, which is where Blind Guardian come from. Nearly every band in the 80s is indebted to punk in some way oe the other. I suggested Sodom and other early thrash, now I'd add Metallica's Motorbreath or Whiplash to help connect the dots. Motorbreath in particular is unashamedly punk .
It also helps that Kreator literally were next door. I lived (at some points) a few doors down from Kreators singer and could have visited Hansi in a short drive and be back for an evening beer.
Out of all the Power Metal bands I used to listen in the 90ties, Blind Guardian, and maybe Edguy, are the only one that I still enjoy occasionally. Too bad they peaked at Nightfall in Middle-Earth.
Hair metal is the same as Glam metal. Metal with pop elements like Poison, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard that sort of thing. Blind Guardian is Power/Epic metal. Not thrash. If you like them, look for earlier Helloween, they kinda kick started that German melodic metal genre. Try Eagle Fly Free from Helloween.
I don't even consider "hair metal" a genre. it's a term someone invented to describe the rock and metal bands of the 80's that had big hair. The music has nothing to do with it afaic. "Grunge" is another term that annoys me, the bands themselves don't even know what it means.
If you like this kind of speed thrashy power metal, I recommend you to listen a danish band called Manticora. Their stuff is heavier and darker than most of power metal groups, and like BG they have a lot of literary/fantasy influences
Easy answer: Because it was picked by a number generator 🙃 Bryan has a spreadsheet for recommendations and that is what 'random rumble' has it's songs from... I would have appreciated something from Imaginations!!!
I'm really curious to see a reaction to something from their orchestral album. In the Red Dwarf's Tower would be a nice choice... Anyway - really nice response. I often get a feeling as if I've heard some of their stuff before...
Hansi Is a bit more unique of a vocalist than Bruce. I'm not saying better by any means. Bruce got his vibrato from Ian Gillian of Deep Purple. I got my vibrato from Matt Barlow. It sounds like Hansi just figured it out on his own. Lol
My friend what are you going to do a show about Keith Emerson he’s one of the greatest keyboard players in the world and the composer I learned so much about other composers through Keith Emerson so please can you do a show on Keith Emerson so thank you my friend stay safe and God bless
Your frames of reference are very strange to me. You associate melody with punk? That's odd. There's certainly a strand of punk that highlights melody, but that's not the norm. Blind Guardian is a power metal band, and that's a strand of metal that highlights melody. Thrash metal is actually punk influenced. Power metal has no direct punk influence. So, yeah, I find you all mixed up. Also Dio isn't hair metal. Dio is just straight up heavy metal.
![ROADIE REACTIONS | "Blind Guardian - Mirror Mirror (Live)" | [FIRST TIME SONG REACTION]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/40w1kybyN_8/mqdefault.jpg)
Not a fan of power metal, but Blind Guardian is undeniably amazing. One of the few bands where there isn’t a weak link to be found. Even their worst albums are solid in their own right. Also, you can’t not love a band that composes a full album around The Silmarillion
It's really a shame that they weren't allowed to use the names of that book in the lyrics. Just read the Silmarillion again and that would have made it much easier to keep track with the album! Anyway: Nightfall... is my all-time nostalgia barrel I keep in the shelf forever to take it out and swallow it all at once when I need it :D
@@TheRealmetal666 Only The Bard’s Song tracks on SFB are about The Hobbit. The others are based on Blade Runner, The Dark Tower, Twin Peaks, etc
@@dan_the_pathmaster7934 Think he's talking about Nightfall in Middle Earth not SFB
Let's push for another Blind Guardian response...
Although Blind Guardian has been my favorite band for over 20 years, I just can’t agree with the statement that there isn’t a weak link to be found. Beyond the Red Mirror was a complete mess. A lot of really cool ideas, but poorly executed…haphazard transitions, and Hansi trying to cram way too many lyrics into every song to the point that they’re just cumbersome.
Also, for how hyped it was and how long it took, the orchestral album was a huge disappointment. I had some of the same issues with it as I did with BtRM, plus it was frankly boring… nothing about it stuck out as memorable, and the narration felt pointless and lacked cohesion - much in the same way as the segues on NiME, though that was my first and favorite BG album, and I tend to view it with rose-tinted glasses.
Idk, maybe I’m just getting old. I’d blame it on nostalgia, except I found At the Edge of Time incredible. I haven’t listened to The God Machine all the way through yet though, so maybe if I do it’ll reignite some spark in me.
They are a power metal band. This kind of thrashiness is what I'd call speed metal. Which is not exactly thrash, since it kind of lacks thrash's aggressiveness, while still being very fast.
Their later albums are more epic and orchestral.
Also, if you want a fantasy album with a story you should check out their album "Nightfall in Middle-Earth".
Interesting info about genre. It's those little nuances that I have yet to learn lol
Love the explanation of the differences between speed and thrash
@@CriticalReactions thats why metal is my fav genre of music. There is so much difference in each genre and band.
Someone once said that speed metal doesn't actually exist.
It's either a power metal band with shitty vocals or a thrash metal band with good vocals.
Thought it was pretty funny ngl.
@@CriticalReactions
You have to react to Blind Guardians live performances
An example
ruclips.net/video/i-IcX_bccFc/видео.html
Congratulations, you finally discovered my favorite band of all time! Blind Guardian are such amazing composers and writers of melodies. Nostalgic is a perfect way to describe many of them. From this album in 1992 all the way to their 2000s and 2010s albums, every thing they did was perfection. But every single album was also a growth and evolution to their sound - no two alike.
Truly godfathers of multiple subgenres... speed metal, power metal, progressive metal, symphonic/orchestral metal... and did each amazingly. Of course, it helps when you have one of the greatest metal singers and vocal arrangers in Hansi Kürsch ;)
Next, I would love to see you react to something from one of their more ambitious and progressive albums like Nightfall In Middle-Earth or A Night at the Opera. Or even "Wheel of Time" from their 2010 album.
The storyline is from Stephen King's The Dark Tower. Blind Guardian is about the most literary band I know of, many (most?) songs contain references even including an entire album based on Tolkein's The Silmarillion (Nightfall on Middle-Earth) and a 14 minute long song based on the Iliad called "And Then There Was Silence."
The lead singer also sings with Ayreon, which is sort of an operatic metal super-group, each album featuring about a dozen singers taking different roles in a story. Check out "The Day the World Breaks Down" from The Source as an example.
Tab on paper was totally a thing before the Internet. Guitar magazines would feature tablature as a regular feature and you could buy books covering full albums. To this day, many people play some Metallica songs incorrectly because the "authorized" tablature was wrong.
Blind Guardian is a speed metal band that evolved in to a power metal band and this album is pretty much in the middle of that transition (released 92 i think). To me a unsung hero in the metal guitar world is their rythm guitarist Marcus Siepen who is just crazy accurate at wicked high speed. Of course Hansis vocals are awesome (he also plays bass in the band at this point), Andrés lead work has a great personality and Thomen The Omen is a monster on drums...but as mentioned I've just loved the rythm guitars from BG
They were always power metal, in the beginning their song writing style was heavily influenced by bands like Metallica and more so Helloween before developing their own more defined style around the twilight and imaginations records.
@@neberque well...if you are right then I'll change to that they were a pretty shitty power metal band in the beginning that then got better at this genre
@@neberque that said I've followed them since 1991 and stand by my own definition, you may disagree of course but i view them as speed metal turned power metal. They were much more straight forward than say Helloween in that era but Speed vs Power metal is a misty subject with shady borders between so alot of subjective opinion here.
Thrash is considered to have grown out of a combo of metal and punk so your thoughts on it make sense. Blind Guardian are power metal (and early on kinda speed metal) but their early stuff has definite thrash influences. I'd highly recommend stuff from Nightfall in Middle Earth as its amazing (and has interested bits of symphonic and prog influences, they really over time have a lot of queen influences as well), this song specifically though is inspired by The Dark Tower by Stephen King.
A jewel from the 90s thank you for reviewing
Nightfall in Middle Earth is the MUST TO LISTEN album for this band.
Oh, this is nostalgic from the mid-90s alright! There's plenty of hair too. Blind Guardian basically established this kind of folky power metal, they have a very rich and distinct sound, coupled with Hansi's enormous lungs. They are pretty much mandatory in the understanding of European metal.
PS. It would be a good time to do some Be'lakor this week, right?
Blind Guardian is one of the few power metal bands that even a lot of metalheads who typically hate power metal like, probably because they have a lot of thrash and quasi-proggy elements, so even though they're heavily melodic they can also be quite ferocious and complex. I really dig them too, though I slightly prefer Helloween and Iced Earth for the genre. This also isn't one of my favorite tracks or albums from them. I think you would've preferred And Then There Was Silence, which is them at their most most complex and (IMO) their peak.
Thrash was basically a combination of punk and metal. Metallica themselves said they wanted to combine the punk speed/attitude of Motorhead with the more complex metal compositions of Maiden and Priest. Most 80s metal was something of a push-pull between the punk and classic metal influences. The "pure" punk side went from Motorhead to Venom to Bathory to later black metal, while the metal side went from Priest/Maiden, to thrash, to prog metal. Hair metal was a combination of pop and metal. It broke through to the mainstream thanks to Quiet Riot, and then tons of bands followed in their wake, much like what happened with alternative rock in the early 90s after Nirvana broke through.
Final note: Remasters are very different from remixes (I'm sure you know, but your commentary talked about the mix while this is a remaster). Problem with most remasters isn't clarity, it's that they increase the volume which decreases peak dynamic range, meaning stuff like drum hits have less punch to them. Many people like remasters because they don't have a quality amp that can amplify older, quieter recordings to normal listening volume, especially for portable players. All home listeners should invest in decent amps and then try to listen to music with quieter masterings to appreciate the greater dynamic range. One way to hear the difference is to put a remaster and original track on a program like JRiver, run an audio analysis, turn on volume leveling, and then listen back-to-back. Original is going to sound better 99% of the time IME because remasters are always flatter.
Yeah. I am one of those. I really don't like most of the power metal. Yet I really like Blind Guardian. His voice is different in texture and their is much more going on in the songs than just "honor, glory and victory" emotions.
It´s the tragic side of power metal..."The Battlefield is lost..." more of an anti hero vibe, the outlaws in the fantasy world somehow.
Dragonforce is something what little children would jump around to, I admit my inner child likes Dragonforce as well, but Blind Guardian is about rather mature emotions.
I absolutely love this band.
Blind Guardian - Imagination From The Other Side
Hi i´m from Germany and a big BG Fan and this Album is from 1992, in this time the Album was valid as experimental but it was a big success in the comunity, but haer in the album before "Tales from the twilight world" the Song is "The last Candle"
It wouldn't surprise you then, that the vocalist (being one of 2 main songwriters) Hans Kuersch was listening to "The Exploited" and other punk bands in his youth. But he was also a big fan of Deep Purple and other classic rock/metal bands. So you pretty much nailed it. The band was in their 20s when they wrote this album, and yes, it's from 1992, so kind of exactly where it would fit. Great analysis and close to facts actually. On a side-note though, I haven't seen any other band that has made such a journey in terms from where they came from with their first album and how they developed their style throughout the years. Each album you can hear them "gradually" move more towards epicness, with more parallel tracks used, more dense sound, more choir, more musicality. If you listen to the first song of each album it really tells a musical story of how a band of dedicated hobby musicians turned professional, while keeping their "naivety" as a creative driver to be expressed in their songwriting. To this day, I haven't found another band with a similar vibe and journey (taking into account all albums).
They are, to me at least, legends. They are excellent musicians . React to "And then there was silence" for a more complicated operatic project...
I absolutely love Blind Guardian, Hansi's voice just nails it for me.
This reminds me, Thuata De Dannan. Metal with folk/celtic elements from Brazil. Battle Song is a banger. So happy
That smile at 2:00 is why I have been suggesting Guardian for so long.
watch from them
Blind Guardian - The Bard's Song & Valhalla - Live at Wacken Open Air 2016
I loved this album so much back in the ancient days, still one of my all time favs! The thrashy influences these early albums have gives them something unique that really clicks for me.
Edit: forgot to request Nevermore - this godless endeavor.
About the tablature: We had tabs on paper in my band, since no one of us could read notes. That was 1995. I started using GuitarPro around 1997. I even remember tabs being printed in some mags you could buy before GuitarPro came out.
Very cool insight to a time where I was only a kid. Thanks for that. It's always cool to find out stuff like that.
Musically not much going on? Blind Guardian are well known for switching modi to build up for the refrain. Also solos usually switch mode multiple times (not the fills). Check the tab, they are doing that a lot. Usually fourths and seconds. As far as I know not so many bands do this to this extend, and the song still sounds very condensed despite this. Meaning, you as a listener, do usually not get that there was a modus change. And that is an own quality from my experience.
Aaaaand, another song that should be on a Guitar Hero game.
A cool banger of a track I must say. I love the beginning riff, I didn’t expect that diminished turn it took.
One of my favourite albums from the 90s. This is a great song but I like to put Journey Through the Dark a bit above especially for the great guitar solo. The album that got me into the band. Saw them live in a club in front of about 50 people just after I bought it.
@5:01 and oh how they danced....the little children of stonehenge...
Your'e right about the punk elements. This era of Blind Guardian straddled the line between Thrash and Power metal. And Thrash is like a combination of NWOBHM and the extreme energy and roughness of really hard punk.
The first album i ever bought. And at that time it meant leaving my town in the middle of nowhere and take the train for 40 min to the closest city to find a music store. I feel so old right now 😅
Blind Guardian have gone on to add many facets to their music, up to the point where their latest album is just orchestra and voice. Before they got there, they greatly elaborated on their metal sound. So there's a lot more stuff to check out.
So happy one of my fav channels has finally done Blind Guardian.
AMAZING band! Great choice to react to!
Cool that you nailed it. The song is from an album released in 1992.
Whenever you feel for galloping metal Blind Guardian would do the trick 😊
I take it they do that often?
@@CriticalReactions first 5 albums pretty aggressive(Imaginations From The OtherSide literally has death metal song in it) and full of galloping riffs, anyway Imaginations and Somewhere Far Beyond are really melodic either
Imaginations from the other side - The Powerfull
Somewhere Far Beyond - The Magical
NightFall in the Middle-Earth - The Epic
Blind Guardian - THE BEST
Sie haben trotz Power immer noch schöne Melodie und guten Chorgesang Hut ab.!
Das Eine hat das Andere nie ausgeschlossen, man muss es halt wollen und können^^
Hello Bryan, awesome videos as always! Just a quick suggestion as a quick breather between these dense bands, please react to Ichikoro-James? or Ichikoro-Enemy. Short, 3-4 min pieces that I would like to hear a professional commentary on since they are pretty much unknown. Other than that, keep up the good work as always!
Please for the love of god please listen to these 3 songs.
BE'LAKOR- COUNTLESS SKIES
SLUGDGE- SALT THROWER
VEKTOR- RECHARGING THE VOID
BE'LAKOR- MELODIC DEATH METAL
VERY DARK DEMON TELLING A STORY VOCALS THAT WILL SOUND A LITTLE OFF AT FIRST BUT WILL GROW ON YOU.MAJESTIC RIDE INTO BATTLE!!Magnificent riffs.
SLUGDGE- MELODIC PROGRESSIVE TECH DEATH
MELODIC CHORUS, CHANTS,ANGRY DEMON VOCALS. SONG TITLES ARE SLUG PUNS. GET LYRICS READ THEM BEFORE AND AFTER LISTENING. GROOVY! Supernatural riffs.
VEKTOR- TECHNICAL PROGRESSIVE DEATH THRASH
YA YOU HEARD RIGHT. INTERGALACTIC SPACE VAMPIRE VOCALS!!! HOW ARE THEY DOING THAT WITH GUTAIRS!!! HUH WHAT! BEAUTIFUL MEADOWS?THE ENDING!! Imploding neutron star riffs.
Lmfao
very cool band, i didn't listen them for years, what's funny that my favourite song from them is an acoustic song :) , it's called Bard's song.
Ah, yes, the best metal band.
Hey another band I know, on a roll here!!!
Good shiz
I forgot how breakneck earlier Blind Guardian were, they mellowed out in time and went into sometimes overly proggier pastures much to the dismay of one band member who kept wishing for the speedfest to continue. It won't surprise to learn said ex member was the drummer.
I guess that part of why bands like these touch a nostalgia bone regardless of age is partly because of how innocent it sounds. It's over the top and a tad silly and just deprived of cynicism and it's easier to just take it as is, I guess.
Also, I'll never not be amused by how amused you are whenever you hear punk elements in metal. Blind Guardian are a ciuple years removed from the thrash boom of the early 80s, enough to be heavily influenced by it, but also taking it to different places. Thrash itself was where metal and punk began gravitating towards each other; first with Venom, then more proficiently with Metallica, Slayer or Kreator. They were essentially metal played at punk speed and with generally competent musicians. It all came to its logical conclusion in grindcore and crossover, and the bar for speed and agression was raised again un death and black metal, as drums went blasting and vocals went growling.
Regarding triplets, that's definitely inherited from Metallica. Who took it from punk, pretty much. Both Metallica and slayer released cover albums of almost exclusively punk songs. And this crossover was even more apparent in Germany, which is where Blind Guardian come from. Nearly every band in the 80s is indebted to punk in some way oe the other. I suggested Sodom and other early thrash, now I'd add Metallica's Motorbreath or Whiplash to help connect the dots. Motorbreath in particular is unashamedly punk .
Motorbreath is pretty punky :)
It also helps that Kreator literally were next door.
I lived (at some points) a few doors down from Kreators singer and could have visited Hansi in a short drive and be back for an evening beer.
Out of all the Power Metal bands I used to listen in the 90ties, Blind Guardian, and maybe Edguy, are the only one that I still enjoy occasionally. Too bad they peaked at Nightfall in Middle-Earth.
Check "Beyond the red mirror". Granted, Hans voice got older, and naturally weaker, but it has a lot of more traditional BG vibes.
Hair metal is the same as Glam metal. Metal with pop elements like Poison, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard that sort of thing. Blind Guardian is Power/Epic metal. Not thrash. If you like them, look for earlier Helloween, they kinda kick started that German melodic metal genre. Try Eagle Fly Free from Helloween.
I don't even consider "hair metal" a genre. it's a term someone invented to describe the rock and metal bands of the 80's that had big hair. The music has nothing to do with it afaic. "Grunge" is another term that annoys me, the bands themselves don't even know what it means.
You should try one of the songs from the album from their twiligt orchestra album
Bester Song ever❗🤘🎸🔊
I think you'd enjoy Theocracy. Progressive power metal with excellent vocals. Check out "I Am."
If you like this kind of speed thrashy power metal, I recommend you to listen a danish band called Manticora. Their stuff is heavier and darker than most of power metal groups, and like BG they have a lot of literary/fantasy influences
Why anyone would pick this song ahead of anything on Nightfall in Middle Earth is beyond me...
Easy answer: Because it was picked by a number generator 🙃 Bryan has a spreadsheet for recommendations and that is what 'random rumble' has it's songs from... I would have appreciated something from Imaginations!!!
I'm really curious to see a reaction to something from their orchestral album.
In the Red Dwarf's Tower would be a nice choice...
Anyway - really nice response.
I often get a feeling as if I've heard some of their stuff before...
Pretty decent. Did remind me of a bunch of power/speed metal bands, but I feel like out of those bands I've heard, Iron Maiden is a step above.
Hansi Is a bit more unique of a vocalist than Bruce. I'm not saying better by any means. Bruce got his vibrato from Ian Gillian of Deep Purple. I got my vibrato from Matt Barlow. It sounds like Hansi just figured it out on his own. Lol
I would be intrested in his opinion of "An then there was silence"
ICED EARTH/ RHAPSODY OF FIRE/ HELLOWEEN
I've never heard Hair Metal and Blind Guardian in the same sentence before 😳
First time for everything 😂
My friend what are you going to do a show about Keith Emerson he’s one of the greatest keyboard players in the world and the composer I learned so much about other composers through Keith Emerson so please can you do a show on Keith Emerson so thank you my friend stay safe and God bless
'92.
check out ultimate-guitar.com for the tabs, there are quite accurate there
The better band
Your frames of reference are very strange to me. You associate melody with punk? That's odd. There's certainly a strand of punk that highlights melody, but that's not the norm. Blind Guardian is a power metal band, and that's a strand of metal that highlights melody. Thrash metal is actually punk influenced. Power metal has no direct punk influence. So, yeah, I find you all mixed up. Also Dio isn't hair metal. Dio is just straight up heavy metal.
Please react to suggestions live 2002 rock am ring by system of a down ❤
I dont like this style of singing but the MUSIC is incredible.