Blind Guardian - A Twist In The Myth

Liu · 11-08-2006, 04:36 PM

Blind Guardian - A Twist In The Myth
Nuclear Blast

Anyone who knows me will attest to my profound fanboy-ism regarding Blind Guardian, a band that to me has not done wrong in their 20 year existence. While their first two recordings saw the band follow the era's standard vision of speed/heavy metal, their third album, Tales From The Twilight World, saw the real development of their now trademark bombastic power sound. Every album since has had the band progressing steadily, upping the ante. The landmark trio of Somewhere Far Beyond, Imaginations From The Other Side and Nightfall In Middle-Earth is still my favorite era of the band, where the songwriting of Hansi Kursch and Andre Olbrich seemed limitless.

During all this time the band held on to their original line-up (the addition of a session bassist when Hansi decided on concentrating of his vocals full time doesn't really count), a feat 95% of the bands out there could only wish to claim. However, in 2005, the first real shake-up occured when drummer Thomen Stauch exited the band citing conflicts with the band's direction. Following the release of the Fly ep earlier this year (and with a new drummer in tow), many speculated that the Guardian camp had finally lost the plot and drowned in their own experimentations. The release of Thomen Stauch's new project, Savage Circus (which sounds pretty much like Imaginations From The Other Side) didn't help either.

Take it from this Blind Guardian fanatic, the band has not lost it at all. A Twist In The Myth shows that the band is still capable of doing what they do best, while throwing in a new idea here and there. The "old" Blind Guardian sound is present in songs like This Will Never End, Lionheart and The Edge which cover the heavy side of the spectrum, while Carry The Blessed Home and Skalds And Shadows expertly handle their medieval balladry. Each one of these songs are liable to become fan favorites to go along with the long list of classic material they've already accumulated over the years.

The "new" direction is mostly confined in the songs Fly and Another Stranger Me. I already wrote about the Fly song in my review of the Ep, but I must say that the song has grown on me immensely since writing said review. Undoubtedly the most "out there" that the band has gone but at the same time they still managed to include the unmistakable Blind Guardian sound. Another Stranger Me is, for the lack of a more fitting word, the band's first real "single". It abandons the band's epicness for a short and to-the-point instantly memorable song. In addition, the US version boasts an alternate version of Fly titled Dead Sound Of Misery. It has a different set of lyrics and alters much of the original's musical arrangements. Its necessity on the album depends entirely on whether or not the listener likes the original version.

A Twist In The Myth does feel surprisingly short. None of the 12 songs pass the 6 minute mark, not that length should be a factor but a good epic would had been nice. If there is anything I can knock the album for, is that it feels like a transitional album, rather than a fully realized work. It seems like the band is testing the waters, so to speak, regarding how well these new ideas will be accepted by their fanbase. While I certainly see a portion of them rejecting these attempts at a new direction, I for one am always willing to give a band the benefit of the doubt and I think this band has succeeded in their venture.

Or maybe I'm just a hopeless fanboy.

01. This Will Never End
02. Otherland
03. Turn The Page
04. Fly
05. Carry The Blessed Home
06. Another Stranger Me
07. Straight Through The Mirror
08. Lionheart
09. Skalds And Shadows
10. The Edge
11. The New Order
12. Dead Sound Of Misery (US Bonus Track)

Score: 8/10

11-08-2006, 04:36 PM	#1
Liu Global Galaxy Tyrant Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 196	Blind Guardian - A Twist In The Myth Blind Guardian - A Twist In The Myth Nuclear Blast Anyone who knows me will attest to my profound fanboy-ism regarding Blind Guardian, a band that to me has not done wrong in their 20 year existence. While their first two recordings saw the band follow the era's standard vision of speed/heavy metal, their third album, Tales From The Twilight World, saw the real development of their now trademark bombastic power sound. Every album since has had the band progressing steadily, upping the ante. The landmark trio of Somewhere Far Beyond, Imaginations From The Other Side and Nightfall In Middle-Earth is still my favorite era of the band, where the songwriting of Hansi Kursch and Andre Olbrich seemed limitless. During all this time the band held on to their original line-up (the addition of a session bassist when Hansi decided on concentrating of his vocals full time doesn't really count), a feat 95% of the bands out there could only wish to claim. However, in 2005, the first real shake-up occured when drummer Thomen Stauch exited the band citing conflicts with the band's direction. Following the release of the Fly ep earlier this year (and with a new drummer in tow), many speculated that the Guardian camp had finally lost the plot and drowned in their own experimentations. The release of Thomen Stauch's new project, Savage Circus (which sounds pretty much like Imaginations From The Other Side) didn't help either. Take it from this Blind Guardian fanatic, the band has not lost it at all. A Twist In The Myth shows that the band is still capable of doing what they do best, while throwing in a new idea here and there. The "old" Blind Guardian sound is present in songs like This Will Never End, Lionheart and The Edge which cover the heavy side of the spectrum, while Carry The Blessed Home and Skalds And Shadows expertly handle their medieval balladry. Each one of these songs are liable to become fan favorites to go along with the long list of classic material they've already accumulated over the years. The "new" direction is mostly confined in the songs Fly and Another Stranger Me. I already wrote about the Fly song in my review of the Ep, but I must say that the song has grown on me immensely since writing said review. Undoubtedly the most "out there" that the band has gone but at the same time they still managed to include the unmistakable Blind Guardian sound. Another Stranger Me is, for the lack of a more fitting word, the band's first real "single". It abandons the band's epicness for a short and to-the-point instantly memorable song. In addition, the US version boasts an alternate version of Fly titled Dead Sound Of Misery. It has a different set of lyrics and alters much of the original's musical arrangements. Its necessity on the album depends entirely on whether or not the listener likes the original version. A Twist In The Myth does feel surprisingly short. None of the 12 songs pass the 6 minute mark, not that length should be a factor but a good epic would had been nice. If there is anything I can knock the album for, is that it feels like a transitional album, rather than a fully realized work. It seems like the band is testing the waters, so to speak, regarding how well these new ideas will be accepted by their fanbase. While I certainly see a portion of them rejecting these attempts at a new direction, I for one am always willing to give a band the benefit of the doubt and I think this band has succeeded in their venture. Or maybe I'm just a hopeless fanboy. 01. This Will Never End 02. Otherland 03. Turn The Page 04. Fly 05. Carry The Blessed Home 06. Another Stranger Me 07. Straight Through The Mirror 08. Lionheart 09. Skalds And Shadows 10. The Edge 11. The New Order 12. Dead Sound Of Misery (US Bonus Track) Score: 8/10 __________________ Lapland Metal Last edited by Liu; 11-08-2006 at 04:41 PM..