Blind Guardian's Reviews
A Night at the Opera (Average Rating: 8.46 out of 10)
Epic, Ambitious Metal (Rated this album with 8 out of 10)
Reviewed by
samhot
from Star Land
German metal band Blind Guardian spent the majority of 2000 and 2001 recording this album, and from listening to it, you can tell that quite a bit of time, and meticulous detail went into it. 2002's _A Night At The Opera_ is grand, majestic, stately metal of the highest order. Mystical lyrics, dense, smothering production, long time-lengths, loads of double bass drumming, and not to mention a healthy dosage of melody: it makes for a meal that is both rich, and at times, over-quantitated.Many reviewers have compared this album to Queen, and a few others have compared it to ELO. On the whole, those are appropriate comparisons. This album is ambitious like most Queen material was, the vocals and vocal harmonies are soaring, majestic and operatic (vocalist Hansi sounds slightly like Queen vocalist Freddie Mercury at times), and then, there's the over-production (which both Queen and ELO are often criticized for.) The production on this album is so densely layered, and stuffed, you'd think you were listening to a trainwreck, and a 12-car pile-up on a mono recording. OK, that's an exaggeration, but this overstuffed aspect of the production could make or break the album: it'll take painstaking effort to pick out the subtleties and nuances buried beneath, since everything seems piled and clogged together. However, this can be fun, this can be a challenge for the listener who stumbles upon this album. Either way, the production techniques used here help to create a powerful wall-of-sound, that is even capable of giving listeners the goosebumps often (like myself.) Besides the band members themselves, there is a 5-person choir to add choral voices when needed, and there are also some strings that are apparent throughout the album (something ELO did quite often.) I rate this album 4 stars, because I don't necessarily love every song on here, and more importantly, I'm not tempted to listen to this album very often: power metal is not a genre I'm very fond of, nor is metal a genre I'm nuts over on the whole. My favorite songs would be "Battlefield," the ornate, Baroque classicisms that run throughout "The Maiden And The Minstrel Knight," make that a favorite, as well as the loud vocal chorus-soaked "Wait For An Answer," and others. But, my absolute favorite track on this album, without question, is "The Soulforged." Such triumphant soundscapes, loud, soaring vocal harmonies and a majestic melody blend magnificently to give me the goosebumps every single time, and not to mention nearly sending me to tears. It's *that* powerful. It's my love of Queen's music which brought me to this album (and apparently, Blind Guardian love Queen, too.) When attempting something as big as this, it is more often than not that there will be some loose ends, or flaws, but I applaud this record more than I despise it. Recommended for fans of power metal, or anything mystical and ambitious. It's an acquired taste though, so purchase with caution.
Buy this album on Amazon at $14.99
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