(Rated this album with 8 out of 10) Reviewed by
Stanley Runk
from Madison, WI United States
For better or worse, there isn't a band or album that sounds like this. Blind Guardian have been slowly morphing from Battalions Of Fear to the sound they're at now. What will be next I wonder? I've always had great admiration for this band for being 100% original amongst the dime a dozen Helloween clones that have surfaced throughout the last few years(though Blind Guardian has been around almost as long as Helloween, but who in America cares about good metal music, right?). This album is quite different from where Blind Guardian started, and hasn't pleased everyone. That's fine, coz no matter who you are, you're gonna disappoint someone with your new album. I understand that many could consider this album to be a bit overwhelming with it's operatic/metal/choir vocal assault. In fact, I can see this album appealing to people who aren't really into metal music. I could see classical fans or progressive rock fans not exactly loving it, but seeing merit in it. I wouldn't suggest getting this as your first Blind Guardian album, coz it might rub you the wrong way. This album you get after you're warmed up to them and have gone on that journey from their thrash albums to their orchestral ones. By that time, you might be a little more prepared for the sound of this cd. Personally, I don't think it's Blind Guardian's best album. It doesn't hook you from the getgo like the rest of their albums do. It's more like a prog rock album(though not prog rock) in the vein of Yes, where you have to listen to it and absorb it a few times before you start unraveling the layers and discover how good it is underneath the top layer of seemingly unstructured noise. I can see this album as one of those that's met with hostility now, but will be seen as an essential classic years down the road. Similar to Hitchcock's Vertigo. But my personal suggestion would be to start yourself with another BG album(any of them will do-they're all great), and if you really dig it, snatch this baby up.
