 |
|
Band Name: Blind Guardian
Album Name: Nightfall in Middle-Earth
Rating: 5 / 5 User Rating: 4 / 5
Label:
Buy Album: Amazon.com
Rate Album: Rate
|
Tracklist
1 War of Wrath
2 Into the Storm
3 Lammoth
4 Nightfall
5 The Minstrel
6 The Curse of Feanor
7 Captured
8 Blood Tears
9 Mirror Mirror
10 Face the Truth
11 Noldor (Dead Winter Reigns)
12 Battle of Sudden Flame
13 Time Stands Still (At the Iron Hill)
14 The Dark Elf
15 Thorn
16 The Eldar
17 Nom the Wise
18 When Sorrow Sang
19 Out on the Water
20 The Steadfast
21 A Dark Passage
22 Final Chapter (Thus Ends...)
|
In combining J.R.R. Tolkien's classic story 'The Silmarillion' with high energy, well performed power metal, Germany's Blind Guardian touched upon a magical mixture of fantasy and superior musicianship that revealed them as masters of the art form. The incredibly impassioned singing of Hansi Kursch is markedly affluent, his tuneful vocalizations taking tracks like the relentless 'Into The Storm' and the spine-tingling 'Nightfall' directly into the stratosphere.
Expertly engineered by studio wizard Flemming Rasmussen, the songs of 'Nightfall In Middle Earth' resonate with a vibrant, deeply impacting tone. The richly dynamic 'The Curse Of Feanor' offers metal fans everything from blistering tempos to majestic, open-ended harmonies. Kursch excels on the beckoning 'Blood Tears.' His vocal harmonies here are appropriately massive, being the perfect accompaniment to the track's, textured instrumentation. As lead guitarist Andre Olbrich chimes in with appropriately tuneful accents, Kursh's voice builds into a suitably dramatic powerhouse during the songs highly memorable chorus. An impressive display of lyrical ability falls as the responsibility of Mr. Kursch as well and fans of neither the band nor Tolkien shall be disappointed with the impressive literary talent of the skilled writer, properly conveying key story points and the overall atmosphere of this classic tale with enthusiasm, flair and integrity.
You will find the playing of Marcus Seipen to be a key element in the group's overall sound throughout the album as the guitarist employs a wide variety of techniques in order to properly convey the massive amounts of emotion contained in these songs. Seipen's diversity in style is widely apparent on 'Noldor (Dead Winter Reigns)' as he deftly combines lucid melodic passages with vice tight thrashing. Olbrich delivers a highly melodic solo on this cut that works through a variety of time signatures, ultimately enhancing the overall dynamics of the track, while at the same time providing metal fans with the searing tones for which they so hunger. Showing himself to be a highly proficient timekeeper, Thomas Stauch employs keen accents, thunderous rolls and tastefully executed skin pounding, the drummer standing out the most on 'Into The Storm' and the extremely powerful 'Time Stands Still (At The Iron Hill).'
Over the course of the record, brief passages are inserted that while not being entire compositions, greatly enhance the flow of the record, furthering the story-like quality. The rich warmth of 'Thorn' resounds with a folksy ambience before launching into a blissful chorus that makes for one of the mightiest moments on this record, with a further excellent performance on behalf of Kursch.
One of the most crucial metal platters of the nineties, 'Nightfall In Middle Earth' is a standard in the progressive metal realm which stands as not only Blind Guardian's most cohesive effort, but as an album that is a colossal artistic statement in and of itself.
Review by: EF
Read Member Reviews
|
