BLIND GUARDIAN

Power Metal / Speed Metal / Non-Metal / Heavy Metal • Germany
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Blind Guardian is a German power metal band from Krefeld / Meerbusch. They are commonly counted among the most influential artists of the genre, as well as one of the earliest acts to play the so called European style of power metal. Like with genre pioneers Helloween, Blind Guardian began life as a speed metal band.

Blind Guardian were originally known as Lucifer's Heritage. The band was active between 1984 - 1986 and in that time released two demos, Symphonies of Doom (1985) and Battalions of Fear (1986). The band originally consisted of Hansi Kürsch (vocals, bass), André Olbrich (lead guitars), Marcus Dork (rhythm guitars, additional vocals) and Thomen Stauch (drums). An additional lead voclaist, Thomas Kelleners, was also involved at one point but never recorded with the band. On the second demo Dork was replaced by Christoph Theissen (R.I.P. 2013) and Stauch by Hans-Peter Frey. Following this demo Lucifer's
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BLIND GUARDIAN Discography

BLIND GUARDIAN albums / top albums

BLIND GUARDIAN Battalions of Fear album cover 3.44 | 50 ratings
Battalions of Fear
Speed Metal 1988
BLIND GUARDIAN Follow the Blind album cover 3.33 | 50 ratings
Follow the Blind
Speed Metal 1989
BLIND GUARDIAN Tales From the Twilight World album cover 3.90 | 59 ratings
Tales From the Twilight World
Power Metal 1990
BLIND GUARDIAN Somewhere Far Beyond album cover 4.13 | 66 ratings
Somewhere Far Beyond
Power Metal 1992
BLIND GUARDIAN Imaginations From the Other Side album cover 4.31 | 91 ratings
Imaginations From the Other Side
Power Metal 1995
BLIND GUARDIAN Nightfall in Middle-Earth album cover 4.04 | 72 ratings
Nightfall in Middle-Earth
Power Metal 1998
BLIND GUARDIAN A Night at the Opera album cover 4.03 | 67 ratings
A Night at the Opera
Power Metal 2002
BLIND GUARDIAN A Twist in the Myth album cover 3.61 | 45 ratings
A Twist in the Myth
Power Metal 2006
BLIND GUARDIAN At The Edge Of Time album cover 3.69 | 51 ratings
At The Edge Of Time
Power Metal 2010
BLIND GUARDIAN Beyond the Red Mirror album cover 4.12 | 30 ratings
Beyond the Red Mirror
Power Metal 2015
BLIND GUARDIAN Twilight Orchestra: Legacy of the Dark Lands album cover 3.09 | 7 ratings
Twilight Orchestra: Legacy of the Dark Lands
Non-Metal 2019
BLIND GUARDIAN The God Machine album cover 4.38 | 15 ratings
The God Machine
Power Metal 2022
BLIND GUARDIAN Somewhere Far Beyond - Revisited album cover 4.95 | 2 ratings
Somewhere Far Beyond - Revisited
Power Metal 2024

BLIND GUARDIAN EPs & splits

BLIND GUARDIAN No Remorse Records - Label Compilation album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
No Remorse Records - Label Compilation
Speed Metal 1989

BLIND GUARDIAN live albums

BLIND GUARDIAN Tokyo Tales album cover 3.24 | 13 ratings
Tokyo Tales
Power Metal 1993
BLIND GUARDIAN Live album cover 4.43 | 7 ratings
Live
Power Metal 2003
BLIND GUARDIAN Live Beyond the Spheres album cover 4.00 | 2 ratings
Live Beyond the Spheres
Power Metal 2017
BLIND GUARDIAN Somewhere Far Beyond - Live album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Somewhere Far Beyond - Live
Power Metal 2024

BLIND GUARDIAN demos, promos, fans club and other releases (no bootlegs)

BLIND GUARDIAN Live Promo album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Live Promo
Speed Metal 1989
BLIND GUARDIAN Banish from Sanctuary album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Banish from Sanctuary
Speed Metal 1989
BLIND GUARDIAN Tales from the Twilight World album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Tales from the Twilight World
Power Metal 1990
BLIND GUARDIAN Demo 1990 - Preproduction album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Demo 1990 - Preproduction
Power Metal 1990
BLIND GUARDIAN Demo IV album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Demo IV
Power Metal 1991
BLIND GUARDIAN Blind Guardian Plays Beach Boys album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Blind Guardian Plays Beach Boys
Power Metal 1996
BLIND GUARDIAN Guardians of the Rings album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Guardians of the Rings
Power Metal 1998
BLIND GUARDIAN The Sacred Worlds and Songs Divine Tour 2010 album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Sacred Worlds and Songs Divine Tour 2010
Power Metal 2010

BLIND GUARDIAN re-issues & compilations

BLIND GUARDIAN The Forgotten Tales album cover 3.83 | 12 ratings
The Forgotten Tales
Power Metal 1996
BLIND GUARDIAN Memories of a Time to Come album cover 3.75 | 2 ratings
Memories of a Time to Come
Power Metal 2012

BLIND GUARDIAN singles (11)

.. Album Cover
4.00 | 1 ratings
A Past and Future Secret
Power Metal 1995
.. Album Cover
4.00 | 1 ratings
Bright Eyes
Power Metal 1995
.. Album Cover
3.29 | 3 ratings
Mr. Sandman
Power Metal 1996
.. Album Cover
3.25 | 2 ratings
Mirror Mirror
Power Metal 1998
.. Album Cover
4.50 | 1 ratings
And Then There Was Silence
Power Metal 2001
.. Album Cover
0.00 | 0 ratings
The Bard's Song (In the Forest)
Power Metal 2003
.. Album Cover
4.00 | 1 ratings
Fly
Power Metal 2006
.. Album Cover
2.00 | 1 ratings
Another Stranger Me
Power Metal 2007
.. Album Cover
4.00 | 3 ratings
A Voice In The Dark
Power Metal 2010
.. Album Cover
4.50 | 1 ratings
Twilight Of The Gods
Power Metal 2014
.. Album Cover
3.50 | 1 ratings
Merry Xmas Everybody
Heavy Metal 2020

BLIND GUARDIAN movies (DVD, Blu-Ray or VHS)

.. Album Cover
4.65 | 6 ratings
Imaginations Through the Looking Glass
Power Metal 2004

BLIND GUARDIAN Reviews

BLIND GUARDIAN Somewhere Far Beyond - Revisited

Album · 2024 · Power Metal
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adg211288
You Can't Improve Perfection...

...But You Can Do It Justice.

Blind Guardian re-recording Somewhere Far Beyond, one of their best and most beloved of albums that was originally released in 1992, has to be one of, if not THE most pointless of exercises that any metal band could set-out to undertake. The original album already has a remastered version done in 2007 and it still sounds as good as it ever did in 2024.

I get that the Revisited version of Somewhere Far Beyond is to be treated as something of a (slightly belated) 30th anniversary celebration but that is perhaps something better celebrated with the accompanying live version that is a full performance of the album. That has been released separately as a digital download otherwise it is found on disc in the boxset version along with a blu-ray of the same performance (Rock Hard Festival 2022) and one other (Hellfest Festival 2022). But there feels little reason to buy the Revisited album itself if you already own a copy of Somewhere Far Beyond. The original is power metal perfection. A new version just cannot compare.

But at the end of the day it is still Somewhere Far Beyond, one of the greatest power metal albums anyone ever made and giving it anything less than the full five stars would be mean-spirited. It's actually a cracking performance from a band who are more than three decades older and a couple of line-up changes down the line. They do it justice. There is a moment here and there where the ears pick up and something doesn't feel quite right but a lot of the time it can be forgotten that you're listening to a re-recording. The heaviness of the original hasn't been sacrificed. The production hasn't been too over polished in a modern way. Hansi Kürsch still sounds absolutely incredible, but hey, we knew that from their continued work including their last album The God Machine.

Is it worth owning? If for some reason you can't get your hands on a copy of the original album then absolutely. Definitely if you want the live stuff on disc and not just a download and doubly so if you want the blu-ray, which I think has to surely be the biggest draw the more expensive triple disc package. But I can't lie, I can't see myself personally choosing to listen to it over the original. Somewhere Far Beyond is one of my most played albums of all time. It ranks second on my Last.fm account where Blind Guardian is my most played band overall. To start listening to a new version more than it now would almost feel like some sort of betrayal. Not that Blind Guardian has betrayed their legacy by remaking it, but on a very personal level, for me, it would feel that way. Maybe other fans will get what I mean.

BLIND GUARDIAN Follow the Blind

Album · 1989 · Speed Metal
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UMUR
"Follow the Blind" is the second full-length studio album by German speed/power metal act Blind Guardian. The album was released through No Remorse Records in April 1989, a little less than a year after the release of their debut full-length studio album "Battalions of Fear" from May 1988.

Stylistically the material on "Follow the Blind" pretty much continues the speed/power metal style of "Battalions of Fear", although Blind Guardian have arguably become better songwriters and more skilled musicians since the debut album. It´s still artists like Running Wild, Rage, and early Helloween which are valid references and at this point Blind Guardian weren´t the most unique sounding German act (Kai Hansen even makes a guest vocal appearance on "Valhalla").

Blind Guardian perform their music with great skill and conviction, but lead vocalist/bassist Hansi Kürsch doesn´t have particularly memorable or melodic vocal lines to sing, and that the major issue with "Follow the Blind". As well performed and well produced the album is, the tracks simply aren´t that memorable and they aren´t easy to tell apart because of the lack of hooks. In that respect they are closer to second tier thrash metal than speed/power metal, but this is of course not pure thrash metal.

So upon conclusion "Follow the Blind" is a decent sophomore studio album by Blind Guardian, but it´s a far cry from the quality and uniqueness of their next couple of releases, where the band really found their sound. This is for fans of the above mentioned artists, although you won´t find much here which sets Blind Guardian apart from mid-80s releases by those artists. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

BLIND GUARDIAN Tales From the Twilight World

Album · 1990 · Power Metal
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UMUR
"Tales From the Twilight World" is the third full-length studio album by German power metal act Blind Guardian. The album was released through No Remorse Records in October 1990. It´s the successor to "Follow the Blind" from April 1989. Just as the case was on the first two albums, "Tales From the Twilight World" was produced by Kalle Trapp.

Stylistically the material on "Tales From the Twilight World" is a developed and more power metal influenced version of the more raw speed/power metal sound of the first two albums. The vocal part of the music has changed quite a bit and now features a lot of harmony and choir parts, and lead vocalist/bassist Hansi Kürsch has now been given much more memorable and melodic vocal parts to sing. He varies the way he sings and he uses more techniques than before, which make that part of the music a lot more interesting than the case was on the first couple of albums. The lead guitar work has also changed and is now more memorable and also features a charming folk influence. The basis of the tracks is still quite powerful and energetic speed metal with sharp speed/thrash metal riffing and pounding fast-paced drumming. It´s the combination of the influences which makes "Tales From the Twilight World" the unique sounding and intriguing album release it is.

Blind Guardian understand how to create drama and epic moments with the use of dynamics, and the album features both hard edged choruses, epic choruses, and even the occasional acoustic folky part. Compared to the two preceding album releases, "Tales From the Twilight World" features better quality production values, and it´s overall a pretty well sounding release. Upon conclustion this is a transitional album for Blind Guardian which points to their epic power metal (near) future but still features a lot of the raw speed metal riffs and rhythms of the first two albums. It´s not a perfect release by any means and Blind Guardian still had a way to go before reaching power metal heaven, but they are definitely well on their way on this album. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

BLIND GUARDIAN Nightfall in Middle-Earth

Album · 1998 · Power Metal
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SilentScream213
Blind Guardian’s first full on epic concept album exclusively focused on Middle-Earth lore, and this one seemed to be a breakthrough for them. Overall, the style is a bit softer, focusing more on varied instrumentation (folk and classical acoustics, as well as some keys) and hyper anthemic gang vocal choruses. Power Metal is still the core here, but it’s more progressive and less aggressive, and plenty of songs stray from the genre entirely.

The meat of the album is very strong, compelling, passionate and catchy. The concept story is an added bonus, but the music is plenty entertaining without it, and the tracks totally stand on their own. Despite this, I will say it’s decidedly less to my taste than their more aggressive fare.

In order to make the album flow more like a story, Blind Guardian added short spoken word interludes between almost every track, and I gotta say… I do not think that was the play. The 11 regular tracks are great, but the TWENTY TWO total tracks just makes this ridiculously hard to listen to front to back. It also makes the album very difficult to rate. The main tracks are top quality as usual, but the segues are boring and ruin the flow. Unfortunately I cannot simply ignore them, and they make this probably my least favorite release they had done at the time.

BLIND GUARDIAN The God Machine

Album · 2022 · Power Metal
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siLLy puPPy
Celebrating almost four decades as a band, BLIND GUARDIAN has been one of the metal universe’s most celebrated progressively tinged power metal bands with an amazing consistency of top notch innovation. The band has been quiet for quite a few years however with 2015’s “Beyond The Red Mirror” serving as the last metal based album. The band surprised its fanbase in 2019 with the non-metal cinematic orchestral classical release “Legacy of the Dark Lands” leaving fans to ponder the next step in the band’s ever-increasing move into the world of classical music.

Well fears of Hansi Kürsch steering the band into the world of musical soundtracks have been put to rest with the band’s 13th album THE GOD MACHINE which finds the band once again releasing its inner beast and cranking out the symphonic power metal that made the band famous in the 1990s. This fine return to form also finds newbie bassist Johan van Stratum joining the team for a satisfying assault of the senses in pure adrenaline fueled top of the line power metal. Comparisons to the band’s 90s albums ranging from “Tales From The Twilight World” to “Imaginations From The Other Side” are fairly accurate as the band has jettisoned the overly progressive complexities for a more straight forward head banging approach.

In other words it’s back to the basics for BLIND GUARDIAN but with top notch songwriting and stellar vocal and musical performances, it has been easy to forget what amazing power metal powerhouses the guys in this band have been and with all excesses trimmed down to more hard-hitting directness, BLIND GUARDIAN has delivered an excellent set of nine tracks reminiscent of the 90s run only improved upon in many ways including a stellar modern production job and a reminder that these guys haven’t lost all that music magic that made them the superstars they are.

THE GOD MACHINE basically delivers two styles. First there are the thrash fueled power metal tracks that blow the roof off the house including the opening “Deliver Us From Evil,” “Violent Shadows” and the soul-crushing “Blood Of The Elves.” Of course BLIND GUARDIAN has also been adept at crafting slower harmony led track and in this case excels with the mid-tempo rocker “Life Beyond The Spheres” and “Let It Be No More.” The pacing of the album is well balanced and the dramatic intros that lead up to the power metal fury is all crafted into a perfect blend of modern vs old school power metal splendor.

Like many such retreats into past glories, THE GOD MACHINE certainly garners the criticism that the band is simply retreading that which it has done before and in that regard all is certainly true but when a band is fueling all its fiery passion and delivers the goods so compellingly well then it is indeed a welcome return to the no frills approach that has been adapted to the modern world. While not the pinnacle of BLIND GUARDIAN’s discography in terms of originality, the quality of this album is absolutely astounding and for that reason i’m finding this to be quite a welcome return to form indeed although i must say that i have also been a fan of the band’s more experimental moments of the last decade.

All in all these metal veterans play with the zeal of their youth of several decades ago and do so without missing a beat. True that this style of power metal is predictable and by the books in pretty much every way but when performed so well by seasoned veterans sometimes it’s much preferable to eschew the progressive orchestral excesses for the sake of just rocking out. The band spent many years crafting the intricate melodies and the time spent paying attention to the details has more than paid off.

BLIND GUARDIAN Movies Reviews

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more than 2 years ago
I agree that the albums are more speed metal than power metal. However they are still more power metal than thrash metal (which they aren't at all). If speed metal cannot be selected (why?) then they should say power metal like everything else. Calling them thrash metal is just plain wrong. Speed metal is closer to power metal than thrash metal in any case.
adg211288 wrote:
more than 2 years ago
The early releases of Blind Guardian (and Helloween for that matter) are considered to be more speed metal than power metal. Here on MMA speed metal is an inclusive genre with our thrash metal sub, which is why early Blind Guardian releases are tagged as thrash metal.
Unitron wrote:
more than 2 years ago
Maybe not in the traditional sense, but many early power metal bands (Helloween, Helstar, Gamma Ray, etc.) had thrash metal elements on their early releases.
more than 2 years ago
Thrash metal? There is not one note of thrash metal on any Blind Guardian release.
666sharon666 wrote:
more than 2 years ago
There are definitely some top quality albums in the MMA power metal chart right now, a few surprising ones too, but Imaginations From the Other Side is better than all of them. :P
adg211288 wrote:
more than 2 years ago
I hate that none of their albums currently appear in the top albums on the power metal page. :(

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