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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Blind Guardian's debut - now remixed and remastered, January 21, 2008
It's hard, after listening to Battalions of Fear, to believe that this is the same band who would record classic albums like Imaginations From the Other Side and Nightfall in Middle Earth.
Blind Guardian may have gone on to become the dominant force in power metal, but you'd hardly know it from their 1987 debut album. That's not to say it isn't a good album, it just isn't what you might expect. Battalions of Fear is pretty much a straightforward thrash album, which makes sense since thrash (both American and German) was the major metal style at the time. The fantasy-themed lyrics were still present, but the grand arrangements and epic concepts were nowhere to be found.
In many ways, I'm reminded of Metallica's Kill 'Em All when I listen to Battalions of Fear. They're both relatively brief albums, both concentrate on speed, both are a bit choppy and uneven, and both suffer from poor production. Perhaps more importantly, both albums would help set the bands on the road to becoming the major players in their fields. Of course Metallica has long since abandoned their thrash roots, while Blind Guardian is still the world's premier power metal band.
Battalions of Fear is vital for the dedicated Blind Guardian fan. Their other albums are a heck of a lot better, but this is where they started out. If you're new to Blind Guardian and are looking for a good starting point, skip this one and go straight to Imaginations from the Other Side. Once that one sinks in, listen to Nightfall in Middle Earth. It will likely become the standard by which you judge all other concept albums, if not all other power metal albums.
NOTE: The 2007 reissue of Battalions of Fear is not just digitally remastered; the album has been remixed as well. This makes an incredible difference in the way the album sounds, and I am thrilled to hear it. It's almost as if the band went back into the studio and rerecorded the album. Everything is sharper, clearer, and above all louder. I think this gives listeners a chance to finally appreciate all that the album had to offer. As an added bonus, the reissue includes 5 bonus tracks. These songs are the legendary Lucifer's Heritage demos, and are the earliest recordings of the band that would become Blind Guardian. The remixing/remastering is reason enough to replace your old copy of Battalions of Fear, but the Lucifer's Heritage demos are definitely a plus.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Battalions Of Fear Remixed & Remastered, November 27, 2007
What we have here is Blind Guardian's debut album "Battalions Of Fear" in a "modern" shape as said by the band. The album has been completely remixed and remastered and they've added some demo songs from their early works as "Lucifer's Heritage." When I first heard "Battalions Of Fear" it sounded somewhat "typical" of a debut album from a band who has been around since the 1980s as far as sound quality goes - somewhat weak drums, thin guitars, less bass guitar presense, and reverbed vocals. The remix makes the guitars, bass and drums a lot more present - the drums pound louder than the supressed sound from the original mix, and the guitars are more clear and clean, while the bass can be heard. The vocals sound cleaner as well - it sounds like the reverb has been eliminated and there are no echoes. The overall sound quality has been increased by a lot with the clarity of all the pieces that created such great songs. Great remaster and remix - check out "Follow The Blind" as well as that was remixed with this CD and given the same treatment.
Anyone who has wanted to hear the true power of Blind Guardian's early works might want to pick up this remaster if you have the money or if you find it somewhere else for cheaper - it doesn't seem like there's an official U.S. release for the Blind Guardian remasters at the moment.
5 stars. This is worth hearing!
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Battalions of Fear now sounds better, February 21, 2008
Thanks to those that are responsable for remastering/ remixing this album, it really needed it. "Battalions of Fear" now has the sound that it deserves (Nothing wrong with the original; I have both original and the remastered). I can now listen to this album minus the muffled sound and having to turn the stereo to a high volume. This is definately worth picking up and replacing the original version with this one.
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