Follow the Blind (Reis) [Original recording remastered, Extra tracks]

Blind Guardian | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 19, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 1989
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered, Extra tracks
• Label: Century Media
• ASIN: B0024RI716
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,983 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mean old school speed-metal, December 10, 2004

By 

Ilya Malafeyev (Russia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Follow the Blind (Audio CD)

I'm amazed at people rating this album so low! I think, we should be appreciating music for what it is, not for what it could have become (or became much later). Does anybody remember, that this is a record from 1989? Does anybody remember what metal scene looked like at that time? That was the time of some mean metal reigning supreme, the time of thrash and speed-metal, the time of death-metal gaining full force. There was no place for anything epic or melodic. So what's the point of rating "Follow the Blind" so low after comparing it to "Nightfall in Middle-Earth", I cannot understand.

With that being said, "Follow the Blind" is a terrific example of darker German speed-metal, with all its attributes in place. It has imaginative riffing, accessible melodies and killer ultra-fast guitars. Rough, melodic, and addictive. Similar to what another German band, Rage, played, but with better vocals. If you follow Blind Guardian's development from their 1988 debut, you'll be struck by how much the band developed in just 1 year! Hansi got more comfortable with his voice, while Thomas improved into a fairly good drummer. Several guitar solos here still send shivers down my spine (like the one on Banished From Sanctuary). The music got more melody, but still not enough to be compared to their later power-metal works. Surely, not every idea works, but for the most part the songs here are very enjoyable. I would highlight Banished From Sanctuary, Hall Of The King, Fast To Madness, and of course the still played live, Valhalla with legendary Kai Hansen of Helloween / Gamma Ray fame providing guest vocals. There are 2 cover songs here. One, titled Don't Break The Circle, was original played by a NWBHM band Demon. It's blazingly fast and a pleasure to listen to for any metal fan. The other one is good, but in another way. It's a cover of I-forgot-whose old rock'n'roll song Barbara Ann, which was turned metal. Lots of fun from this one!

It must be noted that whoever only likes later Blind Guardian's epic minstrel power-metal, most likely won't get into this album, and is better starting from the next BG album, "Tales from the Twilight World". But this one is very important for the band, because it shows their transition from "one-of-the-legion" to world's best power-metal band of the 90s. It's also essential for fans of speed-metal.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Follow The Blind, October 11, 2003

By 

Fingolfin (Greece) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Follow the Blind (Audio CD)

Let me explain why I rated this album 3/5. I am an avid BG fan and own all their albums/singles, enjoying every period of the band for different reasons. In this album BG made their sound heavier and more "professional" so to say. However, it lacks the raw spirit of Battalions Of Fear and the songwriting doesn't consistently deliver. A couple songs stand out while the rest of the album is solid. Their next effort, Tales Of The Twilight World, marks the beginning of BG forging their distinctive style and sound.

If you learned BG from Nightfall.. or A Night At The Opera and love them for their multilayered songs with big choruses and melodies you can skip this cd without any consequences. If you fancy speed metal try the previous or the next album first.

A review of FTB would be incomplete without a mention of the cover of Barbara Ann, which is -amazingly enough- even better than the original. The cover of Demon's "Don't Break The Circle" is another great cover. However, the apex of the album is Valhalla, a song you can still catch BG playing live.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I am..., February 11, 2002

By 

"wulger" (Somewhere Far Beyond) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Follow the Blind (Audio CD)

....heading fast to madness listening to this CD. It is, by far, BG's least 'solid' release ever, including their debut (Batallions of Fear, which is much better). That said, this is still a really cool CD, especially if you like speed metal. This is very fast compared to BG's later releases, as the rest of their stuff is either power metal or progressive power metal. However, if speed metal is your cup of blood, get this. KNOW THIS HOWEVER: most of the songs on this CD are very similar musically, so be prepared to be bored if you like lots of change from song to song.