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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Second only to Nightfall in Middle-Earth, August 25, 2010
This is the greatest Blind Guardian release since "Nightfall in Middle-Earth" and ranks just behind it in greatness. EVERY song on this album is warrants repeated playbacks- a very unusual feat for ANY band of any genre. I have listened to this album over twenty times straight through since its release a month ago and I constantly feel the urge to give it yet another spin. If you're looking for the best metal album in years then you've found it.
"Sacred Worlds" - 9.75/10 - A truly epic track. I was somewhat wary of this song because it is a remake of the song "Sacred" they made a year back for the video game Sacred II which, frankly, was not exceptional. Fortunately, they pulled complete 180 with "Sacred Worlds"; a triumphantly eerie orchestral introduction fits perfectly with the meat of the song. This track may be over 9 minutes long but it certainly seems to go by quickly (because it is so good).
"Tanelorn (Into the Void)" - 10/10 - A very fast-tempo'd track concerning Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melniborne being denied entrance to the temporal city of Tanelorn. This song hearkens back to the classic thrashy Blind Guardian era but still sounds fresh and original like most of their recent material. The guitars on this track sound especially slick and deadly.
"Road of No Release" - 8/10 - This song starts maddeningly slow and proceeds with many ups and downs. Just when you think you've heard all this song is about it throws another twist at you. The track is the second weakest on the album but is still better than most bands can muster these days. The chorus, oddly, is the poorest part of the song- all the other lyrics are fine. I would have given it a higher rating but it simply overstays its welcome... the chorus really isn't clever enough to warrant a 6.5 minute song, despite the instrumental brilliance contained within.
"Ride Into Obsession" - 10/10 - What is my favorite song on the album? This is it. This track is similar to "Tanelorn (Into the Void)" stylistically--speedy--but pulls it off with slightly more finesse. Hansi's voice is so powerful in this... he delivers the vocals so well I believe he IS the Dragon Reborn (from "The Wheel of Time" series) falling to madness. He actually starts screaming in part of this track... very unusual for BG and something most bands fail to implement properly; it is used tacitly here, however. Additionally, the vocal layering is done very well. The instruments are, of course, insanely clean.
"Curse My Name" - 9/10 - This is a classic BG bard's song. Very medieval, very light and yet heavy at the same time. Many unusual instruments are used for a metal band. The lyrics are very moving and the instruments fit so perfectly its scary. The only thing that bothers me is that the backing vocals can easily get stale as the track goes on... especially the last few verses.
"Valkyries" - 8.5/10 - Similar in presentation and structure to "Road of No Release". The difference, however, is that the chorus is actually very good in this song. Norse mythology is a fairly common subject for metal bands but Blind Guardian avoids the pitfalls and cheesiness of most by focusing on a single idea (the death of a warrior and his ascent to Valhalla) and matching it with an appropriate tempo and feel. It is somber and yet anxious at the same time. This is simply a great track that must will underrate. The intro and end are too dragged out (a common complaint, it seems) but the rest of it is awesome.
"Control the Divine" - 7/10 - The most weakest and most unremarkable track on the album; it just doesn't have much to it. It's far too bland for my tastes and seems to tease you. I keep thinking its going to heat up or throw a twist at me but it never does. A decent song and worth a listen, but it pales in comparison to the rest of the album.
"War of the Thrones" - 9/10 - This song has really grown on me. When I first heard it on the "A Voice in the Dark" single released last month I found it uninspired and cheesy. After giving it some time to get in my head and age a bit I realize how wrong I was. This is a great song. A medieval-ish song like "Curse My Name" except that it is an appropriate length. The last few verses are really cool. This is why Blind Guardian's nickname is The Bards. My experience with this track has reinforced me opinion that most great music must be given time to ferment and ripen and cannot be fully appreciated upon first, or even second, listen.
"Voice in the Dark" - 10/10 - There's a reason this song was released as the single; it is a superb track that can be best described as an old-styled, speedy Blind Guardian song with touches from more recent albums such as "A Night at the Opera." This song itself is much better than most anything on "A Twist in the Myth" and is definitely one of the strongest on the album.
"Wheel of Time" - 8.75/10 - This track is obviously intended to be the `epic' on the album in terms of song structure and testimonials from the band. In addition, I am a fan of the "Wheel of Time" books from which the song is derived. As such, I was anticipating this track with high hopes. Upon first listen I was left somewhat disheartened; I thought it was not up to the Blind Guardian standard for `epic' tracks. I thought the orchestration was overly powerful and drowned out the actual band's instruments. And, frankly, some of the lyrics were rather cheesy. Upon consecutive listens it has grown on me more so than any other track on the album. There is a certain force behind certain sections of the song, especially the main riff, which is simply brilliant. Other parts are very much forgettable and, at times, intolerable. When this track is at its high points it is among some of Blind Guardian's best work but at other times its lack of imagination is so un-BG that I can't give it as high of a score as I would like.
I passionately urge you to purchase this album! It is not only Blind Guardian's best effort since Nightfall, it is one of the greatest power metal releases ever.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A return to form for BG, August 24, 2010
This review is from: At The Edge Of Time (Dlx Ed./2 CD Set) (Audio CD)
After the disappointment of Twist in the Myth with only a handful of good songs and a weird change of style i was worried they were gonna lose there way like alot other bands. Come on Another Stranger Me how is that a BG song at all? Not so with this release. 7 of the 10 songs on this album are great. The other 3 are good but just not as cathy. Songs such as "Ride into Obsession" and "Voice in the Dark" def. have an old BG sound to them. "Sacred" and "Wheel of Time" both have real orchestrated music. The production values are amazing with all the different layers of voices and music. Two slow songs typical on almost every BG album but are very good. An easy purchase for any BG fan worried about there direction.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Breathtaking and Inspiring, September 1, 2010
Let me start off by saying that I cannot choose a favorite Blind Guardian album. Ever since Somewhere Far Beyond came out, everything this band has released has held a special place in my heart. In fact, at my wedding 4 years ago, our bride & groom first dance was to "The Maiden and the Minstrel Knight" and it couldn't have been more beautiful.
Blind Guardian is more than a thrash/power metal band. Yes there are those elements to their music, but the main focus of their music is composition and in creating music that is cohesive, innovative, and extravagant. Over their past 3 albums, the compositions have gotten progressively more intricate and bombastic. Some critique them as "overdone" and that's a fair statement if you prefer raw metal. This is not raw metal however. You are listening to the wrong band if you want Blind Guardian to sound like they did in the 80's and 90's. In fact, if you're missing that style so much, skip this album and go purchase the latest Persuader or Savage Circus albums. They sound almost exactly like early Blind Guardian.
Before the song by song analysis, At The Edge of Time as a whole complete album is perhaps their best work. This album definitely has the most diversity out of all their previous works. Not one song sounds like it doesn't belong and while there are stronger songs than others, they complement each other perfectly. Case in point, a mid tempo, piano driven song ,"Road to No Release" is sandwiched between two of the fastest, guitar driven songs on the album. Then immediately following a blisteringly brilliant thrash song, you have one of Guardian's finest ballads.
Sacred Worlds (10/10) This may be one of my favorite BG songs of all time, second only to "And Then There was Silence". The orchestral arrangements start the album building intensity and excitement until the band starts. It all flows so seamlessly that you will hardly notice the change. When the band does start in full, the orchestra weaves in and out providing brilliant counter melodies and gorgeous depth to the music. The chorus of this song is in my opinion one of the most powerful chorus ever. The lyrics were originally created for a fantasy game, but have real world applications, particularly the emotion of setting evil things right that have been accepted as the norm.
Tanelorn (9/10) I love this song a lot. The guitars are the driving force and sound incredible. Marcus and Andre are playing at harmonic thirds of each other for much of the song and the guitars are amazingly tight. Hansi sings very aggressively on this one, very similar to his style on Imaginations From the Other Side. The chorus is very good and catchy, however I'm not emotionally taken away as I am with some of their other songs.
Road of No Release (8/10) This is a hard one for me to rate. The intro is beautiful with the piano, guitars and snare drum roll. This song stylistically sounds similar to the A Twist in the Myth album. There are many changes in rhythm and keep this song interesting but not all of it is as moving as the intro. This is one of those songs that will probably need to marinate in my head for many months before I can fully appreciate it.
Ride into Obsession (10/10) My favorite of the fast songs on the album. This song has everything. The lyrics are powerful and really get to the heart of the emotional struggle the dragon is facing. I won't spoil who he is in case you haven't read the first book in Wheel of Time. The chorus is one of the best on the album, but what really gives this song the edge over Tanelorn is the middle section where the music takes an unexpected twist.
Curse my Name (10/10) One of Blind Guardian's best ballads. This song has many celtic sounding instruments and percussions, strings, flutes, and some other things I can't quite identify. Brilliant lyrics and a wonderful chorus that actually inspires me to dance like an idiot hopping around from one foot to the other. The deluxe edition of this album comes with a demo version of this song which sounds just as good, but is the scaled back version featuring acoustic guitars and Hansi's voice. It is very reminiscent of The Bard's Song and time may prove it to be just as classic.
Valkyries (8/10) I have similar opinions about this song as I do "Road of No Release" being a more modern version of their previous album style. It has a very good chorus and is a good mix of heavy and soft features. After about 10 listens of the album as a whole, this song seems to be one of the weaker on the album. It is still an awesome song, but there is some fierce competition on this CD. It may prove to be one of those songs that I'll only fully grasp after I've heard it 100's of time.
Control the Devine (10/10) This is one of my favorite songs as well. Stylistically, it sounds like it could have been released on Nightfall in Middle Earth. This song features great texture from acoustic guitars and one of the best and catchiest choruses on the album. It manages to avoid sounding familiar without actually pushing Blind Guardian's music to the next level.
War of the Thrones (10/10) This song is another great ballad that I absolutely love. It starts off with piano and vocals only and is most appropriate given the subject matter. The chorus is classic and very sing-along-esque. As the song progresses more instruments are introduced, giving rise to the intensity matched my Hansi's delivery.
A Voice in the Dark (8.5/10) This is an awesome song that I was somewhat unimpressed when I first heard it on the single. The vocal phrasing and chorus is very reminiscent of Traveler in Time, or Time What is Time. It is very fast and aggressive but also very clever in the arrangement. The variations are just enough that you don't tire of the standard pop song formula that this song employs. My only criticism is that the guitar solo is not up to par. It sounds "good enough" not to hurt the song but is desperately lacking Andre's usual touch and finesse.
Wheel of Time (1/10) Oh man, the album sure took a dive down the crapper here, this song is just terrible! Just kidding... here we have yet again one of Blind Guardian's greatest musical accomplishments. One thing I recommend doing is listening to the instrumental version on the second disc. The music has been composed with such craft and eloquence that it needs to be heard by itself before you can fully appreciate all that is going on here. It is pure magic. The album version with vocals is amazing too. I was just flabbergasted at how great the song sounded as an instrumental. The vocal arrangement is very complex and will take you many listens before your brain wraps around all the intricacies and wonderful phrasings by Hansi. The chorus is good and matches the music well, but my favorite part of this song is the latter half after the symphonic interlude. It provides the perfect down time before the bombastic finale that is very dangerously overwhelming. (by the way, the real score is 10/10)
This is without a doubt the best use of an orchestra that has been done in metal. I strongly suggest you listen to it and let the music take you on a journey away to a land where monotony does not exist.
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