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The German power metal unit's tenth studio album and first since 2010's At the Edge of Time, Beyond the Red Mirror is being billed as a sequel to 1995's much-loved Imaginations from the Other Side, but listeners need not be versed in that sci-fi/fantasy narrative to enjoy the ride, as per usual, Blind Guardian lets the music do most of the talking. Sparing no expense, the band enlisted two full 90-piece orchestras and three international choirs (Prague, Budapest, and Boston), but unlike some of their symphony-loving peers, the window dressing is integrated tastefully, allowing the veteran band's well-established technical skill set to shine through. Nearly three decades into their career, Blind Guardian still sound like a spinning top at the edge of a very high (and very ornate) table, firing ideas into the ether with the subtlety of a Gatling Gun, while miraculously maintaining their footing. Nowhere is this penchant for frantic, progressive metal fanfare more apparent than on the nearly ten-minute opener "The Ninth Wave, a lavish, electro-tinged, pseudo-Wagnerian epic that feels like a highlight reel of the band's entire career thus far. Like the majority of the ten-track set, it's bold, immediate, and relentlessly melodic, due in large part to frontman Hansi Kursch's robust vocals, whose stacked Dee Snider-meets-Queen harmonies and commanding presence form the basis of nearly all of the group's best offerings. That equation is put to its best use on the rollicking follow-up, "Twilight of the Gods," the closest Beyond the Red Mirror gets to a single, and a prime example of how deft the band is at fusing pop melodies to a backbone of pure metal might. The rest of the album follows suit, making stops at vintage thrash ("The Holy Grail"), Iron Maiden-inspired, guitarmony-laden NWOBHM ("Prophecies"), and opera metal ("The Throne"), before tying things up with the aptly named "Grand Parade," another just-under-ten-minute, neo-classical metal stunner that's as unapologetically ostentatious as it is genuinely goose bump-inducing.
© James Christopher Monger /TiVo
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Matthias Ulmer, Composer - HANSI KURSCH, Composer, Lyricist - André Olbrich, Composer - Blind Guardian, MainArtist
2015 Nuclear Blast 2015 Nuclear Blast
HANSI KURSCH, Composer, Lyricist - André Olbrich, Composer - Blind Guardian, MainArtist
2015 Nuclear Blast 2015 Nuclear Blast
HANSI KURSCH, Composer, Lyricist - André Olbrich, Composer - Blind Guardian, MainArtist
2015 Nuclear Blast 2015 Nuclear Blast
HANSI KURSCH, Composer, Lyricist - André Olbrich, Composer - Blind Guardian, MainArtist
2015 Nuclear Blast 2015 Nuclear Blast
HANSI KURSCH, Composer, Lyricist - André Olbrich, Composer - Blind Guardian, MainArtist
2015 Nuclear Blast 2015 Nuclear Blast
HANSI KURSCH, Composer, Lyricist - André Olbrich, Composer - Blind Guardian, MainArtist
2015 Nuclear Blast 2015 Nuclear Blast
HANSI KURSCH, Composer, Lyricist - André Olbrich, Composer - Blind Guardian, MainArtist - Frederik Ehmke, Composer
2015 Nuclear Blast 2015 Nuclear Blast
HANSI KURSCH, Composer, Lyricist - André Olbrich, Composer - Blind Guardian, MainArtist - Charlie Bauerfeind, Composer
2015 Nuclear Blast 2015 Nuclear Blast
HANSI KURSCH, Composer, Lyricist - André Olbrich, Composer - Blind Guardian, MainArtist
2015 Nuclear Blast 2015 Nuclear Blast
HANSI KURSCH, Composer, Lyricist - Blind Guardian, MainArtist - Michael Schüren, Composer
2015 Nuclear Blast 2015 Nuclear Blast
HANSI KURSCH, Composer, Lyricist - André Olbrich, Composer - Blind Guardian, MainArtist
2015 Nuclear Blast 2015 Nuclear Blast
Albumbeschreibung
The German power metal unit's tenth studio album and first since 2010's At the Edge of Time, Beyond the Red Mirror is being billed as a sequel to 1995's much-loved Imaginations from the Other Side, but listeners need not be versed in that sci-fi/fantasy narrative to enjoy the ride, as per usual, Blind Guardian lets the music do most of the talking. Sparing no expense, the band enlisted two full 90-piece orchestras and three international choirs (Prague, Budapest, and Boston), but unlike some of their symphony-loving peers, the window dressing is integrated tastefully, allowing the veteran band's well-established technical skill set to shine through. Nearly three decades into their career, Blind Guardian still sound like a spinning top at the edge of a very high (and very ornate) table, firing ideas into the ether with the subtlety of a Gatling Gun, while miraculously maintaining their footing. Nowhere is this penchant for frantic, progressive metal fanfare more apparent than on the nearly ten-minute opener "The Ninth Wave, a lavish, electro-tinged, pseudo-Wagnerian epic that feels like a highlight reel of the band's entire career thus far. Like the majority of the ten-track set, it's bold, immediate, and relentlessly melodic, due in large part to frontman Hansi Kursch's robust vocals, whose stacked Dee Snider-meets-Queen harmonies and commanding presence form the basis of nearly all of the group's best offerings. That equation is put to its best use on the rollicking follow-up, "Twilight of the Gods," the closest Beyond the Red Mirror gets to a single, and a prime example of how deft the band is at fusing pop melodies to a backbone of pure metal might. The rest of the album follows suit, making stops at vintage thrash ("The Holy Grail"), Iron Maiden-inspired, guitarmony-laden NWOBHM ("Prophecies"), and opera metal ("The Throne"), before tying things up with the aptly named "Grand Parade," another just-under-ten-minute, neo-classical metal stunner that's as unapologetically ostentatious as it is genuinely goose bump-inducing.
© James Christopher Monger /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 11 track(s)
- Total length: 01:10:47
- Main artists: Blind Guardian
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Nuclear Blast
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
2015 Nuclear Blast 2015 Nuclear Blast
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