Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Blind Guardian
Label: Virgin Records
Release: 2002
Runtime: 65:29
Rating: 5/5
After the release of “Nightfall In Middle-Earth” (1998), a conceptual masterpiece that set a new standard for a band that was already considered practically incapable of making a mistake, and that always stood apart from most other German melodic metal outfits with its hunger for constant musical evolution, the group came back with an album that, I’d say, is even more complex in many ways. And that’s despite having no central fantasy concept this time, which shouldn’t bother anyone who puts the music first in the slightest.
Since their first record “Battalions Of Fear” (1987), the band has moved forward from album to album, developing and refining their style. They went from classic old-school metal to symphonic, epic power metal inspired by fantasy lyrical themes, mostly from the work of J.R.R. Tolkien, which showed most clearly on the previous record. And that’s exactly the approach I fully expected on “A Night At The Opera” when it came out. But I was wrong on quite a few counts. The first time I listened to the record I wasn’t all that thrilled, and I already thought the “blind guardians” from Hamburg had finally blown it. But after listening to it several times I realized that I was the one who’d been blowing it. This record has completely differently built songs and an overall concept that’s almost totally different from its predecessor, which is a seriously bold move from a band that didn’t want to follow a simple recipe and make a copy of its previous hit. It demands a bit more attention, because even after many listens you’ll still find something new that you missed before. And that’s exactly what people look for in this kind of music, or rather in melodic metal (in their case I can now safely say progressive)! After the second or third listen, once I’d gotten used to the choruses, the record completely won me over. This time there are no spoken interludes, which is a welcome change.
The first song, “Precious Jerusalem”, is deeply melancholic, but also hard-hitting, as an opener should be, and it’s adorned with plenty of backing vocals, one of the band’s trademarks, since they’ve never hidden their love for Queen (heh, just look at the title of this record, where does that ring a bell?).
It’s followed by “Battlefield”, the track that’s closest in style to something from the previous record. It really makes you feel like you’re in the middle of a battle, since it’s a fast track that’s loaded with epic backing vocals on top of that. The third track, “Under The Ice”, is one of two whose theme is the Trojan War. A slow intro is followed by constant tempo changes, and it also features an incredibly beautiful chorus.
“Sadly Sings Destiny” catches us off guard with its bluesy opening, followed by an excellent, melancholic, mid-tempo groove that reminds us a bit of “And The Story Ends” from “Imaginations From The Other Side” (1995).
“The Maiden And The Minstrel Knight” is a brilliant semi-ballad that also includes baroque touches. It’s a very melancholic song about unrequited love. Just when we think the song is over, a hard-hitting outro surprises us.
“Wait For An Answer” is one of the most complex songs on the record, since it contains some progressive elements as well as lots of orchestral vocals.
“The Soulforged” with its opening reminds me a little of the brilliant “Mirror, Mirror” from the previous record, and of course it’s just as excellent a track. It stands out for its exceptional melodies, fast rhythm changes and those instantly recognizable riffs.
“Age Of False Innocence” with its intro made me think of some Virgin Steele intro. It’s a song about Galileo Galilei and his clash with the Inquisition. Fittingly, it includes a church choir element. The song is extremely dramatic, and the ending is slow and a little psychedelic.
The ninth song is “Punishment Divine”, a somewhat atypical track for Blind Guardian, in a good way. This is where Hansi Kürsch’s excellent vocals really shine.
“And Then There Was Silence” is the title of the tenth track, which also came out as a single and is, in my opinion, the best song on the record and one of the best in the band’s history. Over more than 14 minutes, these masters of epic metal take us back to the Trojan War. The song is packed with the band’s best elements, from epic choruses to multi-part vocal harmonies. On top of that they add loads of orchestral elements, and it turns out truly fantastic. With this epic the band finally steered into progressive waters and left behind the last remnants of their power metal past.
Finally, there’s a bonus track, “Mies Del Dolor”, or “Harvest Of Sorrow” (as it’s called in the English version on the “And Then There Was Silence” single), a romantic ballad sung in Spanish. The Spanish version isn’t bad at all, though, and marks yet another new approach in the band’s music.
“A Night At The Opera” is a record with which Blind Guardian proved they’re not afraid of change and experimentation, and it paid off in full, because the leap in maturity between the previous record and this new one is like the one between, say, “Tales From The Twilight World” (1991) and “Somewhere Far Beyond” (1992), which is just one more proof that the long wait for its release was more than worth it. Of course, some of the band’s old fans won’t be entirely happy with “A Night At The Opera”, since it means new changes, and many people fear change because they don’t understand it.
Lineup
Hansi Kürsch – vocals
André Olbrich – guitar
Marcus Siepen – guitar
Thomas “Thomen” Stauch – drums
Production
Charlie Bauerfeind
Track list
1. Precious Jerusalem
2. Battlefield
3. Under The Ice
4. Sadly Sings Destiny
5. The Maiden and The Minstrel Knight
6. Wait For An Answer
7. The Soulforged
8. Age Of False Innocence
9. Punishment Divine
10. And Then There Was Silence
11. Mies Del Dolor
