Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Blind Guardian
Label: Virgin Records
Release: 1989
Length: 42:00
Rating: 3.5/5
The eighties were slowly winding down when the name Blind Guardian lit up on the horizon of the newborn power metal scene. They started out as a speed metal outfit, and their debut »Battalions of Fear« (1988) had already shown what they were capable of, while also announcing that they planned to carve out a completely distinctive approach to melodic metal. Their second studio album, »Follow the Blind«, again produced by Kalle Trap, was in many ways still a stylistic continuation of its predecessor. It sat much closer to speed metal than to the later power/prog metal feats that brought them worldwide fame. In fact, compared to »Battalions of Fear« it was a bit darker and also carried some thrash metal influences. According to rhythm guitarist Marcus Siepen, the band members were listening to a lot of acts like Forbidden and Testament back then, and you can hear it loud and clear on a few tracks.
On the other hand, in places they used keyboards for the first time, courtesy of longtime guest keyboardist Mathias Wiesner, and found out that symphonic arrangements fit their increasingly epic style and their mostly fantasy and sci-fi lyrics extremely well. Those lyrics, by the way, touched a bit more than usual on various forms of the abuse of religion on »Follow the Blind«. The young band also got a shot of important, much-needed confidence from a guest appearance by their countryman and power metal pioneer, guitarist/singer Kai Hansen, who had just left Helloween and founded Gamma Ray. Kai left his guitar and vocal stamp on the tracks »Hall of the King« and »Valhalla«. He kept working with Blind Guardian on their next two studio outings as well, by which point the band had already found ‘itself’ sonically.
The opening instrumental »Inquisition«, which features the Latin prayer ‘Pie Jesu Domine’ from the everyday practice of medieval monks, proves the band hadn’t lost its sense of black humor, since the inspiration came from the film ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’. The band’s harder direction is already noticeable on the opening burner »Banish From Sanctuary«, a ‘story’ from the life of John the Baptist that still counts among the album’s highlights today and that Blind Guardian loved to play live in their early years. This opening classic is marked by fiery speed metal rhythms, but it also has epic guitar passages and a stunning multi-voiced chorus that already points to their later, more recognizable style. The noticeable progress in Hansi Kürsch’s singing in less than a year was clear proof of how the band was ‘growing’ and developing into better and better musicians and songwriters. The much more rabid and thrashy »Damned for all Time«, with a mighty guitar solo from André Olbrich and drummer Thomas ‘Thomen’ Stauch hammering away on his double bass pedals, is inspired by the ‘Eternal Champion’ saga and the anti-hero Elric of Melniboné, literary masterpieces by Michael Moorcock. The same goes for the no less fierce and wound-up »Fast to Madness«, where plenty of Forbidden and Testament influences collide.
The intriguing title track is definitely among the album’s peaks too. Atmosphere-wise it’s one of the darkest and strangest achievements in the career of these German power metal ‘bards’, and it’s inspired by the novel ‘The Talisman’ by Stephen King and Peter Straub. The mysterious intro features an acoustic guitar arrangement and marks the beginning of a practice that would become more and more dominant in their later work. Despite the prevailing speed/thrash metal rhythmic structure, some of the transitions, the complex guitar solo and especially the closing section with its more pronounced cymbal sound and the return of the acoustic arrangement from the intro are bashful early examples of the band flirting with prog metal. »Hall of the King«, another nearly full-blooded speed metal burner with a religious theme, features a perfectly characteristic guitar solo from guest guitarist Hansen, while this time the band doesn’t take a single breather and fires with all its ‘cannons’. The sacral chorus matches the bitter critique of organized religion well. »Beyond the Ice« is a superb instrumental that, despite its distinctly speed metal rhythmic foundation, already sounds a lot like the later, ‘famous’ power/prog metal exploits thanks to its epic guitar finesse.
By far the best-known and most beloved song on the album is »Valhalla«. It quickly established itself as a live evergreen and is one of the few moments on the record that’s closer to power metal than to thrash/speed metal. That’s mostly down to the excellent, dramatic vocal parts from Kai Hansen and an epic, rousing chorus that makes it easy to picture Vikings feasting with the Valkyries in the middle of Valhalla. The album also includes the bonus track »Don’t Break the Circle«, an excellent cover of the cult NWOBHM band Demon from their second album »The Unexpected Guest« (1982). Even more fun and at times downright comical, though stylistically totally ‘incorrect’, is the closing cover of The Regents’ (and The Beach Boys’) »Barbara Ann«, which flows at the end into »Long Tall Sally«, originally by Little Richard. On the latter, guest singer Rölf Kohler, who has worked with plenty of music greats over his long career, shines on lead vocals. Blind Guardian, for that matter, have racked up quite a few quality and hugely entertaining covers of other artists over their career, and even released a very interesting covers album called »The Forgotten Tales« (1996).
On »Follow the Blind« Blind Guardian waded into harder and darker waters, and the album practically bursts with rebellious energy. At the same time, they slowly began experimenting with keyboards, kicking off the next stage of their sonic evolution. Even though their style changed only a little on »Follow the Blind« compared to the debut, since they were still searching for their signature sound, you could already sense a cautious step forward in the sonic evolution of this extremely ambitious band. From here on, they slowly started shedding thrash and speed metal influences in favor of symphonic power/prog metal. That remarkable leap was marked by their third album »Tales From the Twilight World« (1991), which completed the gradual transition from rebellious speed metal to epic power/prog metal with an increasingly dominant symphonic sound and an exploration of mystical, atmospheric worlds.
Blind Guardian – Follow the Blind (full album)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VWRNb2GhZk
Line-up
Hansi Kürsch – vocals, bass guitar
André Olbrich – guitar, backing vocals
Marcus Siepen – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Thomen Stauch – drums
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Kai Hansen (Gamma Ray, ex-Helloween) – vocals and guitar solo on “Valhalla”, guitar solo on “Hall Of The King”
Mathias Wiesner – keyboards
Kalle Trapp – lead guitar and backing vocals on “Barbara Ann”
Thomas Hackmann – backing vocals
Rolf Köhler – lead vocals on “Barbara Ann”
Aman Malek – backing vocals
Production
Kalle Trapp
Track list
1. Inquistion (0:40)
2. Banish From Sanctuary (5:27)
3. Damned For All Time (4:57)
4. Follow The Blind (7:10)
5. Hall Of The King (4:16)
6. Fast To Madness (5:57)
7. Beyond The Ice (3:28)
8. Valhalla (4:56)
9. Don’t Break The Circle (4:28)
10. Barbara Ann (1:43)
