Newsgroup: it.arti.musica.metal
Titolo: Blind Guardian - una recensione

http://www.digitalmetal.com/reviews.asp?cid=2355
Blind Guardian
A Night at the Opera (Century Media)
Largely considered the innovator in power metal circles, Germany's Blind
Guardian pour their chainmail-hearts into each and every release. From 1988'
s Battalions of Fear to 1998's masterpiece Nightfall in Middle-Earth, the
Krefeld-based quartet shatter preconceptions that European metal (power,
thrash, death, black, etc.) must first trick listeners into their work by
laying a heavy hand to imagery and overwrought composition - in fact, if
Blind Guardian had one less album for all the Helloween worship and
gimmickry common their mainland counterparts, they'd still offer more armed
with only an instrumental as their main defense. A Night at the Opera,
obviously penned after Queen's 1975 opus of the same name, is as you'd
expect a grand undertaking, one that only Hansi and his brave bandmates
would ever dream of creating. Similar in magnitude to 1998's Nightfall in
Middle-Earth, the sheer weight of the songwriting is overwhelming, ambitious
and meticulously crafted. With three years to create A Night at the Opera,
Blind Guardian spare no expense - the orchestration is more robust and
complex and Hansi's classic chaunt higher and louder. Opener "Precious
Jerusalem" isn't quite as bombastic as "Into the Storm," but the three years
between albums is more than evident in the song's sophisticated composition.
The maturity of the vocal arrangements not surprisingly rivals Hansi's main
influence Freddie Mercury with layer upon layer engulfing the music's epic
landscape. Blind Guardian's growing reliance on vocals as the main focus isn
't difficult to hide, and for the casual fan the full-throttle approach
could be too much to handle. However, once the greatness of the music peers
through Hansi's clarion call, A Night at the Opera is all the more
impressive. "Battlefield" takes the medieval arrangements of "Lord of the
Rings" up several notches, turning the casual jaunt around the maypole into
a veritable gallop, characterized by guitarists Andre Oldbrich and Marcus
Siepen's awesome handle on melodic structure and rhythmic tension. "Time
Stands Still (at the Iron Hill)" is the song's closest relative. "Under the
Ice's" Arabesque opening perfectly complements operatic volley of vocals,
guitars, bass and drums. Blind Guardian are interesting composers. Unlike
Rhapsody, who use decorative ornamentation to illustrate their music, Blind
Guardian develop rhythm and melody from the ground up, and with that are
allowed a firmer base from which to explore. Such is the case with "Sadly
Sings Destiny." By and large, this is A Night at the Opera's conventional
heavy metal cut, but closer inspection reveals progressive leanings explored
more by Alchemist (Organasm) and Metal Church (Blessing in Disguise);
diehard fans may find "Sadly Sings Destiny" the hardest of the 12 songs to
accept. Of course, the chorus is to-die-for as the signature choir
accompaniment empowers the main vocal delivery. For those waiting for a
power ballad, "The Maiden and the Minstrel Knight" should appeal to those
whose heartstrings were pulled by "The Eldar." Again, the symphonic nature
is requisite for every fantasy-based stroll through heavy metal, but by the
time chorus hits it's difficult not be captured by the song's farewell yet
blithe tone. As much as Olbrich and Siepen deserve credit for the
unparalleled axemanship, drummer Thomen Stauch's playing is top-notch, a
combination of technical prowess and tasteful subtlety. On "Wait for an
Answer," strong musicianship takes the forefront. The song's mild
orchestration is perfect for the guitarists to showcase their conventional
songwriting abilities and shimmering lead work ala Billy Howerdel (A Perfect
Circle) in the first and last segment - for certain this will be the album's
single. Blind Guardian's pentatonic usage in "The Soulforged" indicates an
excellent use of folk melody, something we've heard the band use on almost
every album from 1990's Tales from the Twilight World on. While "Age of
False Innocence" initially is far too melodramatic, the song expeditiously
moves into more familiar territory, replete with staccato rhythms, soaring
leads and catchy synth breaks. "Age of False Innocence" is, however, the
album's weakest track. Once the aforementioned salvo stops, it fails to
match the album's other material. Sandwiched between "Age of..." and single
"And Then There Was Silence," "Punishment Divine" pummels you into
submission with "Imaginations from the Other Side"-style report. In truth,
this is one of the band's better songs in a good, long while. It's not only
heavy and fast, but Blind Guardian also find comfort in roving, melancholic
clean-picked sections delivered much in the same way as Nevermore's
"Deconstruction." At 14:05, "And Then There Was Silence" culls material from
the band's previous two full-lengths, connects it and melds into the longest
Blind Guardian track in the band's history. If previous material sounded
storied, "And Then There Was Silence" is the epic you've all been waiting
for. From high intensity bombardments of operatic grandness, progressive
exercises and heroic choruses to soft-spoken passages, and pounding heavy
metal, Blind Guardian show that all the discovery and hard work done in the
past can be, in this case, consolidated into one flowing, dynamic
expression. And, finally, North American fans get a bonus track. For those
of you who didn't pick up And Then There Was Silence EP, included here is a
Spanish language version of "Harvest of Sorrow" that follows "Lord of the
Rings" and "Past and Future Secret" perfectly. There are few bands of Blind
Guardian's stature, and although many of them try to be as musical, few are
able to deliver mountainous heavy metal albums on such a consistent basis.
Nightfall in Middle-Earth was unimaginably lofty, but on A Night at the
Opera Blind Guardian continue to build their cathedral of sound higher and
higher without losing the secular qualities that made fans gravitate to them
in the first place. It's no use recommending A Night at the Opera to
longtime fans as it's preaching to the converted, but fans of Opeth,
Solefald, Enslaved and other bands who've taken a different path from the
norm are absolutely urged to check out A Night at the Opera. If there is
ever a reward for heavy metal achievement, Blind Guardian's A Night at the
Opera is top honor. Awesome, awesome, awesome.
[Chris Dick]
--
"None are more hopelessly enslaved
 than those who falsely believe
 they are free."
- Johann W. Von Goethe
www.stargazer.it

A Night at the Opera (Century Media)
[8<]
Ahhhh, che bello!
-- 
=========================
Aze, [=7a99=]
 "Le imprese che compiamo in vita 
riecheggiano per l'eternita'".
=========================

 Ahhhh, che bello!
/me freme
/me freme molto
/me pensa: quindi il promo e' in giro..xche' qlcn non lo mp3izza che io
nn resisto +????
AAAAAAA!!
Ave!
NP Metal militia - 'tallica
-- 
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Linux user #224141 on Linux machine #106981
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"..and in the darkness bind them!"

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