BLIND GUARDIAN

“A Night at the Opera”
(2002)

Track List:
Precious Jerusalem
Battlefield
Under the Ice
Sadly Sings Destiny
The Maiden and the Mistrel Night
Wait for an Answer
The Soul Forged
Age of False Innocence
Punishment Divine
And then there was Silence
Harvest of Sorrow (bonus track)

Line Up:
Hansi Kürsch (voices y bass), Andre Olbrich (guitars),
Marcus Siepen (guitars), Thomen Stauch (drums)

I find to make a comment of this disk of the most difficult thing, since not you that I walk to choose to be with my words to the height of this true work summit of the wildest talent. It was of waiting this way since an explosion it is one of the bands more exhuberants of the current metallic scene and in passing one of my favorite ones. But always one guard certain distrust and it doesn't believe it until one doesn't listen to it with their own hearings and it feels it with all their body and their soul. So I will choose several ways of relating that it is this. 

Well, a form that I am happened first is to tell them that we are before one of the productions of the year and that it doesn't go to be easy task this true cavalcade of diverse ideas that hey invade us uncontrollable along almost 70 minutes. Forget the power German metal and the whole comic for the style, these types left for well to the heights of the musical Himalaya and they are to compete in any part. It is more, this disk should be listened by the most demanding palates in the classic and progressive music and they should put it of example in the art academies and music. 

Another way to comment is to notice to those that want to listen to it: Thin, take out you the veils, forget the small corral and the inflation for a while and loose all the strange bugs that have in the last corners of the head, release the whole imagery that you have in the soul: snakes, mice, gnomes, doves, hawks, scorpions and all that allows them to absorb and to take advantage of this work. An exercise of the purest imaginative delirium. They will enter in a labyrinth where from all the sides knockings will land, melodies, harmonies and messages that will take you up to where vos proposes it to you. 

Another way of continuing is to attempt a description more or less original: A waterfall of delirium, forces, brutality, emotividad, magnificence, epic, classicism, refinement, images, colors, arabesque. 

This disk causes reactions multidisciplinarias: you put in him and it is as that they are crossed images, movies, characters, noises and they grab you desires of moving. They are appeared horses of Troya riding at thousand, full living rooms of voices that make choirs, actors and characters in movement, are as that the music serves you as sound band for the thousand and a movies that you want to imagine. To say opera is a good definition but the delirium of the disk takes you out of the mark of the theatrical scenario of an opera to transport you to any part, for what the metaphor of the cinema is more appropriate. 

Another variant is to refer to the technician-musical point of view: There is a given unusual unfolding the enormous quality and quantity of elements and ideas. It was habitual in the disks of this band (especially in both last) that rampant and that wealth of resources, but that it could bear the overload's danger. In this disk if one listens little by little and it takes advantage topic for topic, he/she is place to enjoy every minute and to savor that load of elements and to see that they are very united in an everything, and that that is in fact the proposal: an aesthetics of the musical abundance. The endless arrangements for the violas are as good as always. The sounds travel to thousand for indefatigable roads that intersect among riffs and sólos as if they sprang from an inexhaustible spring. To that it sinks the ferocity of the rhythmic, worked base as always but this time with some even bigger accent in the speed and the forcefulness. For moment it stops to be power and it is almost thrash, although they are also allowed to hear wise eddies where there are cadences of connection more calms. The biggest difference in this work with the previous ones is the orchestral arrangements that have a great presence in good part of the material. This made that the proposal is even more polyphonic taking it for moments to degrees of " progressivity " that gives chills. The choirs are of an intensity and of a really attractive variety of shades. They seem to sound a thousand voices and several patterns can be recognized in each topic: you leave softer epic poetries where Hansi Kusch's voice soloist appears - of simply brilliant work -, you leave epic grandiloquent where the influence of Queen is more remarkable than never, you leave more aggressive and more melodic parts. They are true banquets where they are plates of several flavors. 

It cannot end a comment without speaking something of the topics in particular: (not a lot because if I don't make a book). In my case I prefer to listen of to 2 or 3 tracks per time and to recapture later since is a form in which I take advantage of the wealth of each track and I don't saturate me, sew that it happens if I listen 40 or 50 followed minutes. "Precious Jerusalem" is a worthy beginning, full of it mashes and vigor, then 3 stars of power come with "Battlefield", "Under the Ice" and "Sadly Sings Destiny" with riffs rockers and catching choirs. "The Maiden and the Misntrel Night" contributes a necessary space of deceleration and of epic refinement. "Wait for an Answer" leaves us screams of strange charm, "The Forged Soul" is a beautiful walk for distinction living rooms, it would qualify her as a metallic waltz, "Age of False Innocence" with its beginning to the piano and its inlays of orchestral gold, "Punishment Divine" brutal shock and the final delirium of "And then there was silence" whose title seems since until ironic... And later there was silence...". , yes, but before but they walked us for the Kingdom of the sounds! 

Can it have something that has provoked me doubts? It can already almost be some very personal obsession my but I should point out some minimum dissatisfaction to complete the exception that confirms the rule, so spinning more fine I say: On one hand I don't find happy that have titled the disk the same as that remembered of Freddie Mercury's band, it is more it is a I waste to already appeal to a title well-known in the rock (for more homage than it is sought) having the enormous creativity that they have and writing the lyrical ones so good and original that write. I can also say that in the one it mashes quick and obsessive of the base some excess is maybe strained and some control that doesn't appear, and in the vocal melodies it can have some vocal melody whose harmonization with the versed zigzags something appears forced. Obviously that that of the one mashes the orthodox powermetal will find it just the opposite, since they were those that protested for the lack of 'permanent speed' of the last two disks. 

In the lyrical thing there is not an unique concept, but if expressed cohesive ideas in a magnificent way that have to see with thematic epic as the war of Troya that was immortalized by Homero in the Ilíada. 

To conclude and apologizing for the extension, let us say that the night in the opera it left my head, it made me live thousand and an images and emotions although I am already restored and again in calm since..... And later there was silence.... if, but first I met the Valuable Jerusalem, I rode and I fought through an immense battle Field, I shivered Under the ice, I listened the Sad songs of the destination, I was witness of the love between The maiden and the gentleman juggler, I digressed for the fields awaiting an answer, I felt spirit hole suddenly with the forged spirit, I remembered those Times of the false innocence and I played me finally to suffer the divine Punishment... that tonight it will end. 
In short, a true pain Crop.... 

Julio Zoppi