BLIND GUARDIAN – At The Edge Of Time

After four years, the Bards are back with a new album. Believe it or not, you will truly understand why it had taken them that long to produce this one. Ever since their mediocrity in the wake of the Imaginations From The Other Side album, Blind Guardian just haven’t been the same.

Although you’re talking here about well experienced performers, it is hard to shake the feeling that once this band reigned under their older albums from the very first demos of Lucifer’s Heritage (Blind Guardian’s older moniker) to the Imaginations From The Other Side album. In those days, Speed and Power Metal combined well as it created a German Metal monster full of fierce fullness. Unfortunately, as probably many would argue, the band’s so-called growing up thing came through in albums like Nightfall In Middle Earth … and the rest is history, as they say.
On their brand new At The Edge Of Time, Blind Guardian kept on following their new image in some sort of a Neo-Classical twisted form of Power music. You can say that when they wanted to present themselves as aggressive, they showed that they still have it in them, yet not that much. One thing is for sure, they went out of their way this time around. This album, in comparison to its predecessors, has been highly produced and mixed with a large variety of instruments, musical directions, sound diversities (with various 80’s touches of USA Metal), and plenty more to follow. It is likely that the Bards decided to let out everything without stopping the flow of ideas. That probable factor makes their new album rather impressive for fans of their new age of music.

Overall, the themes are the same, although it seems that they somewhat detached themselves from the Lord Of The Ring stuff, yet, through various tracks as the skull-ripping “Tanelorn (Into The Void)” and the Folkish “Curse My Name”, it is merely the same old outfit. Other than that, the album offers a selection of musical directions as a small portion of Speed (long live the old days), modernized, mostly melodic, Power Metal, Folk Music, and a large quantity of symphonic passages. This is maybe, along with Twist Of Myth, one of the most Symphonic / Neo-Classic Metal creations by Blind Guardian ever. For old fans of the band, this new might not come lightly and is a probable disappointment.

Over the years, and after being turned into something else with the Nightfall… album, there was a looming thought that the Bard would return to their true selves (as many bands did) when they changed their ways negatively. However, after the last two albums, it seemed like change was bound not to happen. Nevertheless, Blind Guardian still knows how to create good Metal even though it is not the wonders found in Welcome To Dying or the striking form of Valhalla. At The Edge Of Time is a large investment of talents by the band and they tried to make it work for all parties who adore them.

Even if Mr. Hansi Kürsch kept the bass under lock and key and remained a vocalist, fans have had more than a decade to get that picture into their heads. He is a mastermind singer and a hell of songwriter. The Bards will keep on going strong even if old school is not so close to them as before. Nothing against maturity, of course, yet a young spirit is surely needed sometimes in their case.

Lineup on the album

Hansi Kürsch – Vocals
André Olbrich – Lead Guitar
Marcus Siepen – Rhythm Guitar
Frederik Ehmke – Drums
Oliver Holzwarth – Bass
Michael “Mi” Schüren – Keyboards