Blind Guardian

Tanagra – Meridiem Review

By Holdeneye on May 5, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Self-released, Symphonic Metal, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, Symphonic Metal, 50 comments

“”Bloat.” It’s a nasty word, and it’s hard to come up with situations in which bloating occurs in an enjoyable way. I’ve experienced severe abdominal bloating, the kind where you’d gladly trade your kingdom for a pressure-relieving fart. My mighty tire and hammer have been in storage since we moved several weeks back, so I’ve been dealing with the gradual bloating of my waistline and the subsequent struggles to squeeze my fat ass into pants that used to fit. I can even attest to the unpleasantness of having to move a bloated human corpse after it has baked in a sealed apartment for over a week in the summer heat. Yep, bloating seems to universally suck, but I’ll try to keep an open mind as my ears travel a couple of hours down Interstate 5 to review the bloated hour-plus sophomore album Meridiem from Portland, Oregon’s Tanagra.” If the pants fit….

Stonecast – I Earther Review

By Lokasenna on March 24, 2019 in 2019, French Metal, Heavy Metal, Pitch Black Records, Reviews, Heavy Metal, 60 comments

“Genre can be a weird thing. Ultimately, it’s just a set of signposts, so on occasion you can end up with an album that fits one genre while drawing influences from another. Usually, this is a sign of a new subgenre forming, at least if others come along to ~~rip off~~ borrow from the album in question. Take France’s Stonecast and their third album, I Earther, for instance. Despite drawing extensively from the power metal scene, and mostly Europower at that, they’ve crafted a solid, no frills heavy metal record. Is it a game-changer? Well, no, but is it worth checking out regardless?” Stones of many sizes.

Thornbridge – Theatrical Masterpiece Review

By Eldritch Elitist on February 14, 2019 in 2019, German Metal, Massacre Records, Power Metal, Reviews, Power Metal, 84 comments

“When it comes to power metal, I’m really not difficult to please. My expectations for a good example of the genre are no more elevated than the baseline that Helloween established over three decades ago; the material needs to be fun, energetic, and hooky, and if a band can pull this off, I ask for little else. I don’t think there’s a power metal act out there that fails to identify this recipe for success, yet so very few of them manage to capitalize. The style is plagued by countless bands rehashing watered down pop melodies against toothless power chords, seemingly unable to perceive that they utterly lack the charisma that elevated their influences. Thornbridge sees these pretenders, and says ‘we can do better.'” Though, with a name like Theatrical Masterpiece, there is a sense that they might be setting expectations a tad high.

Them – Manor of the Se7en Gables [Things You Might Have Missed 2018]

By Diabolus in Muzaka on January 10, 2019 in 2018, International Metal, Power Metal, Steamhammer, Things You Might Have Missed 2018, Power Metal, 115 comments

“I have fond memories of poring over classic spooky stories like Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” or “The Tell-Tale Heart” at my grandmother’s house and being repulsed and fascinated with the characters, settings, and actions. I got hooked and read Poe’s short stories over and over. Metal is too gore-obsessed to reliably deliver the classic spooks, save for King Diamond… but he hasn’t put anything out since 2007. Who will deliver good old-fashioned spooky stories through the medium of metal?!” BOO(urns)!

The EP, Demo, and Oddity Post [Things You Might Have Missed 2018]

By El Cuervo on January 2, 2019 in 2018, American Metal, Australian Metal, Black Metal, Canadian Metal, Death Metal, Dutch Metal, Hardcore, Melodic Death Metal, Progressive Rock, Reviews, Speed Metal, Swedish Metal, Technical Death Metal, Things You Might Have Missed 2018, Ukrainian Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, Electronic Metal, Hardcore, Melodic Death Metal, Progressive Rock, Speed Metal, Technical Death Metal, 146 comments

“As a younger man I had no concept of the “EP,” nor the “demo,” nor the “split.” When was the last time Iron Maiden had to curb their excesses by squashing ideas into half an hour? When were Judas Priest not able to afford a professional recording studio and production job? And when’s that Metallica/Megadeth split due again? Such formats are reserved for the underdogs of the metal world, those bubbling beneath the surface of popularity who write music for the sheer creative expression and who will never see monetary reward for their time and effort.” Short is sweet.

Yer Metal Is Olde: Monster Magnet – Powertrip

By Huck N Roll on December 7, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Heavy Metal, Stoner Metal, Yer Metal Is Olde, Heavy Metal, Stoner Metal, 86 comments

“A little while ago I talked about how 1998 was not a great year for metal. Some loyal thralls disagreed with me, but you know what? I was right. However, I should add to that point the fact that, while 1998 wasn’t a great year, when the music was good it was really good. Bruce Dickinson, Opeth, Blind Guardian, and Iced Earth all released great albums, as did a few other bands I’m sure will surface (again) in the comments here. And yeah, I suppose King Diamond could be included. Not to be overlooked in all of this is Monster Magnet’s grand fifth album, Powertrip.” Power is its own reward.

Divine Ascension – The Uncovering Review

By Carcharodon on November 16, 2018 in 2018, Australian Metal, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, ViciSolum Productions, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, 53 comments

“Australian progressive metallers Divine Ascension are back with their third album, The Uncovering. Apparently. To be honest, I was blissfully unaware they were here in the first place or that they’d gone anywhere. But this appears to be a failing on my part. Their previous outing, Liberator, saw them touring in support of genre stalwarts Stratovarius, as well as getting on the road with the inimitable Blind Guardian. Whilst I have something of a soft spot for both these bands, it is undeniable that their (extensive) back catalogs are patchy—although I won’t hear a word said against Blind Guardian’s Nightfall in Middle Earth—and I can’t help but query how much space there really is in what might be termed progressive-power metal.” Cover up, Buttercup.

Dire Peril – The Extraterrestrial Compendium Review

By Eldritch Elitist on November 9, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Divebomb Records, Power Metal, Reviews, Power Metal, 54 comments

“Now, here’s an interesting one: a power metal collaboration, formed of Helion Prime’s Jason Ashcraft and Judicator’s John Yelland, whose existence actually predates its more mainstream offshoots. For the uninitiated, these two bands are some of the most promising newcomers to the US power metal scene. While Helion Prime’s latest effort was something of a disappointment, their debut is a stunner of a record, and Judicator’s At the Expense of Humanity is my favorite power metal record of the current decade. High expectations surround Dire Peril, and as soon as I heard the first singles from The Extraterrestrial Compendium, little could be done to bring them down to realistic levels.” Hype, Helion, Murica.

Nanowar of Steel – Stairway to Valhalla Review

By Eldritch Elitist on November 6, 2018 in 2018, Italian Metal, Power Metal, Reviews, Self-released, Power Metal, 95 comments

“For the first three years of their existence, Nanowar of Steel operated under the shortened moniker of Nanowar, adding the of Steel subtitle through a hasty MS Paint logo re-work in 2006. As NoS’s Facebook page states, this was done “not in order to spoof Rhapsody of Fire, but for REAL and TRUE copyright issues.” There’s some serious power metal in-jokage going on with the title alone, an infectious cheekiness that has spread to every corner of Stairway to Valhalla’s musical and lyrical execution.” Sign of the Humor.

Manticora – To Kill to Live to Kill Review

By Eldritch Elitist on August 3, 2018 in 2018, Danish Metal, Death Metal, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Thrash Metal, ViciSolum Productions, Death Metal, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, Thrash Metal, 81 comments

“Of all the hundreds of underground power metal acts that you will never, ever hear of, Manticora is one of only a handful deserving of widespread recognition. For twenty years and over the course of seven records, these good Danish boys have gradually shed their former obsession with Blind Guardian and Iced Earth, growing proggier and thrashier with each passing release to become one of the genre’s most stylistically distinct acts. Even with their evolutionary tendencies in mind, though, I could not have predicted the forward leap that To Kill to Live to Kill represents.” Nature or suture.