Blind Guardian
A Night At The Opera

THE REVIEW

"Give to Caesar what is Caesar's." And never was such a rule more fitting in describing power metal, a genre both loved and renowned. Because this genre finds its origins and references in the German school of the mid-'90s. Yes, because Power Metal means above all Rage, it means Helloween, it means Blind Guardian. Those same Blind Guardian who with "Battalions Of Fear" established their presence but were already destined for something higher. It took a few more years to realize this, precisely with the release of "Somewhere Far Beyond," which elevated them to the Olympus of Metal, strengthened by a renewed and mature sound. From there, the parabola is all upward: if the peak of their production was reached with "Imaginations From The Other Side," probably "Nightfall In Middle-Earth" represents the masterpiece, the completeness, the parts and the whole, the line of shadow, or however you prefer to call it. Unfortunately, from this moment on, things took a different turn, because the parabola apparently started descending, back to where it had begun more than 15 years ago.

Yes, because this "A Night At The Opera" is an album so gaudy, so boring, so baroque, so epic that it makes a tremendous racket without playing a single minute. To tell the truth, such a result is not all that surprising, objectively speaking "Nightfall..." was truly a superb album, and it would have been difficult for anyone to come out of that situation with fresh work, without falling into the "already heard". Evidently, to avoid creating a "Nightfall 2" the band of Hansi Kursch took a step longer than their leg. Definitely. From the very first notes of "Precious Jerusalem," something feels off. The track is as boring as few others, and it is unlikely the listener will make it to the end of its scant six minutes. The nice opening part of "Battlefield" serves no purpose, as it also tends to become noisy as minutes pass. "Under The Ice" starts well, promising a return to the Guardians of old. The track holds up well, but the choruses are always too intrusive. The energetic "Sadly Sings Destiny" starts well, with catchy riffs, but somehow remains anonymous and doesn’t take off. Moments of calm after the initial storm with "The Maiden And The Minstrel Knight," a sweet track with a strongly medieval flavor, like the rest of the album. "Waited For An Answer" offers nothing new compared to the previous pieces: electronic galore, endless choirs, powerful drums (in this respect the album has nothing to envy). Saving "Age Of False Innocence," which more or less stands out a bit, the rest of the album maintains these tones. Complex songs, but decidedly in poor taste. Then it reaches its peak when she arrives, the majestic "...And Then There Was Silence". Almost a quarter of an hour of everything you've listened to up to this point. An immense effort to endure it in its entirety, as boredom sets in after just two minutes. One of the few salvageable things about this album is the bonus track, the ballad "Harvest Of Sorrow," which is especially engaging live. Too bad that in Italy we have to settle for its translation into our language ("Frutto del Buio"), and if Hansi sometimes struggles with English pronunciation, imagine it in Italian.

In the end, the problem with this album doesn't lie in the compositional technique or the originality of the group. It lies in its being absurd, in its desperate attempt not to emulate "Nightfall In Middle-Earth". An operation that partly succeeded, as the four Germans have certainly never produced anything quite like it. And I would add a good "thank goodness".