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The German Hard & Heavy school has always been very prolific and has also achieved great success. Just remember names like Accept or Scorpions to understand the importance of the musical tradition of the Teutonic country.
At the end of the '80s, a new group begins its activity, with the project of creating a power metal band with an epic style. The chosen name is Blind Guardian, inspired by the song "Guardian of the Blind".
The band members are: André Olbrich and Marcus Dork on guitars, Hansi Kürsch on vocals and bass, and Thomen Stauch on drums.
The four musicians from Krefeld released their first album in 1988, titled "Battalions Of Fear". It is important to emphasize the fact that debut works, for most bands, are often not indicative of their future career. Therefore, the first album of the "Bards of Krefeld" presents itself as a very raw and direct power metal, but with lyrics already permeated by the typical settings of epic narratives (there are multiple references to J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings"). It is a heterogeneous album, all tracks are intertwined and connected in a single style, which is that of classic power metal: high-speed songs, with extensive use of both double bass and double pedal, which provide an incessant and incisive rhythmic groundwork, sometimes, however, also annoying.
The album opens with a waltz-like motif, but it is only an illusion: Olbrich's (lead) and Dork's (rhythm) guitars introduce "Majesty", very solemn in its execution. In the same style is "Guardian of the Blind" (according to the group inspired by S. King's novel “It”). The instrumental march of "Trial by the Archon" connects with "Wizard's Crown". Noteworthy is Olbrich's beautiful performance, creating epic riffs and then excelling with high-speed emotional solos.
All the songs seem to build a single mega-track, so without realizing it, you move on to "Run for the Night" (which features an impressive choral performance) and "The Martyr".
"Battalions of Fear" is the piece that provides the most emotions, characterized by tempo changes and solemn and powerful themes. Kürsch's young voice scratches and shows a great desire to perform. "By the Gates of Moria" is its instrumental continuation.
The album closes with "Gandalf's Rebirth" (the epic reference immediately springs to mind), which shows the absence of the double pedal, making it a beautiful example of typical Teutonic metal. Together with the title track, it is the most enjoyable.
With this raw and harsh album, the "Bards" step into the power metal world, undoubtedly among the best exponents of the genre (and later also the most versatile).
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Majesty (07:31)
Now the time has come for to leave this land
Take my charge with pride sacrifice
Oooh
Lead: Andre
Running and hiding I'm left for the time
To bring back the order of devine
Hunted by goblins no Gandalf to help
With swords in the night
Oh the last part of the game
Decision of death and life
Blood for Sauron they'll call tonight
The final battle cry
Lead: Andre
Running and hiding I'm left for the time
To bring back the order of devine
There exist no tales and hobbits are crying
For all
Children of death
Lead: Andre
I have a dream
The things you've to hide for
Deliver
Our kingdom and our reich
Don't fall in panic
Just give me the thing
That I need or I kill
Don't run away
For what have I done
Refrain:
Oooh Majesty
Your kingdom is lost
And you will leave us behind
Oooh Majesty
Your kingdom is lost
And ruins remind of your time
Now come back
Solo: Andre
Refrain:
Oooh Majesty
Your kingdom is lost
And you will leave us behind
Oooh Majesty
Your kingdom is lost
And ruins remind of your time
Run, run, run
Cries
Cries in a dark land
Hear the voice it's cold as ice
Eyes
They are watching
They look for me but cannot find
Creature is following no place to escape
My last steps will find the right way
Where is the future the call of the blind
Cause there is none to find
Watch the sky you see no light
My weapons burst with fear
With the howling wolves the nazgul will die
For all
Children of death
Lead: Andre
Cries
Cries in a dark land
Hear the voice it's cold as ice
Eyes
They are watching
They look for me but cannot find
Run
Run for the whole world
It's time you cannot wait
Lost
Lost in a dark world
You feel the strange but cannot see
Too many battles we carry along from the war
And too many frightens we feel from his law
For so many victories we're praising so strong
For so many blood we've lost
Lead: Andre
Refrain:
Oooh Majesty
Your kingdom is lost
And you will leave us behind
Oooh Majesty
Your kingdom is lost
And ruins remind of your time
Run, run, run
Behind
Run, run
02 Guardian of the Blind (05:11)
Extermination thunder the strange one is back again
Lost by our only power it's aura will grind us out forever
Fall into a dark dream that we got once
The part it's real you won't believe
Lead: Andre
We're watching our own agony many years ago
Seven little children stand against the ghost
Believing is the answer but you've lost before
Find back to your infancy it's time to die
Lead: Andre/Thomas
I've been the herdsman you've been my sheep
I find taste on lampskin everything's allright
Killing for the thirst for small children sweat
I give them illusions to raise their fear
Hear the crying dying child it's music to my ears
Feel the sweetness of it's death everything's allright
But there's a new feeling I've never known
There must be a third one a mighty guardian
Refrain:
Guardian, Guardian, Guardian of the Blind
Now it feel the curse of heaven
Guardian, Guardian, Guardian of the Blind
Now it feel the curse of the child
Solo: Andre
Dark is it's world and lonely we're reaching it again
Fear our returning visions to madness we will fall
If we can't kill the beast forever we must die now
One has blown his life away
Lead: Andre
Once we were a circle fighting hand in hand
Our weapons were illusions to let it feel the pain
By the sweet taste of our live it call us back again
We will find the answer it's time to die
Solo: Marcus
By a ritual we have hurt it but we have not kill
Little Billy you must find your way, no
Believe in you we ask for but where we can never find
There must be a sign for the Guardian of the Blind
Refrain:
Guardian, Guardian, Guardian of the Blind
Now it feel the curse of heaven
Guardian, Guardian, Guardian of the Blind
Now it feel the curse
Lead Licks: Andre
Come to it's world following the sign
Guardian, Guardian, Guardian of the Blind
Give us the help we're waiting for your sign
Guardian, Guardian, Guardian of the Blind
05 Run for the Night (03:36)
There comes the last part and end of our old age
With thunder and lightning the dark lord is taking
The crown of the whole world
His creatures will kill me poisons my soul
To the end I will fight but I know that the things
That I do are so meanless - oh, no !
I see the hill but it's so far away I know I can't reach it
But I try it again and again in my dark dreams
He's waysting my last will how long can I stay here
When the mightiest of all will now
Refrain:
Run for the Night burn away
The times of his fall I've to pay
Visions of darkness prepared for the last strike
Blooddlust their weapons and madness you see feel their
Eyes there's no way out
I'm lost in a dark dream and losing control
To the end I will fight but I know that the things
That I do are so meanless - oh, no
I see the hill but it's so far away I know I can't reach it
But try it again and again in my dark dreams
He's waysting my last will how long can I stay here
When the mightiest of all will now
Refrain:
Run for the Night burn away
The times of his fall I've to pay
You see them running in the shadows of the night
It is not what it used to be
They've been scared and they've been anxiously tonight
You see them running with the wind
They
Run for the night
Run for the night
Run for the night
Solo
Refrain:
Run for the Night far away
The times of his fall I've to pay
Run for the Night far away
The times of his fall I've to pay
06 The Martyr (06:17)
He was born in the past time
To take all our pain
The kingdom of heaven is near
The children of this time
Must die for his arrive
To let all the legends be true
The prophecy said they'll call king of the jews
He is born now to take all our sins
Three kings were searching for this holy child
The journey begins, he has to die
Lead: Andre
Bridge:
Healing the cripples and taking our pain
He came for the sinner
But what we have paid
Disciples are following
They are calling his words
Salt of the earth and light of the world
Refrain:
Martyr - we are following you bless us for eternity
Messiah - we are torturing you when you lose the power of your words
Jump from the temple and angel will save
Show me that you are the son of our God
Now take my land with my power you get
Rulin' the world of tomorrow
Now !
Lead: Andre
Messiah - Liar - Our burning desire
He is the king without a crown
We will set him to his throne
Give me 30 p. of silver and I'll be your man
Higher - Liar - The fallen Messiah
Let us see his agony
The things he done are blasphemy
Mob has lost their joy on toy so let us kill him fast
Now drink my blood for the new testament
This is my body you eat
One of you twelve is the one who betrays
Better that he's never born
Judas you're the chosen one
The world has damned your name
No !
Lead: Andre
Bridge:
Begin with a kiss at a cross it will end
The kingdom of heaven we've passed
The sky will turn black and the curtain will fall
The father is crying for his son
The tortured Messiah is finding his way
The journey has come to the end
The twelve ones are preaching the words he had left
They're changing the way of the world but die for
Solo: Marcus
Refrain:
Martyr - we are following you bless us for eternity
Messiah - we are torturing you when you lose the power of your words
Martyr - we are following you bless us for eternity
No
07 Battalions of Fear (06:08)
Can't believe the things I see
That happens in the state
By a mortal distance that I can't believe
Self destructive infernal
To save us from the breed
But I know that it is all a lie
Star wars begin now
His bombs come exploding
To bring back the death of the night
No mercy he's knowing
How strong he must show us
For the last film you all get a part
Be by my side
Or you have to die
Believe what I do is the right
Lead: Andre
Soon Armageddon
Last hours are running now
The final solution begins
The words of a madman
No children to tell them
For what they will not see the light
Choose by your voice
He kills and destroys
At the end you must die for the night
In earlier chess games we're playing the part of a soldier
But now we are not qualified to save our own life
The traps are all placed by command they are ready to strike, yeah
We live and we will die by the lies, a lies to believe
Lead: Andre
Bridge:
Try to escape from this suicide dreams
Or past time will come back again
Hiroshima is a joke to that what will come
At the end of the game we all die
Die now
Refrain:
Battalions of fear
They search and they scream for the American dreams
Battalions of fear
The way of R.R. to show he is the star
Battalions
Solo: Andre
Star wars begin now
His bombs come exploding
To bring back the death of the night
No mercy he's knowing
How strong he must show us
For the last film you all get a part
Be by my side
Or you have to die
Believe what I do is the right
Solo: Marcus
With hands full of blood
He talks about peace
With snake poisoning tongue
He's praying
El Salvador and Vietnam
You soon fast forget
But you satisfy on Afghanistan
You've been the master
You kill with a laughter
Your screams of peace are wrong and loud
Cause so we are and here we are
We scream and shout !
Your laughing about all the fools
Scream and shout !
With power of evil they stand
Lead: Andre
Bridge:
Try to escape from this suicide dreams
Or past time will come back again
Hiroshima is a joke to that what will come
At the end of the game we all die
Die now
Refrain:
Battalions of fear
They search and they scream for the American dreams
Battalions of fear
The way of R.R. to show he is the star
Battalions of fear
The way of R.R. to show he is the star
Battalions
Battalions
10 Mr. Sandman (02:12)
Mister Sandman, bring me a dream
Make her cutest that I've ever seen
Give her two lips like roses in clover
Then tell her that her lonesome nights are over
Mister Sandman, I'm so alone
Don't have nobody to call my own
Please turn on your magic beam
Mister Sandman, bring me a dream
Mister Sandman, bring me a dream
Make her cutest that I've ever seen
Give her the word that I'm not a rover
Then tell her that her lonesome nights are over
Mister Sandman, I'm so alone
Don't have nobody to call my own
Please turn on your magic beam
Mister Sandman, bring me a dream
Mister Sandman, bring us a dream
Give her a pair of eyes with a come-hither gleam
Give her a lonely heart like Pagliacci
And not so wavy hair like Liberace
Mister Sandman, someone to hold
Would be so peachy before we're too old
So please turn on your magic beam
Mister Sandman, brings us
Please, please, please
Mister Sandman
Bring us a dream
Yeah...
11 Black Chamber (01:17)
I am lost in the black chamber
There's no way to turn back
It takes me down forevermore
And death would be so sweet
I'm possessed by the old creature
Who had planned all
To take my soul
Too late for me
In my hands
It liest I thought
But I failed
Now he's in me
My soul is lost
In his black chamber
I'm gone
12 Theatre of Pain (04:18)
The giant's lost
And all round him
Destructed for what
They all knew what it meant
But they couldn't change it
Lord they had gone too far
Leave them alone
It's all gone
What is left behind
On a desert we called earth
When the last whale went away
Did they ever see the tears
Don't fear Your last step
From the theatre of pain
And the children will love Your singing
From the sea
The sea is calling
Now we've to leave it
The sea was clear
On the day I was stranded
Answers I'd known
To keep this all alive
But I can't change it
Forever
(Solo)
Now I'm gone
And it seems that life had never existed
So we left the dark and cold
All I left behind are my tears
Don't fear Your last step
From the theatre of pain
And the children will love Your singing
From the sea
The sea is calling
I hear them calling
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Other reviews
By metalmaniac1
"The CD opens with 'Majesty,' a song that starts in a decidedly strange way and then flows into whirling guitar riffs that immediately make it clear who Blind Guardian are."
"'Battalions Of Fear' is an excellent track... fast and aggressive with outstanding vocal and instrumental performances by Hansi that actively engage the listener."
