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Rating: "Imaginations From The Other Side"...how many times have we stood frozen in front of the mirror, immersed in a soft twilight, because the expression of our reflected "self" didn't seem like the one we had on our face?...the title of the work poses this disturbing question...is there someone on THE OTHER SIDE? A moment of silence precedes the answer, desperately rational, because it is not possible that...
The dark, fast notes, like distant bell tolls of the opener "Imaginations From The Other Side" disturb the reflection. The doors of the mirror have swung open...let the journey begin... A harsh, piercing voice, with shades of a particular type of scream, narrates fantastic, terrifying visions, of a world made of dreams, nightmares, fantasies, imaginations...the magnificent play of choirs and solo vocals, the solos, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes unsettling, sometimes dreamy, give the impression of sliding further into this magical universe, inhabited by all the monsters and protagonists from each of our childhoods: Peter Pan, Alice, The Cowardly Lion, Frodo, The Scarecrow, The Wizard of Oz, The Wicked Witch...deeper and deeper into the childlike subconscious, until it is no longer possible to return.
The ending fades, leaving us lost, frightened, like when we were children watching lightning tear the sky apart...the covertly epic atmosphere continues to remain so in the sustained, paranoid "I'm Alive," but comes completely to the fore in the beautiful, rhythmical "A Past And Future Secret"...a slow guitar with Celtic arpeggios takes us back, to eras belonging to legendary kings, valiant warriors, and mysterious wizards...the choirs are mighty and regal. "The Script For My Requiem" is also wonderful...the vocal virtuosity is even more evident here, enriched and beautified by the usual contrast with the choir. The drums offer another impeccable technical performance...the lyrics are marvelous. But the true masterpiece is "Mordred's Song," a monologue of Mordred, Arthur's illegitimate son...close your eyes and let the world around you lose its outlines and colors...a slow, decadent arpeggio opens to a desperate, weary voice, which closes the verse with an exceptional performance...the tones rise, Hansi astonishes again. A magnificently epic chorus crowns this first part. The following verse is embellished by the intricate interplay between a harsh, scornful voice and a soft, distant counter-voice...again the beautiful chorus, gradually further away...the song fades on a vibrato arpeggio where silence is an integral part of the beauty.
But another gem is set in the seventh track: "Bright Eyes": a female choir opens with a strangely fast cadence, which is masterfully overlaid by Hansi, who breaks the rhythmic chain with a skillful vocal insertion. The choir whispers eerily, momentarily suspending the melody...then the singer forcefully takes the reins again, in a verse worthy of the particular chorus that follows immediately. The epicness reemerges in "Another Holy War," with a slightly ironic religious text, but full of pathos, where the splendid bass work accompanies a fast, almost violent verse that ends with a magnificent, suspended, vibrant scream...the chorus, majestic and mighty, then fades into a counterpoint of voices and choirs...the following verse is even more sustained, leading into another even more beautiful scream...a masterpiece of technique and emotion.
The grand finale, "And The Story Ends," where virtuosities of bass and drums merge with a dreamy choir, adorned by an excellent Kursch. The multiple vocal overlays are magnificent. The haunting nature of the melody recalls the opener, also due to the enigmatic lyrics. In the last verse, a chilling vocal finale closes the work in an unusual way...you will run to the mirror, to ensure you are still the same...but yes, of course, your face is still there...everything is as it was before...or maybe not?
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Imaginations From the Other Side (07:18)
Where are these silent faces
I took them all
they all went away
now you're alone
to turn out every light so deep in me
hold on, to late
Will I ever see them back again
or did they all die by my hand
or were they killed
by the old evil ghost
who had taken
the ocean
of all my dreams
which were worth to keep
deep inside my heart
I wish I could get them back
from the everflow
before they'll fade away
Imaginations from the other side
far out of nowhere
it got back to my mind
Imaginations from the other side
far out of nowhere
it got back to my mind
out of the dark
back to the light
then I'll break down
the walls around my heart
Imaginations from the other side
where's the ocean's daughter
was Peter Pan in Mordor
no one's there to keep alive
all these fairy tales
may I return to Oz
will I meet the "Tin Man"
"Coward Lion" where are you
without brain the scarecrow's lost
in the middle of the lake
stranded in the real world
left in a world
no place for daydreams
serious life
I fall into
I fall into a dark hole
and i can't come out
Do you know
if Merlin did exist
or Frodo wore the ring
did Corum kill the gods
or where's the wonderland
which young Alice had seen
or was it just a dream
I knew the answers
how they're lost for me
Imaginations from the other side
far out of nowhere
it got back to my mind
Imaginations from the other side
far out of nowhere
it got back to my mind
out of the dark
back to the light
then i'll break down
the walls around my heart
Imaginations from the other side
I hope there is a way back
with my talisman
so I look into myself
to the days when i was just a child
come follow me to wonderland
and see the tale that never ends
don't fear the lion nor the witch
I can't come back
i'm lost but still i know
there is another world
Imaginations from the other side
far out of nowhere
it got back to my mind
Imaginations from the other side
far out of nowhere
it got back to my mind
out of the dark
back to the light
then I'll break down
the walls around my heart
Imaginations from the other side
02 I'm Alive (05:29)
I run through the dark fields
of the plains
reach level 99
the pain cuts deep down
through my vain
how will I break the ice
welcome to my reality
dream forever
sunlight instead of neon light
how will it be
welcome to my grave
and feel the dream is over
nothing can stop me
I reach out for the top
caught in an old cage
the system failed
built up on lies
now I see that I'm alone
in asylum's cage
I'm left alone
I'm alive my friend
I can feel the shadows everywhere
I'm alive
I left the shadows
far behind me
another one is waiting in the dark
they say the system keeps
the last chance to survive
caught in this labyrinth
of walls and lots of lies
the bean to understand
there's more above than ice
to reach the top
I crept deep down
the answers given in the past
a senseless worth
in useless brains
magic runes
without a meaning
besides the dark
there should be nothing left
caught in an old cage
the system failed
built up on lies
now I see that I'm alone
in asylum's cage
I'm left alone
I'm alive my friend
I can feel the shadows everywhere
I'm alive
I left the shadows
far behind me
another one is waiting in the dark
SOLO
outside they say death is waiting
but it creeps down through the shaft
finds pleasure in our helpless fear
fills empty rooms
with morbid thought
they've locked the door
and hold the key
sitting beside you
when silent screams
changing my mind and dreams
oh, It's never ending
caught in an old cage
the system failed
built up on lies
now I see that I'm alone
in asylum's cage
I'm left alone
I'm alive my friend
I can feel the shadows everywhere
I'm alive
I left the shadows
far behind me
another one is waiting in the dark
I'M ALIVE!!!
03 A Past and Future Secret (03:47)
Oh, I haven't been here for a while
In blindness and decay
The circle's been closed, now
My song of the end
My song of the end
I've seen it all
Listen crowd
I'll tell you everything
Though I have to say
I don't know much
Talking about a past
And future secret
Most called him once
A future king
Far back in the past
I saw his ending
Long before it started
I knew his name
He's the one who took the sword
out of the stone
It's how the ancient tale began
I hear it in the cold winds
My song of the end
My song of the end
My song of the end
I had seen it in my dreams
My song of the end
I can't stop the darkening clouds
I feel cold
When I cry out for the bark
Take him back to Avalon
Dwell on for a new age
So long sleep well my friend
Take him back to Avalon
I will wait and guard
The future king's crown
My song of the end
My song of the end
My song of the end
My song of the end
It was nice but now it's gone
My song of the end
It was fixed the whole time
My song of the end
I saw it all
04 The Script for My Requiem (06:08)
Hallowed be the fatherland
god he knows
how long I'd been away
from here I did start for a search so
full of decease
I still hear my cryouts
from the old cellar's inside
Born in the days of medieval
my inner voice
is alway asking why
I came from nowhere
without a task, without a name
no fear of evil
fate, so god please lead me through
forgotten realms
mysterious dreams
in sunless rooms I'd sworn
I'll finish what I started, once
I'll find my holy grail
in the holy land
Ref.:
Returning of the miracles
it's my own requiem
the jester's tears
they are inside me
agony's the script for my requiem
Returning of the miracles
it's my own requiem
is the script already written
jester's tears I cry
yes, I cry
I went out of my mind
in desert lands
insanity's pawn
out of control
much too long I've been isolated
from my thoughts
enclosed by the leader's spell
bewildered to marc
as a glory knight
and I tried
Still I hear the scream of thousands:
"Crucify, crucify
Take it all
our gold, our home, our life,
but we didn't kill your Christ!!
Reach out for your holy grail
enslave us and make us
your god's sacrifice!!"
Ref.
Still I'm confused
if I was dreaming
too late I realized
I'd been another fool
I pay the price
Returning of the miracles
it's my own requiem
the jester's tears
they are inside me
agony's the script for my requiem
Returning of the miracles
it's my own requiem
is the script already written
jester's tears I cry
05 Mordred's Song (05:27)
I've lost my battle before it starts
My first breath wasn't done
My spirit's sunken deep
Into the ground
Why am I alone
I can hear my heartbeat
Silence's all around
See hate will rise
So don't come closer
Fear your child
Born with a king's heart
But fate fooled me
And changed my cards
No one asked if I want it
If I like it
Chorus:
Pain inside is rising
I am the fallen one
A figure in an old game
No Jokers on my side
I plunged into misery
I'll turn off the light
And murder the dawn
Turn off the light
And murder the dawn
Nothing else,
But laughter is around me
Forevermore
No one can heal me
Nothing can save me
No one can heal me
I've gone beyond the truth
It's just another lie
Wash away the blood on my hands
My father's blood
In agony we're unified
I never wanted to be
What they told me to be
Fulfill my fate then I'll be free
God knows how long
I tried to change fate
Chorus
I plunged into misery
I'll turn off the light
And murder the dawn
Turn off the light
And murder the dawn
07 Bright Eyes (05:15)
Fool just another
fool just another
...
I've been waiting
for signs of god
create- enslaved- behaved-
everything is out of control
Leave me alone
isolation bears hope
there's something else waiting
a promised destiny
freezing me
I feel restless and low
these days full of sadness
had joyfully changed
into fear
My freakshow will start tonight
don't miss the right time
Ref.:
Bright eyes
blinded by fear of life
no Merlin is by my side
everything is out of control
everything is out of control
in my future plans
everything is out of control
noone's left to hurt
everything is out of control
sorrow's gone away
Broken memories
walking upstairs
step by step
I see the whole world burning
the poet dies in Neverland
how it burns
Hey, mother stubborn
I really hate you
if you say yes I will say no
ashes to ashes
but dust won't be dust
if you go there
I will go back
Ref.:
Bright eyes
blinded by fear of life
betrayed by sunrise
bright eyes
blinded by fear of life
no Merlin is by my side
Hey, father stubborn
you're ying
and I'm yang
I feel alone
who really cares
Born into ashes
to lose all the games
with a smiling face
Ref.:
Bright eyes
blinded by fear of life
and dark dragons rise
bright eyes
blinded by fear of life
no Merlin is by my side
So I sit still in my room, today
winter's here
in summer's season
shall I say
I was wrong
if I'm right
farewell to my last hope
10 The Wizard (03:17)
He was a wizard of a thousand kings
And I chanced to meet him one night wandering
He told me tales and he drank my wine
Me and my magic man kinda feeling fine
He had a cloak of gold and eyes of fire
And as he spoke I felt a deep desire
To free the world of its fear and pain
And help the people to feel free again
Why don't we listen to the voices in our hearts
'Cause then I know we'd find we're not so far apart
Everybody's got to be happy everyone should sing
For we know the joy of life
Peace that love can bring
So spoke the wizard in his mountain home
The vision of his wisdom means we'll never be alone
And I will dream of my magic night
And the million silver stars,
They're guiding with their light
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Other reviews
By Rockardo
I gazed through the mirror: I saw a fantastic world made of ruined houses and skies dominated by dragons moving from one side to the other.
Those dragons began to chase me. I ran away, always hearing the song and leaving the Blind Guardian playing.
By metalselo
The dark melodies open up everything, enveloping and paralyzing us, thrusting us boldly into this 'Other Side' that gives the album its title.
A new style now sacred to many metalheads, who in the face of such originality could only say 'Follow The Blind!'
By PAZZO AL SACCO
This is the Total "Heavy Metal" album!
Heavy Metal is a single kingdom; it is this album, it is its throne.
