Blind Guardian
Live

THE REVIEW

It's the usual crowd noise (which introduces all live albums, after all) that introduces us, indeed, to this fantastic double live album by the "Germans" Blind Guardian.

However, besides the enthusiasm of the audience, something else captures our attention: it's the multitude of spears, arrows, and battle noises of "War Of Wrath". As in the album "Nightfall In Middle Earth", this brief introductory track precedes the grand "Into The Storm", which live comes across as aggressive, adrenaline-pumping. Hansi Kursch's voice is truly powerful, and the song's chorus, enhanced by the audience, is much more engaging than the studio version. Immediately after, the phrase "BONASIERRRA MILANO!!" makes us realize where this show was taking place. A definitely explosive start.
After the beautiful "Welcome To Dying", we are then carried away by the immortal "Nightfall". Hansi sings superbly, although this time he leaves the choirs solely to the audience, which still manages to create and I would say even surpass the atmosphere of the homonymous album. We then proceed with the tracks up to the ancient "Majesty", which perhaps loses a bit of its edge in this setting. The version in "Tokyo Tales" was far better.

Other magical moments occur during "The Bard's Song (In The Forest)", as always sung almost entirely by the audience. This might be the most beautiful moment of the entire live performance.
Right after, we have the imposing "Imaginations From The Other Side", which overwhelms everything and everyone, far surpassing the already beautiful atmospheres touched upon in the homonymous album. The tension is high, and "Bright Eyes" does not betray at all the singer's skill, who after more than half a concert shows no signs of fatigue. Then we move straight ahead to the beautiful "Lord Of The Rings" and the timeless "Mirror Mirror", intense until the end.
When the song ends, it's always too soon, but now it's time to leave the minstrel's tavern.