Blind Guardian
Tales From The Twilight World

THE REVIEW

The album of change, of artistic maturity, the beginning of that evolution which will culminate in 1995 with "Immaginations From The Other Side".

After the first two albums, excellent examples of 80s speed/epic, albums otherwise very tied to the power metal of Rage or Helloween, the bards led by Hansi Kürsch take the leap in quality, improving production, songwriting, arrangements, and refinement. The album was the first to have great success in different parts of the world, firmly placing the band in the Power Metal hall of fame.

The opening of the dance is entrusted to "Traveler In Time", a very fast-paced epic track where we can grasp all the characteristic elements of the album and the differences with the previous works. Epicness, speed, melody (nice use of acoustic interludes and synthesizers), fused in the lyrics inspired by the "Dune" cycle. "Welcome To Dying" is one of the best tracks of the entire work, as well as one of the best of the entire discography, great for opening concerts, also re-proposed in more modern times (it will also be used for the opening of the live "Immaginations Through The Looking Glass"). The first two tracks show 100% of the group's improvements, starting from Hansi's voice and the skill of the guitars (the final solo of "Welcome To Dying" is majestic). The instrumental "Weird Dreams" reinforces this latter factor, excellent work by Stauch in supporting the guitars with a drum always solid and incisive. The poignant "Lord Of The Rings" is another historic track, perhaps the best ballad of the entire discography, omnipresent in concerts, with a magical atmosphere that catapults us immediately into middle-earth, thanks to a simple yet effective arpeggio and delicate synth lines. Speed returns in "Goodbye My Friend", a very heavy track, perhaps a bit weaker than the previous ones, characterized by a beautiful chorus at the tail of the refrain. Here too we find a beautiful solo by Olbrich, both in the middle and at the end.

The undisputed masterpiece of the album is represented by the monolithic "Lost In The Twilight Hall", with a slightly progressive flavor. As it was for "Valhalla" in the previous album, here too we find the unmistakable voice of Kai Hansen who duets with Hansi. The track is a synthesis of all the elements of the album: majestic choirs, acoustic arpeggios, solid riffs, and very delicate synthesizer lines, which strengthen the epic component. Probably the track alone is worth 50% of the entire work. Tribute to Stephen King, "Tommyknockers" is a bit of a return to the sounds of "Battalions Of Fear" and "Follow The Blind", with guitars that prevail over everything else. Nothing new in short, an enjoyable track. "Altair 4" is inspired by a 50s TV series. A slow track and perhaps not very representative, where the excellent keyboard work stands out. "The Last Candle" opens with the chorus of "Guardian Of The Blind", contained in the first album. A return to fantasy/medieval themes, which does not present additional elements to those mentioned above. The album closes with a live version of "Run For The Night", a gem from the band's first album, highlighting the skill outside the studios of Hansi and company. It's a pity for the not-so-clean sound, which penalizes the piece a lot.

Perhaps the best album of the early Blind Guardian, which presents many innovations compared to the past, distancing them from the classic power and directing them towards a much more complex genre. The subsequent works "Somewhere Far Beyond" and the masterpiece "Immaginations From The Other Side" will double and greatly exceed the success of this album, whose beauty may tend to fade over the years. Although it's still a slightly raw work and linked to traditional power, its greatness cannot be denied. Its epicness, precisely.