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Blind Guardian > Follow the Blind > Reviews
Blind Guardian - Follow the Blind

They have sobered up completely (almost) - 90%

The Bard with Bright Eyes, December 4th, 2021

This is a step up from the debut in every way, from the songwriting to the production. The songs are faster and thrashier than on Battalions (the band was influenced by Testament and Forbidden at that time, according to Marcus Siepen), with the exception of the title track and Barbara Ann.

The entire album has a warm, mystical atmosphere, not unlike what one may find on a Manilla Road or John Arch-era Fates Warning record. André's leadwork is by far the biggest contributor to the atmosphere. All of the solos are amazing, but the best ones are definitely on Beyond the Ice. From 2:04 onwards, you brain will be melted and reconstructed over and over again from the sheer awesomeness until the song ends.

There are some acoustic guitars used in the title track and Valhalla. They are used nicely, but the subsequent records would show the true potential of this idea.

Other than the title track and Barbara Ann, the songs are pretty similar. Fast paced with lots of solos, singalong choruses and a few thrash breaks. The title track is midpaced, but not at all plodding. Valhalla features Kai Hansen on vocals during the bridge and ends with an acoustic rendition of the chorus. A beautiful way to end the record... and then Barbara Ann plays. Thankfully, the band would sober up completely by the time the next record is released.

The original recording skips at some parts, so I recommend you to get the remaster from 2007, which also contains a cover of Don't Break the Circle. Blind Guardian gave it a proper treatment, and it completely kicks ass.

Oh, and the band probably realized that they copied Helloween's mascot, so they put him in the background this time. A trend that would continue up until A Night at the Opera, where the hooded figure is seen for the last time (as far as the full-length records go).

So overall, this has everything that made the debut great, and then some. The band would become even better in the future, but even in 1989, they were legends, and worthy of being praised as legends.

Blindly Following the Same Path - 60%

TheHumanChair, October 19th, 2021

Blind Guardian's second effort "Follow the Blind" is quite honestly not very much different than their debut, and suffers from many of the same problems. Just like their debut, this album is also essentially a six song album. There's an intro track, an instrumental, and a cover also in there, but the core is just six songs. You can definitely see some growth in the band in the year between these albums, which is the best possible outcome. Where their debut was just an album of essentially the same riffs and beats with a few little spurts of creativity here and there, this album has more development and variety in the songwriting. Unfortunately, it's just not different enough to make it truly stand out or turn into something stellar. There's growth, but the band is still not there.

The title track is really the biggest difference maker between "Follow the Blind" and "Battalions of Fear." The song has a slower tempo and a more measured and brutal riff than anything we've ever seen from them up to this point. The riffs progress and flow into each other very well while still keeping the identity of the song intact. The band even uses some acoustic guitar to help paint the picture, which was also something that was entirely devoid in the first album. Where on the debut, Thomen only showed his creativity in his fills, this time, his core beats show how creative he is. The title track to the album has patience. It progresses and tells a story musically. It isn't just young kids throwing speed and intensity at the wall to see if something sticks.

"Hall of the King" is another showcase of growth in Blind Guardian. This time, "Hall of the King" is a fast paced track like they'd been doing, but there are a lot of creative and catchy riffs throughout the track to break up the monotonous chugging that they'd pretty much been sticking to at this point. "Hall of the King" might also be the first time we really start to get a taste for the signature vocal style Blind Guardian would go on to perfect. The chorus takes the best choruses on "Battalions" and kicks them up several degrees. The chorus is multi-tracked, which becomes a given for Blind Guardian. It gives a signature epic feeling that keeps you coming back. There are also instances of much more power metal-esc chanting that, once again, they'd go on to master later in their career. "Hall of the King" is not only a very good song, but a very important one in the band's history in my opinion. It's their older style, but has all the signs of what they'd become.

The rest of the album, unfortunately, is more or less exactly what "Battalions" offered. "Damned for All Time" is the song that is most 'different' while still sounding like a "Battalions" rehash, if that makes sense. The best part of "Damned for All Time" is Hansi really gets into his gruffer and more intense vocal range here. His aggression is really the thing that saves the song and makes it stand out to any degree. "Fast to Madness" is by far the weakest offering on the record, for me. This one is definitely the most similar to "Battalions" and shows almost no progression from that album at all. It's a lot of weaker chugging riffs and a chorus that is very, very similar to what was offered previously. There's some solid soloing on this song, but that's about it.

"Valhalla" seems to be the standout that the band play the most from "Follow the Blind" currently, and just like with "Majesty," I don't really get it. The song might have been okay, but Kai Hansen comes in to crush any chance it might have had. I don't care if someone thinks its sacrilegious of me to say. Kai Hansen is one of the worst vocalists in metal history. He may have been a key figure in creating power metal (we'll get there), but his voice is so squealy and weak. You have Hansi, one of the best metal vocalists ever, and they had him step back for Kai, which is just unacceptable. Even without Kai ruining it, though, there's truly nothing special about "Valhalla." It's more of the same. You've heard it before. I honestly can't pinpoint one exceptional thing about the song.

"Follow the Blind" is absolutely a better album than "Battalions of Fear" was, but it truly is held up by just two tracks. "Battalions" showed the potential in Blind Guardian, and "Follow the Blind" is a natural progression from it. It does what it needs to do, in terms of showing the band is growing and learning, but it just still isn't quite there yet. Blind Guardian fell into too many of the same traps on this album as they did in their debut. If you enjoyed their debut, there's definitely no reason you'd be disappointed in "Follow the Blind," but for me, it's just way too much of the same generic riffs and safe/same-y songwriting. We're definitely getting there! But we're also certainly not quite there yet.

The blind finds the way. - 85%

Blindedbymetal, February 7th, 2021
Written based on this version: 1991, CD, Virgin Records

Blind Guardians second album is a natural continuation of their first one. They have not changed as much as they have matured as songwriters. The songs on Follow the Blind are more dynamic, more well-structured, and more focused than the ones from Battalions of Fear. To be frank, the songs here blows Battalions away completely. Sound wise it´s the same furious speed/power metal mix with a healthy seasoning of thrash, though there is a more leaning towards the epic side.

After a more fitting intro than the weird circus one from the first album Follow the Blind kicks off with Banish from Sanctuary. I have always been a huge fan of songs that manages to be epic and grand without losing the metal edge, and boy does this one deliver. The riffs! The choirs! That chorus! The song is epic, fast and furious and definitely my personal favourite song on this album. Hansi´s voice is more powerful and focused than on the previous record. The James Hetfield-ish screams of yore are now gone and he comes a tiny bit closer to the style he is now famous for.

After the initial beating the album continues to kick your ass. The album consists of two types of songs, the first are power thrashers like Damned for all Time, Hall of the King and Fast to Madness. These are the ones that remind the most of their first album, but again, they are simply better. Especially Hall of the King has is really good with a cool, fist pumping chorus. Then we have the epic tracks like Follow the Blind and, of course, the mastodont classic that is Valhalla.

Follow the Blind is probably the biggest indication of the direction the band would go in future albums. The slow build up and acoustic passages builds a special atmosphere reminiscent of the fantastical lyrics and the overall nerdy imagery the band has hosen to adapt (shout out also to the awesome cover artwork by van Waay Design!). And when the chorus kicks in towards the end the results are nothing short of magic. Valhalla is, as previously said, a classic. Kai Hansen stops by to drop some excellent vocals and the chorus is the king of epic sing along choruses.

A couple of covers rounds the album up. One is a pretty cool one of Don´t Break the Circle by the NWOBHM-group Demon. The other one is a very faithful rendition of Beach Boys´s Barbara Ann, which I hope taught them that just because something sounds like a fun idea for you and your friends doesn´t mean the rest of us has to suffer through it.

The band still has some maturing to do, hence why they don’t get a top score, but Follow the Blind is definitely a strong and standing recommendation for anyone into early speed/power metal.

Disjointed and a bit immature, but not worth banishing - 75%

Jophelerx, September 1st, 2019

Follow the Blind is my least favorite Blind Guardian album, yet despite that, it still has charms aplenty; that's the consistency of Blind Guardian for you. To be fair, part of my tepid reaction to the album is due to the "Barbara Ann" cover, which I simply have a stylistic dislike for (and see little comedy value to be found, unlike, say, "Mr. Sandman."), but there are other issues with the album as well, and it's certainly a step down from the magical, infectious nature of their debut album Battalions of Fear. It feels rushed and uncertain, plowing ahead with a bunch of thrashy riffs yet often struggling to produce fully coherent songs, and going the opposite extreme with the "Barbara Ann" cover, suggesting a lack of focus. Although, strangely, "Valhalla," by far the most popular and lasting song from the album, was written more or less as "filler" to pad out the album so that it could properly be considered a "full length," and it was written and performed in a very short time, nearly as an afterthought, it seems. However, while the song is obviously well-written, the performance on the studio version is fairly lackluster to my ears, and Kai Hansen's presence is annoying and amateurish, not to mention jarring, much like the album as a whole. In fact, every live version I've ever heard of this track sounds better than the studio version, and the fact that they rushed the performance for the song comes loud and clear.

Other tracks, though, certainly shine. "Banish from Sanctuary," also a live staple for the band, starts the album off with a bang, opening with a super fast, thrashy riff and just never letting go, featuring one of Hansi's angriest-sounding performance's ever, and just sounding tight and sharp, presenting us the same well-oiled machine that brought us tracks like "Majesty" and "Guardian of the Blind." "Damned For All Time" continues in a similar fashion, an often overlooked track, especially considering the band seems to have only played it live during the Follow the Blind tour and dropped it afterward, though whether it wasn't a fan favorite or it was simply a more difficult song for them to play, I'm unsure. Certainly it's overshadowed by "Banish from Sanctuary" and "Valhalla," even though it's easily as good as both tracks. This is probably the closest the band comes to full-on thrash, yet their trademark catchiness remains, and you might find it difficult to resist shrieking "DAMNED FOR ALL TIME!" alongside a totally berserk Hansi. These first two tracks are utter brilliance and the best the album has to offer.

Unfortunately, things drop off a bit from there. The title track does have some pretty cool guitar work, and a solo that features some of the coolest jamming between Andre Olbrich and Marcus Siepen this side of "Fly," but the vocal lines leave something to be desired, and sections often seem to end abruptly and choppily enter into the next. An especially poor trait is its chorus, which is one of the least catchy the band has ever written and simply makes me want to skip to the guitar solos. It's also a bit longer than necessary and starts to become a bit repetitive, which is extremely unusual for the band, who usually thrive on slightly unorthodox song structures and enough variation to keep from relying too much on a single riff or vocal line. "Hall of the King," on the other hand, is basically the opposite, with very bland, forgettable verses but an excellent chorus, with the multi-layered "Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh" tending to stick in my head nearly as easily as the chorus to "Valhalla," an impressive feat without any lyrics! There is some cool soloing here as well, but it's not given much time to shine and, as is a running theme with this album, doesn't seem to fit very well with the rest of the song.

"Fast to Madness" then delivers us what I have to say is probably the coolest riff on the album, but then breaks to another fairly generic verse, sounding like a rehash of sections from "Wizard's Crown" or "Guardian of the Blind," but slightly thrashier. The chorus is also rather disappointing, not much better than that of the title track. Yet again, the guitar work shines, leading me to think that, perhaps, Hansi was the one most unsure in finding the right sound, as Siepen and Olbrich rarely sound less than stellar, apart from a couple of stock verse riffs. Strangely, though the fantastic opening riff is only brought back once at the end briefly, which is sad. Why even bother with such a great riff if you're only giving it 20 seconds of play time? I mean, I get not wanting to overdo it, but the bland verse riff gets more than twice that! Certainly some odd choices here that I feel like could have been smoothed out and refined if more time had been devoted to the album.

Finally we have the instrumental "Beyond the Ice," which is quite cool, though as with all of BG's instrumentals, I'm still left wishing for Hansi on top of it somewhere because he's one of the greatest vocalists of all time, so why not use him whenever given the chance? Then is the aforementioned "Valhalla," and following that (on most modern versions of the album), a cover of Demon's "Don't Break the Circle" before bringing us the steaming shit pile that is "Barbara Ann." "Don't Break the Circle" is a decent choice and pretty fun, but sounds like it would have melded better with the style of Battalions, since it's not really thrashy at all. By the end of the album's 43-minute duration, it's disjointedness is hammered home again and again, and the rush job done on it is plain to all but the least attentive of listeners. However, it's still Blind Guardian, and even Blind Guardian stumbling a bit has some gold to offer, and it's certainly an important part of the band's discography, not to be overlooked. However, if you're not a masochist, I'd say switching "Don't Break the Circle" to the end of Battalions, replacing "Valhalla" with the far superior Tokyo Tales version, and doing away with the atrocious "Barbara Ann" altogether. At that point, the album becomes fairly enjoyable, and certainly the first two, stand-out tracks are something for the ages. So, tepidly recommend? I don't know, trying to assess this album is sometimes like following a blind vision, and perhaps that was the band's true intention all along - if so, kudos to them for the commitment, but I'm still much more likely to spin Battalions of Fear or Tales from the Twilight World!

The beginning of experimentation - 87%

DesecratorJ, July 12th, 2018

To write such review, I had to go back listening to some Blind Guardian to see if my opinion changed over the years. I've been a big fan of the band since I discovered them some eight or nine years ago. The first albums I really got into was "Battalions of Fear" and "Tales from the Twilight World", but the one reviewed here took me a bit more time to dig its content, for some reason. As one of the greatest power metal band ever, they are as well one of the biggest band in Germany, thus having a pretty great recognition in the metal scene. However, Blind Guardian started out as a speed metal act, mainly influenced by the early releases of Helloween, and like them, developped their sound into a more accessible direction, which became the 90s power metal sound. The band released many records over the years and their sound slowly shifted, so some experimentation has been done, and their second full-length album is an example of that.

When it comes to early Blind Guardian, it's important to note that the material from their 1988 first album, "Battalions of Fear", dates from 1985-1986, thus making the album some sort of a re-recording of some demo tracks. At this point, the band already progressed and started experimenting by listening to some bay area thrash metal bands, resulting in how the next album sound. Titled "Follow the Blind" and released in 1989 marked a quick return for the band. This album features nine tracks for a running time of nearly 39 minutes. Judging by the cover art, you can notice that these guys were still pretty much inspired by Lord of the Rings. How does this album sound? Well, it has a clearer sound than their last album at this point, but this band never really had much trouble with their production quality, so you can just expect something better depending on your standards. Overall, the instruments are very well balanced, we can hear everything without any problem. One thing you will probably notice over the time is the evolution of Hansi's exceptional vocals. Starting with a much more harsh tone, which fitted perfectly with speed metal and evolving into a much more melodic and trained voice tone. On this album, he still has this aggressive vocal style, but some melody made its apparition too.

The album begins with the "Inquisition", which is the introduction I guess, featuring some Gregorian chanting, nothing really interesting for me, at least. Well, to me the album really kick-off with the intense "Banish from Sanctuary", which is one of the most popular Blind Guardian track that the band still play live in 2018. This song is basically a follow-up to their older material, a classic speed metal one that has a pretty cool structure and a great catchy as hell chorus that reminds me "Majesty". The real difference is when you hear the next track called "Damned for All Time". This song is probably one of their heaviest one of the whole band's catalogue, featuring some thrash elements that the band took influence from and focusing on speed and aggression. At first I didn't knew, but this album actually contain the band's most popular track ever, which is obviously "Valhalla". Played in every concert, it has a special guest vocal appearance of the mastermind "Kai Hansen" from Helloween/Gamma Ray in the bridge of the track. This is basically the main reason why I prefer the studio version over anything. The album also has an instrumental track called "Beyond the Ice" that shows some technical skills of the band, I am usually not that interested in such track, but this one is particularly good and has a spirit compared to many others. The guitars duo of André Olbrich/Marcus Siepen never disappointed me, every tracks on this album has well-composed solos as well.

It's really cool to say so many positive things about a record, but unfortunately, this one also has some things that doesn't appeal to me at all. The cover track of "Barbara Ann" for example, it just doesn't make sense to me, why the hell do you put such cover on such album ..? For the sake of fun maybe? However, the least appealing official track on the album for me is actually the self-titled one "Follow the Blind". Except the great vocal performance of Hansi Kürsch, it lacks energy and the song is just too long, at least for me. It's still decent, but I didn't came back often to listen to that one. The great news is that tracks like the thrashy "Hall of the King" and the experimental "Fast to Madness" balance the whole thing by their awesomeness. It's actually in those songs that you can see the main difference between their first album and this one, bringing a melodic approach while of course keeping the fast-paced guitar riffs.

Despite the few details I dislike, this album is definitely a great piece of German speed metal that I would recommend to anyone who is interested in the genre. Of course, if you discovered Blind Guardian by listening to their later albums, playing this one will most likely be a shock to you, but in a positive sense if you like aggressive stuff as well. Otherwise, if you still never heard about them, you will have to correct that error as soon as possible!

Favorite tracks :

Banish from Sanctuary
Damned for All Time
Hall of the King
Valhalla

Battalions of Fear 2: Majestic Boogaloo - 70%

TrooperEd, April 23rd, 2018
Written based on this version: 2007, CD, Virgin Records (Reissue, Remastered)

As the title implies, there isn't much difference between Follow The Blind and it's predecessor, or even its successor, Tales From The Twilight World. Wacky German speed metal with a much stronger than usual focus on chant-along melodies and choruses. We do begin to see Guardian every so slightly dipping their toes into different song ideas, such as the title track.

It's probably best to address the well-camouflaged elephant in the room right off. I say well-camouflaged elephant because the song is not exactly a staple unlike Lord of the Rings or The Bard's Song, and it is a lumbering behemoth of a track. Almost doomy, but of course Guardian can't go too long without hitting the accelerator (around 2:09 is when the guitars start getting In Union We Stand on our asses). Placing this at the end of the album's first side was a smart decision before monotony sets in (placing it as the opening track on the second side would have been equally as daring, if not more so of a creative decision).

As for the fast songs, Banish From Sanctuary and Valhalla are two of the greatest and most beloved songs from this album, and possibly from the band's early period altogether. The former being great for it's Swords-&-Tequila-on-Espresso-and-C4 main riff, and the latter being an anthem for power metal fans worldwide. Of course no one can claim to have experienced Valhalla properly unless they've witnessed it live, with x amount of minutes dedicated to one of the greatest arena chants that for whatever reason never packed an American stadium. Not to mention Andre's finger-kissingly exquisite outro solo that usually sets-up the sing-along. Elements which are sadly not present here and wouldn't be for quite some time. It's worth mentioning that Kai Hansen makes the first of two cameos in Blind Guardian's discography on Valhalla (the second being on the following album's Lost In The Twilight Hall). There is also another short instrumental on this album. Beyond The Ice chooses to go for full speed approach, unlike the previous album's instrumental, which, now that I think about it, might have been Battalions' "experimental" track, as that one jumps around many slow and mid-paced speeds.

Because of these reasons, one might be inclined to make Follow The Blind their first Blind Guardian purchase. Nothing inherently wrong with that decision, but you should know you are essentially getting an average speed metal album. Some (including myself on certain days) would make the claim that average speed metal holds more entertainment value than cream of the crop of most other genres, but Lemmy forbid average 80s speed metal doesn't float your boat. Not as essential as most works from the prime Running Wild catalog or Walls of Jericho.

One last thing, am I the only one who's disappointed that the Monty Python clip at the beginning doesn't feature the druids whacking themselves in the heads with the boards? I get that it's supposed to be setting an ominous tone, but trying to play Monty Python straight misses the point.

Battalions of Fear's more thrash-oriented twin - 89%

Andreas_Hansen, March 1st, 2018

Blind Guardian confirmed their unique mixture of speed, power and thrash metal in their general style with their second full-length "Follow the Blind", an album that is very similar to the first one in terms of sound, structure but also lyrical references. According to guitarist Marcus Siepen, the band was listening to a lot of thrash bands such as Testament or Forbidden, which ultimately influenced them a lot in their way of composing music. This album is characterized by pretty much the same things as the precedent: a very harsh voice in Hansi's singing, a very dynamic drum set, almost aggressive, and a tendency to favor efficiency and speed over melodies.

As for the lyrical references, here again, like in "Battalions of Fear", the band's spectrum of choice is pretty wide. We have a featuring of Michael Moorcock's characters from his series "Eternal Champion" in the songs "Damned for all Time" and "Fast to Madness". Opening track "Banish from Sanctuary" is based on the life and achievements of Jewish itinerant preacher John the Baptist, in the early first century AD. One of his major acts was to predict Jesus' coming. Title track "Follow the Blind" is based on another writing by Stephen King, this time choosing "The Talisman" (that he co-wrote with Peter Straub). Some other songs might not have a specific reference to an author or an ancient personality, but rather talk about specific subjects. That is the case of "Hall of the King", dealing with faith and the fact of being faithful, and also the case of the song "Valhalla", which refers as the title shows it to the well-known mythological Valhalla, very often featured in old Nordic tales. More specifically, the song deals with a wizard that deplores the loss of his people's faith in Nordic mythology, principally due to the great Viking's beliefs switching to Christianity. So once again, Blind Guardian's albums are a good way to discover new tales, books or real characters!

The album starts with the short introduction song "Inquisition", which features once again popular culture references (I didn't talk about them in the previous paragraph because I didn't want to repeat them here). The phrase sung is a version of the Latin phrase "Pie Jesus Domine, dona eis requiem" and it is the one featured in the Monty Python's movie "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". Once again we have here a reference to the famous surreal comedy group, the first one being the song "Brian" on the demo "Symphonies of Doom", which is a reference this time to the film "Life of Brian". Apart from the cultural references, this intro is composed of very few drum fills and sets a sort of doom-ish religious atmosphere for the rest of the album, which is a quite interesting choice since religion is a quite recurrent theme there.

When artworks are meaningful and well-made, I like to take a moment to talk about them as I like to stare at them while listening carefully to the album I am reviewing (I should have done that earlier, by the way). This artwork is credited to van Waay Design. We can see on it a wizard from the back, who hides a dwarf seeming skeptical. They are both glancing at a mysterious hidden man (such a classic in fantasy) that they should follow as the title indicate it. He stands alone at the top of a cliff, in front of a beautiful apple-green sky in which the sun rises. The song that would perfectly match this artwork would be "Damned for all Time", as it evokes many unsure and mad emotions, interpreted by a particular rawness in Hansi's singing but also by a very crazy first solo and a quite strong and low chorus. All these impressions of insecurity, doubt and hesitation would be the thoughts of this dwarf in the foreground, not knowing if he should actually follow and trust that strange blind man or not. So that's why in my opinion "Damned for all Time" would make a better title choice. I don't know actually what would be the best, but it certainly wouldn't be the actual title "Follow the Blind", which is probably the weakest song by far of this whole album. Much slower, more solemn, beginning like a symphonic power metal song (a genre that actually Blind Guardian would more or less consciously invent later), with pads, this track sets itself more on the blind strange man's side, as the almost-complaining chorus would implore.

"I'm alone...
Follow me!"

This album features two very well-known songs, "Banish from Sanctuary" and "Valhalla", probably the most famous song of the band, often played at the very end of their shows. "Banish from Sanctuary" is a very early-Blind Guardian period classic, as it is made on the same structure as the opening track of the previous album, "Majesty". Everything goes fast, no time for very developed melodic riffs, focusing more on speed and aggressivity, emphasized by a very energetic drum play of Thomen Stauch. This song has overall a quite dark, solemn mood like if it was in the continuity of the atmospheric intro played just before. On the other hand, "Valhalla" is more melodic as Hansi's singing is softer, with more melodies. The song includes also for the first time a featuring of the almighty Kai Hansen, who later would reappear for very little parts here and there like solos or back singings. Kai sings here on the pre-chorus of "Valhalla", and his famous voice is easily identifiable. On the 2017 remastering of the album, the second voice track (acting as a background singing) is more highlighted and equals the first one, especially during the line [we were prisoners] "of our own fantasy". In both songs, "Valhalla" as "Banish from Sanctuary", the band gives us an excellent and memorable chorus, that is once again a powerful mix between Hansi's strong voice and Olbrich and Siepen's back singing.

"I hear the hangman coming
I wait for execution"

On the instrumental side, there's nothing new from their previous disc. It maybe sounds even more like thrash metal, due to the endless tremolo picking and the relentless hammering of the drums. But the solos are here to remind us that their main influence remains Helloween, after all, as they are more melodic than the average and express much more emotions. As mentioned before, the one in "Damned for all Time" is a bit mad, but in "Hall of the King" that one is quite epic and sounds like the kind of solos that Gamma Ray would perform later on since it's full of crazy and way-too-melodic power metal tapping. Then the end of the solo is marked by a very nice and efficient symphonic sound. Speaking about flawless solos, I could have also put all the ones that are present in "Banish from Sanctuary".

What is the ultimate thing that an album needs to be complete? An instrumental! This one is called "Beyond the Ice" (Hum I wonder if there is a possibility to make a short story with that title song and Metallica's "Trapped Under Ice" one... anyway). At first, when I listened to this song some years ago I wasn't convinced much. When I listened to it again for writing this review I wasn't expecting anything. And that's exactly where the revelation appeared: this song is, in fact, the best song right after "Valhalla" and "Banish from Sanctuary". This song is particularly complex, probably the most complex song of the album (that's maybe why I didn't like it at first... never listen to an album only once!). It has many metal influences, speed, heavy but also sometimes neoclassical as the very good shredding, in the beginning, can prove it, and allows both guitarists André Olbrich and Marcus Siepen to express all their talent through shred, impressive tappings and beautiful melodic solos in harmony, sometimes using the minor scale.

In conclusion, "Follow the Blind" is "Battalions of Fear"'s more thrash-oriented twin that confirms Blind Guardian's unique way of composition, taking elements from Helloween as the band claims their inspiration, but also from great bay area thrash bands like the ones quoted by Marcus Siepen in the intro. It also features speed, almost aggressive, main riffs, shreddy solos, heavy and relentless drumming, raw and powerful singing from Hansi and beautiful melodic lines here and there.

Originally written in French for Tunes of Steel.
https://tunesofsteel.wordpress.com/

Blind Guardian's least compelling album-- by far! - 59%

ConorFynes, May 19th, 2015

A band has all the time in the world to make their debut album. Without the exposure or expectation to pressure out an album, artists can sometimes spend years refining their best material for their big first impression. So it was, at least, with Blind Guardian's Battalions of Fear, a semi-professional effort that refurbished their best demo material to a pretty exciting effect. Having had a few years' worth of songs as Lucifer's Heritage to choose from the first time around, it is unsurprising (but nonetheless disappointing) that Follow the Blind fails to deliver as strong a package as its predecessor. With just over a year between the two albums, Blind Guardian's sophomore tends to settle for a set of palatable speed metal tunes, with just a couple of memorable highlights between the lot of them. The album isn't terrible, but it's significantly less than I would expect from this band at any point in their career.

Although it's a safe declaration that Blind Guardian kept setting their ambitions higher with every album, it is arguable that Follow the Blind was the only exception, at least until A Twist in the Myth two decades later. While Battalions of Fear was indeed gritty and juvenile, it often went the extra distance to reveal slight progressive metal influences, drawn from the likes of Fates Warning and Savatage. A lasting fan favourite like "Majesty" (from the debut) even nearly passed the eight minute mark; the style in itself was primitive, but some of their artistic choices hinted as something more sophisticated. Again, I do blame a large part of this on the fact that Blind Guardian didn't give themselves their usual years of building up the material, but the band feels less effectively intentioned. The songs are still crafted from most of the same biting speed and vaguely NWOBHM-inspired twin harmonies, but the choruses and song structures stand out as being significantly less interesting this time around.

I do think of Follow the Blind as a disappointing regression in an otherwise superb career, but developments can still be found in the unlikeliest of places. Though the influence isn't nearly profound enough to truly distinguish it for its 'second-rate Battalions of Fear' status, the Bay Area-thrashers that Blind Guardian were listening to at the time of writing the album have clearly manifested themselves in the music. The production is markedly heavier than the debut, and the twin bass/guitar riff lines typically used in thrash are employed to pleasantly energizing effect. Although there is even less sense of their distinctive identity on Follow the Blind than the debut had to offer, a few songs nonetheless stand out. Head, shoulder and torso above the rest is "Valhalla", a blistering assault of a song that easily deserves its continued inclusion in live performances.

While the combination of the Monty Python and the Holy Grail-derived intro "Inquisition" and "Banish from Sanctuary" are no match for "Majesty", they offer Follow the Blind a relatively powerful start. "Beyond the Ice" is a solid instrumental in the image of "Gandalf's Rebirth". With less focus placed on strong choruses and melodic writing, many of the album's other tracks aren't as successful. Songs like "Damned for All Time" and "Fast to Madness" feel like by-the-numbers facsimiles of the debut's material. Nothing is out of place, but there is nothing still to get me really engaged. Where is this album's "Run for the Night", its "Majesty", "The Martyr", or "Battalions of Fear"? I am constantly prone to bringing up "Valhalla" in each case, but the lack of otherwise great songs is solid grounds for disappointment.

If there's anything else to say about Follow the Blind, I can't help but bring up what a surprise it is to hear their cover of "Barbara Ann". Though originally recorded by The Regents, I associate this song closely with The Beach Boys, and while Brian Wilson and company aren't known primarily for their influence on speed metal, their meticulous attention to vocal harmonies beckons strong association with the direction Hansi would take his voice on future albums. Although Blind Guardian conclude their album with tongue-in-cheek (Voivod pursued similar ends with their "Batman" cover the year before on Dimension Hatross) it unwittingly stands as a continued reminder that this band were destined for far greater things, even if the standard here fell something short of excellence.

delivewance - 94%

caspian, February 6th, 2015

I guess the thing with Blind Guardian is that I've always found the core elements- the super powerful vocals, the excellent leads, the dynamic rhythm guitars- really cool, but have struggled with the window dressing. Are choirs, strings, interludes really necessary? Follow the Blind suggests they aren't, and it's a convincing argument at that.

Yeah, turns out Blind Guardian stripped of unlimited studio time are pretty amazing, and it's cool to see them generate a huge, fantastic atmosphere from a two guitars and a rhythm section. No sing along major key experiments-in-overdubbing choruses, just very catchy vocal lines mixed in with some surprisingly heavy, thrashy guitar work (Damned For All Time being a particularly fine, neck breaking example). I'm really sold on the guitar work in this album- one would never call it " economical", there's leads stuffed everywhere in most of the tunes, after all. It's certainly not wanky though, but a really sweet balance of melody with some shredding when appropriate, pretty much perfect.

Everything serves the songs, and the results tend towards breathtaking. Banish From Sanctuary is everything that's good about european power metal with none of the bad- huge chorus, huge atmosphere, fantastic guitar lines and leads, the title track a much gloomier than usual track but with the usual Blind Guardian melodic flair, so on and so forth. I'm really sold on Hansi's vocal work on this album, the lack of overdubs mixed with that honest 80's metal production gives it a far rawer edge than you'll ever hear from him again, and on tunes like Run Fast to Madness it's really refreshing hearing him just sing his balls off, hearing the occasional slightly out of tune take, stuff like that.

It's really an incredibly good album. I've never really considered myself much of a speed/power fan but this is getting played a lot at the moment, and I think that pays credit to just how good Blind Guardian's songwriting skills are- the catchiness of the vocals, the wonderful handpicked, totally unique, home-brewed sense of melody that they really have in spades. Like everyone else I'll say that the Barbara Ann cover is a historically bad idea and proves once again that Germans have an awful sense of humour. That aside, I'd consider it to be BG's best, and a classic album well worth hearing.

Timeless speed metal classic, worth every minute. - 90%

rapps, February 24th, 2013

Ok, so I am going to write a review here that gives this timeless album the credit it deserves, now in the year 2013. Admittedly, I have known about BG since around 2003 or so but never paid much attention at all given releases like A Night at the Opera and A Twist in the Myth. But, when you listen to the stuff from Follow the Blind (and include tunes from Battalions of Fear in this statement)...what you get is an organized, beating-the-living-shit out of the drums set style of music that works beautifully. Straight to the point, Follow the Blind is an awesome masterpiece of speed metal!

Many bands such as say Dragonforce, who are okay in their own right, have made a living out of crushing maximum speed out of their sound, but BG simply kills it with this speed show on Follow the Blind. I have been indifferent to both speed and power metal for most of my heavy metal lifetime and what a mistake in this case! Listen to songs on here like Banish from Sanctuary, Damned for all Time, Hall of the King, Valhalla, or even the instrumental, Beyond the Ice and this is what metal should be, even now. I get it, speed metal has its limits and now a days it would be difficult to come close to this even for the heavy weights (see modern day Helloween), but someone has to relive this glory somehow. I don't know how, if I had the answer I would be doing it, but wouldn't a 2013 version of the late 80's into mid 90's BG sound be cool right now?? Seriously, am I the only one who is tired of listening to the modern day shit, lacking any real talent or emotion?

What BG does here is gives a full-ass performance. Things changed slightly for these guys on the follow up album, then drastically on albums later on, not necessarily bad changes until you hit A Night at the Opera which is flat out shitty, but you get the point.

So why now? why suddenly would I bother to review this album almost 25 years later? The answer is simple - to prove a point about this era and the genre in general in its foregone glory. Why not? I have been sitting back for years now cracking a beer, lighting a smoke and just naturally defaulting to this album as a source of fierce ass kicking on a regular basis. If I stop and think too long about what to listen to, unless something else comes to mind within a few seconds, the easy answer is BG's Follow the Blind. Really, the only neglect I have given this album is not reviewing it until now.

The thing about this album is that it is satisfying at all times, whether you throw it on early in the night as a necessary buffer before being dragged out by your gal pals to listen to their shit at the club, or at the end of the night when you feel like having that last beer after a long night but cannot finish it before passing out. I have even had those folks who detest metal tell me that this is better than the other noise I listen to. Whatever, metal fans get the point on that one.

There are very few, if any, low lights on this album and the only song to this regard, personally speaking, is the closer "Don't Break the Circle" which has always sounded kind of cheesy to me, that's it. For anyone who has not come across Follow the Blind but stumbles upon this review while simply looking around, don't hesitate, this is the real deal. There will be no disappointment for anyone who enjoys fast double-base drumming, tight guitar riffs and epic, fantasy style lyrics. Other bands may come close to this sound to some degree, but nothing really matches this intensity from BG, and I have searched for quite a long time now.

As perfect as they can get. - 97%

morbert, July 17th, 2012

Classic metal albums from the eighties? This is one of them! More raw and powerful than what Helloween were up to at that time, certainly faster than other melodic German heavy metal bands yet so much more melodic and dynamic than your average German thrash band. Yes, Blind Guardian perfectly fell in between everything there was to like about German metal creating their own niche of raw thrashy power metal with the extremely recognisable voice of Hansi Kürsch. It’s love or hate with this man. I haven’t spoken anyone yet the last 20-25 years who thought the guy’s just ‘okay’. In all honesty, he’s the reason I ignored Blind Guardian at first cause I just didn’t know what to do with this guy. Obviously he grew on me.

For those not familiar with BG (are there any?), their early stuff is the stuff to check out if you want fast AND melodic metal but think 90% of the regular power metal, flower metal or even USPM is too cheesy for you. Blind guardian once were raw, fast and melodic. The four main reasons to start with this album would be
1-Banish from Sanctuary & Valhalla
2-The honest eighties production
3-The superb pacing of the album
4-Once you’ve heard most these songs, you’ll never forget them.

And during your discovery of the entire album you’ll surely discover many more reasons to keep playing it. Of course if you grew up with modern day 'Hollywood' productions and expect/demand all power metal to be produced like later Rhapsody Of Fire albums, this is not for you.

As said earlier, this album hold two of BG’s most famous songs, ‘Banish from Sanctuary’ and ‘Valhalla’ which are pretty much the ultimate quintessential Blind Guardian songs both still in their setlist and with reason. Fast, catchy, filled with great riffs, leads and a powerful chorus, it’s everything you want from a power metal classic.

Is the rest of lesser quality? That’s arbitrary of course but i.m.o. you can’t go wrong with other song like ‘Fast To Madness’. What person with a love of eighties metal wouldn’t headbang his brains out to a song like this?
The album ‘Follow the Blind’ is a staple eighties German classic. Simple as that. You should own this.

Progressing at blinding speed! - 96%

cravingforvenom, May 18th, 2011

Ever since the wind of heavy metal blew over Germany, the country has consistently delivered outputs in various genres and more importantly power metal. Helloween, Grave Digger, Rage and Running Wild were the first exponents to fuse Accept and Judas Priest influences with a more speedy approach to create the Euro power metal sound. The second wind saw the emergence of a young band from Krefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia known as Lucifer’s Heritage who then renamed themselves Blind Guardian before the release of their debut album. With this impressive second studio effort, known as “Follow the Blind”, the band had further made their presence felt on the sprouting Euro power metal scene.

The band was young and they were still pretty much in the speed metal realm reminiscent of fellow countrymen Helloween on their legendary “Walls of Jericho” album, which is to say that the power metal sound they would perfect on their forthcoming masterpieces was heard in traces here and there. Songwriting and musicianship on this record however saw a beef up as compared to “Battalions of Fear” and the production job was good enough for its time. The drum sound is thunderous, although at times one can’t help but feel the bass getting drowned in the mix. The riffs and solos are done perfectly and what could be said about the vocals? Hansi Kursch is one of the best vocalists in heavy metal and his trademark singing style which combines both a clean pitch as well as a harsh delivery somewhat along the lines of Ronnie Atkins(Pretty Maids) and Chris Boltendahl(Grave Digger).

“Pie Jesu Domine, Dona Eis Requiem” starts the initiation and no, this is not Monty Python in his new avatar. After 40 seconds, the explosive riffs and drumwork of “Banish From Sanctuary” come like a sonic blast of pure power for the perfect adrenalin rush. The chorus on this is very melodic and blends beautifully with the sheer mayhem of this popular song that is played to this day during the band’s live performances. The logical follow up to this fury comes in the form of another speed fest “Damned for All Time” with that impressive line “Oblivion – Who’s blowing the horn, Oblivion – Who’s killing the gods”. The title track is where the band slows down things to accommodate more clean passages and progressive structures and is a highly ambitious composition showcasing the birth of an idea that would be used in albums post “Somewhere far Beyond”

The next couple of tracks blaze along and then comes one of the best heavy metal instrumentals ever written called “Beyond the Ice” with a guitar lead solo so devastatingly catchy yet so melodic, it’s going to take some doing to get it out of your head. There are very few instrumentals in heavy metal out there that don’t sound like a mince of bad ideas and this is definitely one of them. Next up is one of the best tracks on the album with a title that has been used more number of times in the business than anything I can think of. Any kind of music that talks of epic folklore and more specifically Vikings has at some point made use of Valhalla for sure. Fortunately, this one is a chorus driven track with strong memorable riff structures and also a guest appearance by the God himself, Kai Hansen!!

I won’t talk much about the naturally throwaway “Barbara Ann” but any lucky bloke (like me) who gets his hands on the original Japanese edition would be in for a real treat as the edition comes with a brilliant rendition of NWOBHM veterans Demon’s anthem “Don’t Break the Circle” with the speed tripled up and the vocals absolutely destructive. The 2007 remix of “Follow the Blind” however has a few demo tracks as well as this Demon cover so the hunt should be relatively easier.

It would be fair to summarize that this effort is well on par with Rage’s “Perfect Man” as well as Scanner’s magnum opus “Hypertrace” and anyone looking for a good representation of early speed/power metal should certainly get hold of this. For those looking for a more power metal direction, I would highly recommend stuff like “Somewhere far Beyond” and “Imaginations from the other side”.

Building on the debut's momentum - 85%

autothrall, January 8th, 2010

The fact that the follow-up to Battalions of Fear was not a huge hit when it released in 1989 is not a testament to any shortcoming of Blind Guardian, but a tribute to just how fucking amazing of a year that was for metal releases. This is a slightly superior offering to the debut, with a much tighter production and for the most part, some extremely catchy songwriting. Featuring the classic lineup and a guest vocal courtesy of Helloween's Kai Hansen, it's 38 minutes of fast paced fantasy metal ribaldry with roots in both thrash/speed and the formative power metal genre. The band themselves admits a huge appreciation for the heavy Bay Area thrash metal that was dominating the late 80s, and it manifests here nicely through the momentum of the guitars and explosive energy of all the better tracks, Hansi's edgy shouts and the 'gang' style backing vocals which rule.

"Inquisition" is merely a sampling of the monks from Monty Python & the Holy Grail, over which the drums and guitars fade in before "Banish from Sanctuary" erupts in a flurry of speed metal, solid chords and palm mutes adorned in melodic, weaving rhythms, and a great melodic vocal harmony after 1:00. The chorus is lovely and the leads and rapid synthesizer swells in the bridge are likewise fantastic. "Damned for All Time" does not break the forward thrust of the record, with a thrashing intro over Stauch's battering, a bristle of spastic leads and then a warlike verse rhythm. Again, the band fills the 5 minutes of the track with quality solos and an exciting middle section where some new riffs swerve into play. "Follow the Blind" itself is somewhat slower and more morose, with a series of power chords anchoring Hansi's chorus, only to part ways for a nicely winding melody as he escalates into the stratosphere. Not the most memorable tune on this album, but quite good.

Wandering around in my darkest dreams
iron shadows are lurking at me
in this desert the tyrant's calling

"Hall of the King" features some intense, jerky thrashing which foreshadows a lot of the band's later, faster material from their 90s albums. The leads are again exciting though tucked further into the track than usual; dual melodies ascending into a great vocal hook and some fast keyboard strikes and chorals. "Fast to Madness" commences with a somber grace before the pummeling thrash/speed returns to some excellent riffs akin to early Scanner or Gamma Ray. The instrumental "Beyond the Ice" is incredible as it swarms through a wonderful exchange of leads and glorious melodies, all toppings for the speed metal surge beneath. "Vahalla" needs no introduction, it is the most enduring track on this album as far as the band's live choices, a straightforward, barreling number serving as a suitable tribute to the great and glorious Norse afterlife. Kai Hansen's vocals cut right in like a knife through gelatin, at first taking you off guard until the blessed scream over the guitar melody.

The rest of the album consists of cover songs...i.e., the fairly lame medley of the Beach Boys' "Barbara Ann/Long Tall Sally" which sticks out sorely like a tumescent, cancerous penis from the album's prior, healthy rock-hard abs. I've already gone over it before...the track isn't necessarily 'bad' from a musical standpoint, but it serves no purpose other than to show the listener: "Hey guys, we can take ourselves not too seriously and look at all the great old music we like!" If you've got the Japanese version of the album, you are treated to a far superior cover, that of Demon's "Don't Break the Circle", which is one of the best covers I've heard them do...and in retrospect would have been a far wiser choice to include with the early non-Japanese editions of Follow the Blind. But them damn Japanese, always paying for that added bonus. The rest of us: screwed.

Despite the unnecessary Beach Boys' tribute, Follow the Blind is quite a good album. I am convinced by this that, had Blind Guardian continued forward in a more traditional, fast paced approach they could have produced some masterpieces. And to an extent, they did, as the better tracks of Tales from the Twilight World and Somewhere Far Beyond continue in this fashion, to give way later on for the band's more progressive, multi-tracking efforts. Not that the band ever ceased their focus on quality, mind you, but I would be enthralled to hear the Germans release an album more in this style for the coming decade, using all the tricks they have learned, instead of dallying on another Twist in the Myth. At any rate, this is a crucial release which further spread the buzz of the one of the future's most popular metal bands, and recommended to not only the Blind Guardian initiate but other fans of European power/speed metal ala Rage, Scanner, Running Wild, Gamma Ray, Mania, and so forth.

Highlights: Banish from Sanctuary, Damned for All Time, Hall of the King, Beyond the Ice, Valhalla

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

We were the prisoners of our own fantasy... - 92%

Wra1th1s, July 16th, 2009

Oh pappy is this one heck of an album. Aside from one fatal flaw, this is probably Blind Guardian's most consistent album. Every song is cast from the same mold yet each has their own distinct identity. The common features are the SPEED and the RIFFS. This is power metal the way your daddy used to make, none o' that keyboard abuse or piss-poor riffage but with the same unrelenting speed and sweet baby Jesus catchy as syphilis choruses!

Right then, we pick up almost immediately where Battalions left off, only much much faster and more consistent. The songwriting has gotten better, guitar riffs more tricksy, Mr. Olbrich playing faster and more technical-et-melodique solos, Mr. Kursch using a more suitable voice for this sort of music, etc. etc. Of course Hansi 'n pals have a sense o' humor and decided to end this album with a Beach Boys cover (actually it's a The Regents song, the Beach Boys version is the one BG covers) ha ha, very funny Mr. Kursch but Weiki you ain't!

Onwards to the actual songs. Yes, all of them are pretty much power fockin' metal anthems and they're all heavy enough for Thrash Metal Thom to listen to and still feel secure about his sexuality (not that power metal is lame mind you, but most people think it is due to certain bands from Finland.) Personal favorites include the absolute fuckin' glory that is "Banish from Sanctuary," "Run Fast to Madness" and of course "Valhalla" featuring a certain Deutsche "singer"/guitarist that couldn't sing til 1995. The instrumental in this album is much better than both "Gandalf's Rebirth" and "By the Gates of Moria" combined. Hell, it might be even better than "Wizard's Crown" and I fucking love that one!

Of course this ain't by any means a perfect album. The title track I suppose is decent but Blind Guardian has yet to refine the mixing of slow and fast parts. Certain moments of "Follow the Blind" are sheer brilliance, particularly the acoustic stuff and bits towards the end, but as a whole this song is very lacking.Also ending the album with "Barbara Ann/Long Tall Sally" is pretty stupid, still I guess it's a nice cover but hey that's what B-sides and compilations are for. Oh yes, the Demon cover turned out pretty nice and at least it fits with the bands sound.

The band sounds much tighter on this album particularly Thomen Stauch who's not only getting faster but trying out more fills (not nearly on the same level of creativity as Imaginations and Somewhere Far Beyond though.) The guitarists are simultaneously getting heavier and more melodic, the riffs suggest harder edge speed metal while the melodies are akin to Helloween. Still this does not come out as confused on the album, the melodies and riffs are complementary and this sounds very 'pleasant' when heard. The voice of Hansi Kursch is different here, even with their latter works. He usually sticks to a 'harsh' vocal approach rarely employing his more melodic voice. Gang vocals are employed here, though the tone of it is very 'tuff' that I occasionally find it hilarious. Bass as per the norm is very rarely heard and when it is heard it's not that stellar.

As far as production goes, it's similar to Battalions of Fear. None more need be said.

So yes, Follow the Blind is one of Blind Guardian's best albums, certainly the most consistent of them all. While not being of the same level of brilliance as Somewhere Far Beyond, this album still manages to find its way into my frequent players pile. And on that tangent, this is indisputably my favorite driving album. Just put this on the car stereo and I dare you to control your urge run fast to madness.

Note: Remaster comes with another Lucifer's Heritage demo. This one will be reviewed as well. Oh and I apologize for the awful pun at the end.

Best of the old stuff - 90%

The_Ghoul, April 14th, 2009

What have we here? I'll tell you what: song after song after song of raging speed metal, with only one clunker (the title track) which sucks because at that time, Blind Guardian didn't know how to write proper slow songs. But it's easily skippable. What makes Follow the Blind so irresistable in my eyes, is the permeating darkness. I have a friend who listens to almost solely black metal, but he found this album to be supremely vicious yet catchy.

There is a heavily religious motif running through Follow the Blind, be it frustration with God (Banish From Sanctuary), an ode to Odin's halls up high (Valhalla) or damnation (Damned For All Time). As such, Hansi sounds full of vengeful anger, instead of sounding like a court minstrel, albiet one with good pipes, on later releases. As Blind Guardian were moving slowly away from the "idiot speed metal" that defined their demos and their first effort, the songwriting here is epic, but not epic in a slow, melodic way. It's epic in a pulverising sort of way. The singing is quite atavistic, more akin to depraved barks than singing. One problem I had with earlier releases is that Hansi really didn't sound all that convincing. There was no power, no passion, and no "umph" to his singing. Here, he mastered the olskool style of singing; it's melodic enough, but you can still hear his german accent. In fact, he sounds like a much more talented version of Quorthon.

Follow the Blind has 3 absolute stunners of songs: Banish From Sanctuary, Beyond the Ice, and Valhalla. All 3 are quite epic, each in their own way, with epic chorii (Beyond the Ice may be an instrumental, but it has a chorus indeed) and melodies that will make you instantly love them, yet they all have staying power. The rest of the songs are cool, but not so consistently awesome as the aforementioned three songs. Hall of the King, for example, is a good song, but really doesn't hit its stride until the end of the solo when Olbrich goes into turbo twin lead mode, followed by orchestral hits over speeding drums. Damned For All Time has an shout along chorus, but the rest of the song can't live up to the chorus.

One thing, though, is that this album doesn't really fully sink in until you're blasting it at full volume. It took me a while to get into olskool blind guardian, but once i realized the secret to enjoying them (blast at supersonic volumes) I could not stop banging my head. Another interesting thing, is that they sampled the chant from Monty Python's Holy Grail where the monks were hitting their heads with planks in the intro, Inquisition. While quite humourous if you got the joke, it added to the dark quasi-religious vibe of Follow the Blind.

All in all, this is the best of the old era. I won't say it's Blind Guardian's best, because comparing this to post-Imaginations era BG is like comparing 2 different bands in 2 different genres. However, if you want speed metal that's really, really, vicious, you don't need to look to obscure german outfits. It's right here, in it's speedy and unrelenting glory.

Rage. Majesty. Power. - 90%

Torwilligous, January 4th, 2009

Back before Blind Guardian started writing concept albums about "The Silmarillion" and incorporating six-thousand piece choirs into their richly symphonic and expansive power metal arrangements, they were a raging, aggressive speed metal band of the absolute highest calibre. Hansi Kursch's vocals were raw and eager for slaughter, guitars blazed out riffs, leads and solos with furious aplomb, and drums shattered face with pounding speed and in-your-face intensity. Not only that, but atmosphere thicker and more evocative than a turgid jelly composed of pure fantasy was caked around every nuance; more successfully than any other band in history, Blind Guardian combined the raw and the primally ferocious with the majestic and magical, to create a bewitching cocktail that beautifully evoked a rich sense of heroic fantasy. As masterfully composed as their later works are, it is their first two albums that truly captured my heart.

I'd always considered "Battalions of Fear" my favourite, but nowadays I'm not so sure. My love for this, their sophomore effort, has grown; all the captivating atmosphere of their debut has been beautifully replicated and even enhanced, and the song writing is more varied and somehow even more furiously powerful. These songs just steam along, an absolutely perfect synthesis of thrash and traditional heavy metal that is neither one nor the other, but is instead the beautifuly realised offspring of the two; raw, fast, ripping, majestic, melodic and furious. This time around, an increased twist of thrash influence has pervaded the writing, giving the riffs an extra kick of surly malcontent that just lifts the darkness of the songs, adding an extra shade of night to an atmosphere that was already highly enjoyable, and just adding an extra notch to the aggression in a most pleasing manner. Simply delicious.

The guitar playing is fast and whipping, the rhythm parts consisting mainly of fast-picked riffs that move swiftly and deftly through neatly embellished chord progressions. These are the meat which form the body of the songs. Atop these progressions, the raw, energetic and expressive baritone of Kursch roars forth, portraying a slightly distinct style from that which he would eventually evolve over the next couple of releases: just a touch more raspy and furious, with a more pronounced accent and a charming youthful exuberance that invigorates the lines he sings. Luscious leads burst forth at will, sinuously and mysteriously twisting, suffused with magic - or soaring high with an epic tone that simply lifts the music to the stratosphere. Morphing seamlessly from and into leads and riffs, virtuosic yet powerfully emotive solos erupt, approaching jaw-dropping levels of brilliance in places. Why Olbrich is so comparatively sedated on later Blind Guardian albums is a mystery, for here (though perhaps not as much as on the debut) he rips forth with a level boisterous showmanship and compositional perspicacity that is simply dazzling to behold.

Powerful layered-vocal choruses are unleashed, much less overt and bombastic than they would later be, but highly catchy and effective nonetheless; delivered with a pleasing amalgamation of empowering thrash-derived gang shout and earthy, imperious heavy metal might. As if this were not enough of a feast already, Blind Guardian also chime in with a few choice riffs that simply batter the listener over the head with their force and brilliance, causing immediate and involuntary spinal convulsions. And to top it all off, the pounding bass and furiously fast, crushing drums attack without relent or respite, keeping the energy high into the redzone at all times, replete with an extravagance of energetic polka beats. Thomen Stauch's fills, in particular, mesh wonderfully with the rest of the music in a way few metal drummers since Les Binks have managed so successfully. The occasional keyboard is tastefully used to enrich the mystical atmosphere, but with nary a flowery moment in evidence. Even the structures of the compositions progress in a remarkably smooth and well-judged manner, with each segment the logical musical relative of the one which came before it, building a consistent sense of ebb and flow throughout. In fact, pretty much every element of this album is both conceived and executed in fine style; a rare feat.

Moments of brilliance abound; "Banish from Sanctuary", "Hall of the Kings" and (to a lesser but still substantial degree) "Fast to Madness" are fast and furious, sagging under the weight of their boundless invention and infectious enthusiasm. "Damned for All Time" is the most aggressive and violent song on show, ploughing relentlessly forward with steely-eyed conviction. "Beyond the Ice" is a stupendous instrumental track incorporating a bewildering array of flagellating solos, leads and riffs. "Valhalla" comes on in sweeping, rushing waves, mournful and yearning; emboldened by the strongest chorus of the album and a guest appearance by Kai Hansen of BG's key influences Helloween. But the greatest of a great selection of songs is the title track; the slowest song on the album, and the longest, and the most epic - and perhaps the most brilliant thing Blind Guardian have ever put to tape. The piece progresses in a seamless and journey-like way, crammed with superb riffs and leads, and incorporating a driving, heavy, melodic, almost folky riff beginning at 4:18 that displays a masterful control of tiny micromoments of silence; destroying the surroundings like the repeated detonation of some terrible warlock's spell. And yet, this brilliance is somehow immediately topped by the emotive, hair-raising solo that blooms exquisitely into life above it, drilled into existence by yet another perfectly judged fill from Stauch. Simply fantastic stuff; there are many other moments approaching this quality all over the album, but far too many to mention here without making the review around 500 pages long. Methinks such would be an overindulgence, and anyway half the fun is in discovering these gems for yourself.

The only place where this loses points is on the overall slight repetitiveness of the album, and the fact that it cannot always maintain the same completely stellar level throughout. But this would be a damn tough job for any band, let alone one that was only two albums old, and in any case the truly exquisite segments by far outweigh the merely adequate. Another negative that has to be considered is the completely pointless Beach Boys cover that rudely bookends the album in a most unseemly manner. Thankfully, the band did at least manage to put it at the end of the album rather than interrupting themselves. Small mercies. Overall, however, it cannot be denied that "Follow the Blind" is a speed metal masterpiece. An essential and underrated member of Blind Guardian's extensive catalogue.

Very Good Sophomore Effort - 88%

lonerider, September 10th, 2008

“Follow the Blind,” which first saw the light of day in 1989, is often shunned in favor of the other releases in Blind Guardian’s impressive discography, such as their seminal debut “Battalions of Fear,” which possessed just enough originality to prevent the band from being labeled as a barefaced Helloween rip-off. Thanks to its lyrical concept, which substituted Helloween’s deliberate goofiness with Tolkien-inspired fantasy landscapes, the debut became a favorite of countless nerds worldwide who would use it as a musical backdrop for their fantasy role-playing games. The album that came thereafter, on the other hand, seems to be widely regarded as somewhat disappointing, as a so-so affair not quite up to par with the rest of Blind Guardian’s heralded work—a skewed perception, because all “Follow the Blind” does is taking its predecessor as a solid foundation and improving on it in more than one way.

However, instead of comparing “Follow the Blind” to Blind Guardian’s debut, it figures to be much more enlightening to see how it fares in comparison with their more recent work, particularly the albums released after “Imaginations from the Other Side.” Indeed, the difference couldn’t be more striking. While the Germans’ later records are all technical mastery and little to no guts, this is all guts and little technical prowess. Not that the band’s musical performance on “Follow the Blind” was seriously lacking or even incompetent, but it’s pretty obvious that Hansi and the guys were still a little green when they recorded this. Consequently, “Follow the Blind” is overflowing with youthful exuberance, the band’s enthusiasm emanating from virtually every note. The result is a much rawer, much less technically proficient, but also much more heartfelt and honest affair than the almost ludicrously theatrical, overblown pomp fests that were “Nightfall in Middle Earth” and “A Night at the Opera.”

I once read an interview where lead singer Hansi said that if he had to pick a song by the band that he isn’t particularly proud of, it would be “Hall of the King,” mentioning the allegedly naïve songwriting and crude lyrics as reasons for his choice. I beg to differ. While the song in question is not be mistaken for an early classic, it has in abundance what Blind Guardian’s more recent work frequently lacks, namely those traits that a good metal record simply cannot do without: conviction, bad-ass attitude and sheer heaviness. It doesn’t matter that the sometimes clumsy lyrics on “Follow the Blind” are rather underwhelming, that the band’s songwriting skills are not yet fully developed, that the production feels rushed (at least there are no annoying chimes, whistles, flutes, organs and three dozen vocal tracks layered above one another) and sounds a bit dated at times, because this album more than makes up for these deficiencies with plenty of speed, heaviness, attitude and youthful energy. (Speaking of youthfulness, you just have to love the band picture on the back of the booklet, which shows singer Hansi as a somewhat chubby guy in his early twenties sporting a greasy leather jacket and worn-out t-shirt emblazoned with the logo of a well-known German brewery. Those were the days …)

Alas, back to the music, which is probably best described as a blend between thrash and fantasy-tinged melodic speed metal with the occasional bombastic chorus thrown in (a feature that would not be fully explored until the follow-up “Tales from the Twilight World”). Guitarists Marcus Siepen and Andre Olbrich really make their presence felt, churning out riff after great riff and playing plenty of melodic leads. Drummer Thomen Stauch, as always, lays down a very solid foundation with his unrelenting double-bass pedaling and precise high-speed snare hits. Hansi’s bass, on the other hand, is barely audible. Moreover, it’s safe to say that in the late eighties he wasn’t even half the singer he is today; his voice sounds far less melodic and much raspier here, yet considering the speed and ferocity of the songs on display, this isn’t a bad thing at all and fits the music rather well. The production, as mentioned before, isn’t spectacular by any means and sounds precisely as old as it actually is, but it’s good enough for late eighties standards and sounds considerably better than on the band’s debut.

Not too much needs to be said about the individual songs, as they maintain a consistently high level of quality throughout and aren’t all that different from each other. Almost every metalhead knows “Banish from Sanctuary” and “Valhalla” by heart, two prototypical melodic speed metal songs that are live concert staples for a reason and already indicate the direction the band would take on subsequent albums “Tales from the Twilight Hall” and, to a lesser degree, “Somewhere Far Beyond.” “Damned for All Time,” “Fast to Madness” and the aforementioned “Hall of the King” clearly display the thrash metal edge the band still had in those days, as all are relentlessly fast, even more riff-oriented and less melodic than the rest. (The former two in particular are surprisingly catchy thanks to some very nifty lead guitar passages.) The more than seven minute long title track is the slowest song on the album, a very epic mid-tempo tune with lots of melodic lead guitar work and Hansi’s best vocal performance overall. It takes some time to really sink in due to its rather intricate, progressive structure, but it will have you shouting along soon enough thanks to its anthemic character and tremendous atmosphere. (Damn, this should have been the soundtrack to Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy!) “Beyond the Ice” is a fantastic instrumental that actually sounds like the other tracks, only (who could have guessed?) without the lyrics. The last two tracks are both cover versions, the first a very nicely done rendition of Demon’s “Don’t Break the Circle” that sounds just like an original Blind Guardian song, the latter a Beach Boys cover that might have made for a pretty cool single b-side but feels completely out of place within the context of this album.

In the end, I find this a lot more entertaining than anything Blind Guardian put out after “Imaginations from the other Side.” It may not be as sophisticated as far as songwriting, instrumental performance, lyrics and production values are concerned, but the band’s refreshing enthusiasm combined with the palpable aggression, sustained heaviness, unrelenting speed and atmospheric density of the songs makes this album a definite keeper! Highly recommended to those who prefer their melodic speed metal meaty, mean and raw instead of flowery, pompous and watered-down.

Choicest cuts: Banish from Sanctuary, Damned for All Time, Follow the Blind, Beyond the Ice, Valhalla

Solid early speed metal with some humor. - 82%

hells_unicorn, March 12th, 2007

Although mostly regarded today as one of the most forward looking power progressive metal outfits today, Blind Guardian traces its roots back to a similar hybrid of traditional heavy metal and thrash/speed metal as that of early Helloween. At times the guitar riffs are reminiscent of American thrash acts such as Overkill, MegaDeth, and early Metallica. But the tuneful and catchy choruses are more in line with the earlier NWOBHM approach of Iron Maiden and later Judas Priest, as is the case with some of the lead guitar lines that come and go between the vocal sections.

The lion’s share of the music on here is in the same style as the debut album “Battalions of Fear” was, which some have referred to as power thrash. “Damned for all time”, Hall of the King” and “Fast to Madness” are solid speed tracks, keeping the emphasis on the riffs and the drums and mostly de-emphasizing the bass. “Beyond the Ice” is a nice technical display by Anders and Marcus on lead guitar, showcasing that speed metal can be as friendly an atmosphere to instrumental shred style playing as any.

The standout tracks on here are the ones that avoid sounding interchangeable with the other speed tracks on here, a weakness that exists to a small extent on this release and its predecessor. “Banish from Sanctuary” and “Valhalla” are more of the same brand of early thrash/speed, but with a much stronger emphasis on the chorus and a powerful backing vocal section, almost to the point of flirting with the sound found on “Tales from the Twilight Hall”. The latter includes a guest vocal slot by Kai Hansen and closes with a brief acoustic restatement of the chorus, somewhat reminiscent of Black Sabbath’s “Heaven and Hell”. The title track also makes use of an acoustic guitar and some keyboard sounds, but unlike what appears on the release following this one, acts mostly as window dressing and doesn’t really drive the song.

Much like their speed metal cohorts Helloween, BG is not without a sense of comedy and freedom from the conventional view of “all shock, no fun” that dominates many current metal acts. The prelude chant titled “The Inquisition” was sampled from the Monty Python classic Quest for the Holy Grail, bringing to mind the use of the commercial from the third Halloween movie at the beginning of the first Helloween EP. Likewise, the Beach Boys/Little Richard cover that closes the album is a nice touch; although it doesn’t seek to twist the song into a more metal direction the way Iron Maiden’s remake of Chuck Berry’s “Roll over Beethoven” did. It’s also interesting to note that this cover of “Barbara Ann” also has the guitar solo from “Roll over Beethoven” in it; an appropriate touch when one considers the Beach Boys’ tendency to quote the original guitar rocker in their other songs.

Out of all the BG full length studio releases up until now, this one is the weakest when listened to from start to finish. I would argue that both “Banish from Sanctuary” and “Valhalla” are stronger than anything found on “Battalions of Fear”, but the rest of the album is a somewhat inconsistent listen. Furthermore, the two stand outs sound far superior when played live nowadays than they do on this CD. If you liked “Walls of Jericho” and the style of the early speed metal acts, this album has a lot to offer. It’s not quite as good as its predecessor or the one that followed afterwards, but it is a lot better than much of what you encounter in today’s metal scene, particularly in the United States.