 Blind Guardian
- "Live" Virgin Records 2003 No, no, no surprise at all. For all of us, who knows the story, this was not just expected but highly requested album. There is no need to doctorate over Guardians. They defeated entire heavy metal universe again. But anyway. First league power symphonic heavy rocking force on Earth launched undoubtedly true battle sounding live output. With such breathtaking frenetic and fanatic audience's involvement, Guardians seems to be reinforced with seventh member on stage -audience (if we count Oliver Holzwarth on bass guitar and Michael Schüren on keys). Set list includes many specialties that a common BG fan would die for. With usual kick-offs Valhalla, Welcome To Dying, Imaginations Form The Other Side up to eponymous The Bard's Song (In The Forest), Lost In The Twilight Hall and Journey Through The Dark they delivered stuff that must not miss in their set list. Specialties start with Mordred's Song, Bright Eyes, A Past And Future Secret and spine tingling surprise of all surprises Lord Of The Rings (!). Band strikes on full and murders the audience by great selection of older material that is placed right at the start. As the climax reaches its boiling point for the first time on record, they finally decide to calm down things a bit with some stuff from their last studio effort "A Night At The Opera" (2002). So we got an English version of Harvest Of Sorrow, The Soulforged, and later on Under The Ice and Punishment Divine. I was hoping that they'll place phenomenal epic And There Was A Silence inside, which was also performed on tour, but who cares. From this band you simply can't get a bad set list. Sound is magnificent. I mean unbelievable alive and hellish precise. Instruments are hanging in perfect balance. Incredible Hansi's powerful "right between the eyes" screaming performance in front becomes now even more self-confidant. Gathered with storming Tomen's drums (he's drumming simply speaks for itself and thus need no further explanations, he proves once again that he's one of the German metal top drummers for sure), Andre's precise vah-vah solo or bridge drives and unmistakable riffing by Marcus (who is nicely colliding with Andre (when necessary), in harmonized faster picking themes), band's live sound becomes now matured, more experienced and tighter than ever. If you ask me all tracks taken from "Imaginations From The Other Side" (1995) are shining most brightly among this live material. Guardians are delivering true atmospheric bombs gutsy all the way. Also keyboards are lifting the whole atmosphere and that helps in building a real battle feel inside songs. Surrounded by crazy crowd on every step they take, Blind Guardian won't take any prisoners here. Okay, songs are selected and we got a cross section of what were band's best live performances during "A Night At The Opera World Tour" ('02/'03). It is waste of time to mention that this double CD over pisses what band captured with performance on Tokyo Tales ('94) and that considers also for production work. After Annihilator's live output, here comes another one that can be simply called as a real beauty. "Live" is an album that every metal maniac should proudly have one. It is sounding sincerely live and holds true shivering magic power that will make you wants jump and fly.
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