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Blind Guardian: A Twist in the Myth
 The latest CD from Blind Guardian, A Twist in the Myth, is going to cause two things. One, it's probably going to disappoint hardcore followers of the band who clamor for their manic brand of aggressive power metal. At the same time, the multitide of symphonic arrangements, soaring clean vocal lines, and overall melodic sense of each song, will instantly appeal to those who felt the ongoing speedy power metal style had grown stale. Count me in on the latter, as I've actually felt that the music of Blind Guardian has that sort of "been there, done that" feel the last few years. It's not that the music of the band has ever not been good, it's just that the time was right for them to interject something new into the sound. Where Stratovarius recently failed at trying to revamp their style, Blind Guardian succeeds here mightily. Sure, the basic premise is still there, as the songs on A Twist in the Myth are still steeped in rich, Queen-like vocals, crunchy riffs, spiraling solos, symphonic arrangements, and acrobatic drum work. However, there's a sense of catchiness, and plenty of hooks, with less reliance on the speedy double bass drum attack of the past, as many of the songs here are solid mid-tempo pieces with lots of groove to go along with a serious metal thump.
Really, one listen to songs like "This Will Never End", "Otherland", and "Turn the Page" will have the lead melodies stuck in your head for hours, and the single "Fly" is just a great catchy metal song, complete with thick riffs, wild lead guitar work from Andre Olbrich, some neat electronics, and Hansi Kursch's great vocals. Check out Hansi sing his heart out on the folky "Carry the Blessed Home", a very Queen sounding piece with huge melodies and dense arrangements. Other stong tracks include the Celtic/ power metal flavor of "Straight Through the Mirror", the symphonic anthem "Lionheart", and the engaging folk number "Skalds and Shadows", something that you would expect to hear on the soundtrack to The Lord of the Rings with its lush flutes, keyboards, and acoustic guitars. However, it's the crusher "Another Stranger Me" that gets the vote for best track here, a kick ass power metal gem that is also catchy as hell, and one that should go over really well live with its anthem-like quality.
A Twist in the Myth is epic sounding, it's heavy, and best of all it's got hooks to die for. While the jury's still out on where the album will rank with the rest of the Blind Guardian discography, it's going to rank pretty high on this writer's top metal releases of 2006.
Track Listing
1. This Will Never End
2. Otherland
3. Turn The Page
4. Fly
5. Carry The Blessed Home
6. Another Stranger Me
7. Straight Through The Mirror
8. Lionheart
9. Skalds And Shadows
10. The Edge
11. The New Order
12. Dead Sound Of Misery
13. Interview
14. Untitled
Added: January 31st 2007
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:  
Related Link: Blind Guardian Website
Hits: 8241
Language: english
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Blind Guardian: A Twist in the Myth
Posted by Butch Jones, SoT Staff Writer on 2007-01-31 13:46:56
My Score:
Blind Guardian's newest release, A Twist In The Myth (Nuclear Blast Records) finds the once powerful band going in a different direction.
A Twist In The Myth starts off with the promise with the powerful, "This Will Never End", which shows the potential of what is to come. However, it never comes. Once known as a Power Metal band, Blind Guardian has become derailed. A Twist In The Myth is a very over produced, dare I say slick sounding CD that is mostly made up of mid paced songs that don't display the power that they were once known for. There are layers and layers of things going on, that usually are an added bonus to a recording, but in this case just makes it a mess and makes no sense.
A Twist.. is unfocused and not very heavy, as with the past couple of releases. Other than the opening track, the power is gone. The core of Blind Guardian is present, even with the rhythm guitar being buried in the mix! Old school BG fans will probably be disappointed with this new CD, but ultimate fans of "Hobbit Rock" might have a home for it.
Blind Guardian are obviously exploring some new territories with A Twist In The Myth, and I for one are not interested in where they are going.
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Blind Guardian: A Twist in the Myth
Posted by Ken Pierce, SoT Staff Writer on 2006-09-26 12:37:11
My Score:
It goes without saying that Blind Guardian are one of the greatest Power Metal bands of all time and based on albums like Nightfall In Middle Earth and A Night At The Opera their signature has been forever etched into the foundation of the genre. On many occasions they would be a thundering band that would pummel the listener with a one-two punch of guitar harmonies and double bass drumming while throughout the song the melodic choruses and shrieks cut through like some razor-sharp glass. Vocalist Hansi Kursch would often find inspiration in deep literary themes and this carried over well into his song writing. It was a process that made his lyrics quite memorable and the end result something that is respected by all fans of the form. However, there is not a lot of pummeling or thunder on A Twist In The Myth and this might incur some wrath from that level of supporters. Instead, there is a greater level of musical experimentation done in the realms of symphonic displays, wider melodic demonstration and some different feels that will take you to a new level of enjoyment of the bands music. Power Metal as a format sometimes risks the chance of being the same old, same old – and this comes into play because of the amount of groups that popped up over the past few years. I feel this is a smart move on behalf of Blind Guardian as they choose to open the door leading to new realms a little farther for it allows them to be both continually relevant as well as an interesting, potent force of Power Metal music. The bands choice to change the way music is delivered on this album does not sacrifice the melody or the meaning by any stretch and along with Andre Olbrich (guitar), Marcus Siepen (rhythm), and Frederik Hemke (drums) there is certainly a lot to enjoy. Oliver Holzwarth performed bass as a guest musician on the recording.
Hemke especially is put to task as the bands new drummer as long time member Thomen Staunch left in 2005. Staunch would form Savage Circus and release a very traditional Metal record which has a lot of similarity to classic Blind Guardian. On "Carry The Blessed Home", we find Hemke performing bagpipes and this is really one of the best songs on the album, holding a massive chorus and vibe that is just energetic at times. Another key track is "Turn The Page" and this one is loaded with multiple layers of vocals and guitars and perhaps one of the best of the albums segments. The first "single" from the record "Fly" is also good as is "Another Stranger Me" which is one of the more straight forward Metal tracks. The band does an amazing job of Celtic display with "Skalds & Shadows" which finds the new drummer playing some flute as well. Congratulations to Blind Guardian for keeping the music and the ideas fresh and flowing. This release will take the die hard listener a couple of turns to find acceptance if they are at any point upset with the slight change, but it will be an easy to appreciate listen for the general fan of Power Metal music. Once again, Blind Guardian has raised the bar – who dares to challenge them? No takers huh? It figures.
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Blind Guardian: A Twist in the Myth
Posted by Blind Guardian Fan on 2008-03-14 08:41:48
My Score:
"A Twist in the Myth" may put off listeners initially, but don't let this stop you from listening to the album again, and again, and again. It took me four or five times to realize just exactly how stellar this album is. "A Twist in the Myth" is very 'rock' sounding, and includes elements of 70s and 80s rock, lots of catchy riff, licks, and hooks, and of course, Blind Guardian's signature sound (but with a twist). But words don't really do this album justice, so you probably should check it out. And if you've already checked it out and weren't impressed, have another few listens and you might just change your mind.
Oh, and the production quality is very high on this album. Every track (instrumental and vocal) I can hear is clear and defined, and the balance between tracks is stellar.
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Blind Guardian: A Twist in the Myth
Posted by Carlos Canales Vega on 2007-01-31 15:43:31
My Score:
I liked this very much, but the production is subpar.There's no bottom end to it laking punch, there's not highs making it sound less defined and cymbal-less.Not crystal clear like previous offerings.In A Night At The Opera, Charlie did an OK production but in this he mess up the procedings.To give you an idea, this sounds even worse (more muddled) than the first three albums of theirs.Also i find few KILLER songs than usual, a notch below The Guardian's status of quality.
That being said, i reccomend this cd, for the few awesome tracks in it.
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