Album Page: Blind Guardian - Nightfall in Middle-Earth

A very fun, albeit prog-light, Power Metal album. A great concept, thanks to JRR Tolkien obviously. Unfortunately a bit too long, and the first half is much better than the second. Probably BG's best release, though.

This is one of my most favorite albums of all time ... and it also happens to be one of the most controversial ones in terms of "prog status". Blind Guardian started as a plain speed/power metal band and then slowly developed and refined their style into something very unique ... a blend of medieval/folk, fierce speed/power metal and Queen-like vocal arrangements. The progressiveness lies in the way these elements are combined into a consistent work of art, which they succeeded in doing on some of their albums, most notably Imaginations from the Other Side, Nightfall in Middle Earth and A Night at the Opera. Out of these Nightfall in Middle-Earth is their ultimate achievement as far as I am concerned ... there are people who favor its successor (A Night at the Opera) because it's even more pompous, with slightly better production and more polished songwriting. But then again it doesn't have the sophisticated concept of Nightfall, which is another major asset which sets this ... -> show full review