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Follow the Blind

Blind Guardian - Follow the Blind Audio CD

A fair review of the Blind Guardian "Follow the Blind" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Blind Guardian reviews here, or go back to the Blind Guardian tabs.

Band: Blind Guardian
Title: Follow the Blind
Rating:

Release Date: 2005-02-08
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Inquisition 2: Banish From Sanctuary 3: Damned for All Time 4: Follow The Blind 5: Hall of the King 6: Fast to Madness 7: Beyond the Ice 8: Valhalla 9: Don't Break the Circle 10: Barbara Ann

Good Music But...
This album is a perfect example. It seems that lately, my random purchases have turned up some great music but lousy vocals. In fact, the vocals piss me off because the music is so good, it's ruined by the singing. Totally different from the death metal grunts I typically listen to, you can actually understand the singer. However, what makes this so bad is the singing style. I could take it for a half, maybe one whole song, but not song after song. It's not that the singer can't carry a tune, but he sure doesn't take much advantage of his range, and all the songs tend to sound the same. The bright spots are Valhalla and Barbara Ann which don't sound much like the rest of the album because the singing is different.

Great music and I like that Beach Boys touch at the end. However, the vocal style makes this music almost un-listenable. I hear this is one of their earlier albums and they've developed into more of a power metal band. However, I also notice it's been the same band members so that means the same singer. That's the reason I'll probably not check out their later material. Too bad, good musicianship all around.

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Underrated as hell!
Since Blind Guardian is my third all time favorite band after Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, I happen to fall into BOTH camps, and this is something to keep in mind as you read this review. Alot of Blind Guardian fans (ok this is going to sound like my Fates Warning reviews but oh well) fall into two camps: Those who prefer the speed metal of early albums such as this one, and ones who prefer the majestic, symphonic sounds of later albums like "Nightfall in Middle Earth".

Most Guardian fans either prefer Battalions (the one before) or Tales from the Twilight World (the one after) but I find Follow to Blind to be equal to both those albums in many ways.

Like Battalions of Fear (the debut) Follow the Blind follows a very Nwobhm meets german speed metal sound to a t. However, the aggression factor is highly enhanced, so some of the riffs almost sound like early Slayer in addition to Helloween. The choruses aren't up to "Queen" style standards yet (like on Tales) but they're halfway there with the choir vocals. The album starts out with Banish to Sanctuary, a song they still play to this day. It is one of the most aggressive songs ever recorded within the german melodic speed metal genre, surpassing even many thrashy songs by Rage or Grave Digger. Damned for All Time carries it even further, with a nearly bay area/LA thrash sound (mixed with a more power metal vocal melody). Follow the Blind slows things down a bit, and in my opinion its the worst Blind Guardian song until Tommyknockers on the next album (just never liked that one). Its still 100 percent better than most other band's filler tracks, Blind Guardians more "mediocre" tracks surpass many bands better ones! Hall of the King is the highlight here (even more than the overrated Valhalla) and features some solos and backups by none other than Kai Hansen. Speaking of Kai Hansen, he then trades off with Hansi Kursch in Valhalla. Don't Break the Circle is a Demon (Nwobhm) cover, and in my opinion it surpasses the original and just sounds like another song on this album rather than a cover (awesome cover).

In a way, like many bands albums (example Judas Priest's Ram It Down) this album is a "transition" album, where parts of the band's sound are in the process of progressing, but at the same time are realized more fully on the following album (to use the Priest analogy, Tales From The Twilight World would be like Painkiller).

Still, like Hell Awaits, Ride the Lightning, or similar albums, just because its the "album before the breakthrough album" doesn't mean its not a classic.

I would argue that it has more filler than any other Blind Guardian album other than the current two (a bad example of this is the title track of course, and Fast To Madness which never did anything for me), but Damned for all Time, Banish to Sanctuary, Don't Break the Circle and Hall of the King make this album more than worth it.

And also, let's not forget their great cover of Barbara Ann (hahaha).
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The good ol' days
The production is just about the same as the debut album, but musically it's progressing to the more power metalness they'd grow into. Blind Guardian's "Follow The Blind" is a small step up from their debut "Battalions of Fear" - it's more melodic and Hansi's vocals start to mature more to the familiar voice he has today. "Valhalla" is the instant classic on this album and still finds its way through Guardian's set lists. This album is just as good as any other BG CD, so you can't be complete without this!.

Early Chapter in the Blind Guardian Saga
With the band's second album, 1989's Follow the Blind, you can start to see the band shift directions. Blind Guardian is probably the best power metal band around, but their older albums take a decidedly more thrash metal approach. Like their debut album Batallions of Fear, this is still largely a thrash album, but the band includes more melodies and more intricate arrangements. The fantasy themes are again quite prominent, and include a song about Elric (Fast to Madness) and what appears to be a Hobbit on the album cover. The album also contains one of Blind Guardian's all-time classic songs - "Valhalla" - which features legendary power metaller Kai Hansen providing guest vocals and guitars.

The album features two cover songs. The first is a cover of Demon's "Don't Break the Circle". NWOBHM purists may have a problem with this one, but I thought the band did a great job. Besides, how often do you run across a Demon cover? The second (and apparently universally hated) cover is a speed metal version of the Beach Boys' classic "Barbara Ann". I can see how metal fans would hate this song, but it totally cracks me up each time I hear it. It shows that the band knows how to have fun and doesn't take themselves too seriously, plus it takes guts to put such an absurd cover on a metal album.

Follow the Blind is still a bit rough compared to the band's later releases, and may not appeal to everyone. If you only want to hear the more refined modern power metal that the band does so well on later releases, you may want to pass on this album. If you're interested in where the band came from musically, you need to own Follow the Blind.

If you're new to Blind Guardian and are looking for a good starting point, skip this one and go straight to Imaginations from the Other Side. Once that one sinks in, listen to Nightfall in Middle-Earth. It will likely become the standard by which you judge all other concept albums, if not all other power metal albums.
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good but not the best
Its a good cd although not the greatest Blind Guardian has ever done .

You can see a complete list of all Blind Guardian discography, or go back to the Blind Guardian tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.