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October 12, 2008 |
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01. This Will Never End
02. Otherland
03. Turn The Page
04. Fly
05. Carry The Blessed Home
06. Another Stranger Me
07. Straight Through The Mirror
08. Lionheart
09. Skalds & Shadows
10. The Egde
11. The New Order
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Fantasy: "A genre of art that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting." If that isn't the essence of BLIND GUARDIAN, I don't know what is. Certainly BLIND GUARDIAN are a genre unto themselves, and a magic, supernatural one at that, for BLIND GUARDIAN are the sculptors of dreams, breathing life into imaginings past and those yet to be. Whether by the light of their own muse or the residual glimmer of the fanciful dreams of others, BLIND GUARDIAN craft every facet of their music through the inspiration of the grand and the fantastic, their instruments, vocals and lyrics all tools with which they weave rich tapestries of wide-eyed wonder and vivid, soaring imagination, and without doubt "A Twist In The Myth" is one of their greatest visions yet.
Like only the greatest musical realizations, "A Twist In The Myth" delivers an engrossingly complex and mesmerizing collection of songs and hymns that are perfection incarnate, conjuring precisely the right combination of nostalgic wistfulness, spirited and youthful flights of fancy, and epic lamentations of the subconscious by enthralling the mind and ears with intricate instrumental proficiency, humbling vocal majesty and magnificently vivid lyrics woven from the very essence of magic itself. Unlike most releases in any genre, "A Twist In The Myth" is the result of a collection of musical masters applying every ounce of skill, inspiration and devotion to the creation of something truly substantial, something that is both meaningful and fulfilling to themselves as well as their fans. BLIND GUARDIAN are a band so enrapt in their art and so devoted to the purity of their desire to create that simply throwing their muse to the baying hounds of complicit corporate conformity would be a mortal sin, and nothing short of their fullest and most concerted effort could ever suffice.
What further separates BLIND GUARDIAN from virtually every other band that draws on fantasy for inspiration is the fact that they grasp much more than superficial images of sword wielding, brawny but brainless barbarians combating fire belching dragons to rescue scantily clad women imprisoned in mountainous treasure filled lairs. True fantasy facilitates medieval imagery as a vehicle to convey the intricate nuances of the human plight, of personal will, strength and determination as well as despair, uncertainty and conflict, both internal and external, and the knowledge of that is what makes BLIND GUARDIAN truly masters of the highest caliber. "Fly", for example, imparts the tale of J.M. Barrie, the legendary creator of Peter Pan and the fantastic world of Neverland. Brilliantly entwined with the seemingly simplistic childish wonder of the freedom to fly is a more profound message of yearning for a different freedom to fly, a freedom to fly from worldly pain and misery, an opportunity to hold onto hope when the flame of life begins to flicker, a dream for the dying and a place of peace where the bereaved can go to cope with loss.
This is BLIND GUARDIAN's unique gift, and it is present in all songs and in many various forms, such as the reflective sadness and sorrow that accompanies the relentlessly enduring spirit of the rugged gun slinging antihero Roland of Stephen King's "The Dark Tower" series in "Carry The Blessed Home". Each song has the capacity to invoke the listener's imagination to its fullest extent, enveloping you so completely through the power of music and the strength of words. No band can deliver what BLIND GUARDIAN delivers so proficiently, and with this release they are further solidified in our hearts and minds as kings upon a throne of dreams, beckoning all to gather 'round the fire, to feel the tale as well as hear it, to "Fly" when the moment takes you, and to revel in the fantastic wonder when you encounter "A Twist In The Myth".
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