Review by Jophelerx on July 15, 2024.

As any generic metalhead will tell you, Blind Guardian have been churning out fantasy-laden power metal since the '80's, giving even the most self-conscious fantasy nerds something to be proud to listen to as they roll that d20 to see whether or not they've decapitated the ogre with their mighty Greataxe of Cleaving +5. Even many of the self-respecting metalheads, assuming they can stand power metal without vomiting, will give begrudging respect, if not outright praise, to the metal monoliths holding the bastion of decent European power metal from being flooded with nothing but mediocrity and downright shittiness (yes, Rhapsody of Fire, I'm looking at you). A few may reject it as too mainstream, but those who aren't 14 years old generally hold Blind Guardian up as one of the few decent metal bands to make it big, and congrats to them. I, also not 14 years old and sexually repressed, find myself inclined to agree with them; Blind Guardian may not be the greatest metal in existence, and they're certainly far from my favorite metal band, but damn it all, they're a better public representation of metal than Slipknot or As I Lay Wishing I Could Stop Listening To Your Horrible Music Or At Least Be Dead Instead of You. In all seriousness, though, Blind Guardian have been crafting great guitar and vocal harmonies into epic tales of wonder and rage for over 20 years now, and I thoroughly enjoy several of their albums, particularly A Night at the Opera, which, while scorned by some, happens to be my personal favorite, and what seems to me to be a masterpiece of modern metal and Blind Guardian's magnum opus.

As any fan of power metal, I've heard more than my fair share of opinions on Blind Guardian, from "they were a good speed metal band, but fuck this power metal shit" to "they stopped being good after Imaginations"; from those that tear Nightfall apart to those that lay prostrate before it, hailing it as the only musical composition worthy of praise. This being the case, I am of course aware of the widespread hate for A Night at the Opera; people say it's too overproduced, too over-the-top, too pompous, too busy. Many of these people, however, are those of the opinion that the train stopped after Imaginations from the Other Side, and, musically speaking, it makes sense that many of those who disliked Nightfall will also dislike A Night at the Opera; it's not as heavy as the old Blind Guardian, the riffs are still more buried, the symphonics and multi-tracking are even more prevalent than before. This being said, I certainly don't want to be misunderstood; A Night at the Opera is anything but Nightfall II; it is instantly clear upon listening to it that it's entirely its own creature, absolutely distinct from everything Blind Guardian has done previously or since. Even if you didn't like Nightfall, I would suggest giving it a try before dismissing it; the train was most definitely still on the tracks with this album, as any fans of classics such as "Battlefield" or "And Then There Was SIlence" will tell you.

Musically, the album is everything critics have said it is. It is ridiculously overproduced, pompous, and over-the-top. At times there's so much going on that even the focused listener has trouble cramming it into his skull. In the choruses there are so many Hansis that one gets scared they might overthrow the upper class and establish a new government. However, I disagree with anyone who says that it's *too* overproduced, *too* pompous, *too* over the top, *too* busy. A Night at the Opera proudly holds the banner of overproduction and pompousness high above its head, letting it fly openly in the wind for all to see. A Night at the Opera isn't merely described by its overproduction and business, it's defined by it. A Night at the Opera embodies grandiosity, elation, and ubiquity; that's the entire point of it, and it executes those ideas without shame and with little meandering or mistake. That's what those who love it love about it, and that's what those who hate it hate about it, but unless you're literally deaf there's no mistaking that that's what it is, fiercely and unabashedly.

I think the cover art perhaps demonstrates best what I feel when I listen to this album; it's the opposite of solitude or loneliness, but it's far from friendly or even really personal; it's as if an entire crowd of people is surrounding you, filling up the room, playing but not playing for you; merely playing to be the best they can be, to tell the story the best way they can, to be doing the most they can be doing with the time and the room they possess. The album feels usually crowded and busy, yet majestic at the same time. However, the album does still possess a certain amount of variety, and certain songs sound more crowded or more majestic than others; in fact, a couple of the songs barely feel crowded at all. But then, I'm getting ahead of myself.

The album starts off with the energetic, harsh, striving, but still very A-Night-at-the-Opera "Precious Jerusalem". As soon as Hansi begins singing it's clear that he's still the same but not the same - he's certainly the same Hansi, but his voice is clearer, cleaner, and yet somehow, more powerful than before, if anything. Rather than the enraged dictator he's tended to sound like in previous albums, he sounds more like a prestigious performer proudly singing for all he's worth, oblivious to his surroundings and yet aware of his power at the same time. In fact, that might not be far from Hansi himself, although obviously he's singing that way to suit the album, not merely for its own sake. Now, this isn't quite what he sounds like all the time here - particularly when he takes on specific roles, like Raistlin in "The Soulforged" or Nietzsche in "Punishment Divine", but that seems to be his default style when not particularly going for something else.

When the chorus of "Precious Jerusalem" rears its evidently thousands of heads, it's clear that the choruses, like everything else in the album, are going to be even more over-the-top than in the past. Sure, "Mordred's Song" and "Mirror Mirror" had big, multi-tracked, anthemic choruses, but those were more like a 40-person choir, or perhaps, at most, some ancient elven clan of a hundred or so. Here it's a vast theater packed to the brim with thousands or even tens of thousands of Hansis, all belting their hearts out in precise synchronization so that, rather than individuals, it's almost like this single vast entity, this one vastly large, vastly knowledgeable Hansi singing. As I said, we do hear it in the chorus of "Precious Jerusalem", but it becomes even more prevalent later on.

Well, it turns out later on is here, as the last echoes of "Precious Jerusalem" fade and the famed "Battlefield" proudly begins, sporting a melody at first played by a single guitar with backing synths, but soon breaking out into an overproduced, overenhanced orchestra fronted by alternating collective-Hansi and solo Hansi and backed by Thomen Stauch's perpetually unique and refreshing drumming. (In fact, if the Blind Guardian train ever really stopped, it was after Thomen left, and the drumming became noticeably more generic and mundane, if sufficient.) This song never really stops, continuing at breakneck speed in all its proud majesty, leading into the seemingly-even-vaster-than-last-time chorus. Besides the aforementioned "A Night at the Opera" feeling, it's very difficult to describe this song more specifically than "vast" and "majestic" though. Certainly these are good descriptors, but it's a fast-paced and dynamic song that can't really be put into a category, except that it's definitely a highlight of the album.

The next song is "Under the Ice" which brings with it a very different mood; while still borderline A-Night-at-the-Opera, it's much darker than most of the album, the riffs and Hansi's harsher tone in the verses creating a feeling of entrapment and something bordering on mania, followed by an eventual release in the chorus, which is sung by what sounds like a much smaller group of Hansis than the previous ones, as it seems Hansi is trying to stick with the story of Cassandra, and the Hansis in the prechorus and chorus are addressing her as a group. In fact, it seems to be Cassandra's consciousness in the verses, desperately trying to escape reality, while in the prechorus and chorus her subconscious suggests to her some pleasing alternatives to keep her sane. The entire song is very well executed, both musically and lyrically, and this is definitely another highlight of the album.

"Sadly Sings Destiny" is both one of the heaviest songs here and one of the weaker songs, although it is still quite a quality song, and contains some of the more enjoyable (and noticeable) riff work on the album. The song starts off with an enjoyably groovy guitar lead, which is accompanied and eventually replaced by some very heavy, thick riffs not often seen on this album, as the song leads into the quickly predictable but still enjoyable verses, and finally into the much more traditional A-Night-at-the-Opera chorus, which is by far the highlight of the song, the vast collective-Hansi piping up with "saaaaahhhhhhdlyyyyyyy sings deeeeest-ah-nyyyyyy" and solo Hansi echoing passionately with "Now spring is in theeee aiiir, let it iiiiiiiin!!!!!"

"The Maiden and the Minstrel Knight" follows with some pretty, well-layered symphonics, leading into the album's mandatory half-ballad. This isn't exactly one of the album's strongest songs either, as the songwriting is very predictable and a bit boring at times, but what really shines here is Hansi's vocal performance. His stronger clean voice is perfect for this song, as he takes on the role of the minstrel knight Tristan proclaiming his love for the fair maiden Isolde. It's a really heartfelt and technically amazing performance, as he hits the high notes in full voice with ease, a feat we hear for the first time from Hansi here. The chorus is very nice as well, following the "collective-Hansi sing/solo Hansi echo" structure that it's pretty clear now is the norm for this album, and for good reason; it works well on most of the songs, this one included. Although the collective-Hansi sounds as if it might be a departure from the character of Tristan, it really only serves to emphasize his viewpoint, plaintively echoing his questions a thousand times over. The execution of the other instruments are great as well when the song becomes more of a metal tune, the heavily distorted, almost prog rock guitars echoing throughout, and the drumming proudly galloping through the chorus; the fact that this is one of the weakest songs on here is a testament to the fact that, clearly, Blind Guardian didn't spare any expense to make this album what they knew they wanted it to be.

"Wait for an Answer" is another definite highlight of the album, demonstrating perhaps even better than "Battlefield" what A Night at the Opera is really about; it starts off a bit shadowy and mystical, but Hansi's singing performance is immediately as top-notch as it gets on the album, and while the verses are slightly predictable, the songwriting is extremely original and refreshing; from a songwriting perspective, this is definitely one of my favorites on the album. The first verse builds into the chorus, which is probably the most over-the-top section of the entire album - yes, I said THE MOST OVER-THE-TOP SECTION OF THE ENTIRE ALBUM, with its huge, soaring anthemic choir of Hansis addressing what is probably the character solo Hansi takes the role of, but the lyrics almost make it sound as if they're addressing the listener; certainly the lyrics are the only ones on here that seem to be directly applicable to the listener.

Don't look back tell me
Is it where you belong
A place in the dark
A song without hope
Don't look back tell me
Is it where you belong
Oh I wait for an answer

The song finishes with a very upbeat and happy guitar and vocal line, proudly finishing what manages to be both the epitome of the album and somewhat of an oddball for Blind Guardian all at once. Probably my favorite song on here, and I'd highly recommend it.

Not quite living up to "Wait for an Answer" in pure ambition, but certainly a very strong song, comes "The Soulforged" which has more of a classic power metal and Blind Guardian feel to it than most of the album, and wouldn't be too out of place in Imaginations from the Other Side or perhaps, were it a bit simpler, Tales from the Twilight World - at least from a songwriting perspective. It still has that almost painfully glossy "A Night at the Opera" production, although it seems to be toned down a little from the rest of the album; the rhythm guitar is a bit more up front and even the bass is audible in some sections! Certainly the guitar work is the highlight of this song, although Hansi's vocal performance is nothing to sneeze at, and the vocal lines harmonize perfectly with the rhythm and lead guitar lines; one of the best examples of Blind Guardian's trademark mastery over harmony. Really, the song feels as if it was meant to be this way; all the instruments just work together perfectly, and even Thomen gets the spotlight with a wonderfully refreshing solo drum line about midway through the song. Also of note is the live version of this song in the 2003 album Live, particularly when Hansi completely nails the final line "I, willl leeeeave it alllll beehiii-iiiind!!!!" For any fans of classic Blind Guardian or power metal in general, this is definitely the standout song on this album.

The album continues to show variety and yet excellent quality as it leads into the next song, "Age of False Innocence", which from the start is moody, ominous, and bitter, and at the same time seems vastly intelligent and classy, clearly helped by the smooth production but also another testament to brilliant songwriting; this is definitely yet another highlight of the album. The lyrics certainly help with the feeling of intelligence, as they describe the Catholic church's reaction to Galileo's theory that the Earth was spherical, and do so with perfect execution, often utilizing the collective-Hansi to represent the church, and solo Hansi to represent Galileo. Like "Battlefield" the song is very dynamic, and difficult to describe as a whole except with what I've already done, but it is most certainly stellar, probably in my favorite 3 songs on here. Especially of note is the opening piano passage, where Hansi sings very cleanly as a depressed, pissed-off, and fed up Gallileo.

The penultimate song, "Punishment Divine", is possibly the least "A-Night-at-the-Opera" song here, and yet at the same time spectacular; the production has again been dialed back a bit, and the song is dark, personal, and aggressive, this time from the viewpoint of Friedrich Nietzsche as he comes to the realization that reality isn't as clear-cut as he thought it was, and the progression of the song shows the progression of his insanity. These are probably my favorite lyrics on the entire album, possibly in all of Blind Guardian, but the song is far from musically lacking, either; it's pretty damn far from traditional power metal, yet still awesome, changing from angry to confused and afraid to reflective and introspective. I'm not going to go in depth into all the lyrics, but they are certainly awesome; this song is a feat that shows Blind Guardian are much, much more than the average power metal band and don't just pull songs out of their asses; I couldn't see someone like Rhapsody of Fire or Edguy reach anything remotely approaching this level of creativity and originality.

Finally, we have the magnum opus, the 14-minute "And Then There Was Silence", about the Trojan War.. "Wait for an Answer" may be the best single representation of the album, but this is certainly the climax; it big enough, long enough, and dynamic enough that it could almost be a mini-album on its own. From the get-go, you can tell it's in a league of its own, with the huge, doomy opening guitar and the organ synths almost warning of imminent peril. Then collective-Hansi comes in in a context and style we haven't heard it in before, as a dark, forceful chant strongly emphasizing the feeling of doom and danger. The song becomes full of dark rage for awhile, but leads into a passage with solo Hansi accompanied only by a single creeping synth, and Hansi's vocal performance perfectly captures the feeling of being completely alone and in pure terror of imminent danger - one of the best parts of the song, and a demonstration of the fact that a barrage of overproduction can be aided/emphasized by simplicity. The song continues into the chorus, which again utilizes the collective-Hansi in a dark, more mystical way - possibly my favorite chorus on the album, although it's difficult to really compare anything in "And Then There Was Silence" to the rest of the album. The lyrics of the chorus do a very good job of showing the theme of the song, of pride vs. fear at the end of life:

Misty tales and poems lost
All the bliss and beauty will be gone
Will my weary soul find release for a while
At the moment of death I will smile
It's the triumph of shame and disease
In the end Iliad

Raise my hands and praise the day
Break the spell show me the way
In decay
The flame of Troy will shine bright

The song continues with various sections capturing feelings of desperation, rage, pride, and fear; of inevitable doom; I would say this is certainly Hansi's most passionate vocal performance, as he captures all of those feelings perfectly, depending on which part of the song it is. Eventually, the monolith becomes a bit brighter, shown by some almost fiddle-like synths and a victorious, festive Hansi proclaiming his glee at the Greeks' ultimate victory in the Trojan War, but after the chorus comes again the song apparently shifts to the defeated side, fading away weakly with their utter sorrow, and the knowledge that the end is near, first with several Hansis, then fading into fewer and fewer, a hauntingly perfect ending to the song and the album...

Out of mind
Can't get it
Can't get it
Out of my head

Sorrow and defeat

Thus ends Blind Guardian's A Night at the Opera; proud, glorious, and yes, pompous and over-the-top, but also dark, scared, bitter, defeated. A Night at the Opera shows that, while all the songs tend to retain the same overproduction, the same majesty, the same core feel, Blind Guardian certainly has the capacity for almost anything in both songwriting and performance; few bands would have been able to take such a complex album and execute it with such precision, keeping it from becoming a confused chaotic mess. Blind Guardian have not only done that, they've managed to keep the album musically fresh and varied. With this release, Blind Guardian gained my respect as masters of the musical form, and I will always love this album for the masterpiece that it is. No, it's not old Blind Guardian, no, the riffs might not be as prominent as they used to be, but it's an excellent album as Blind Guardian intended, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Rating: 9.3 out of 10

Review by Allan on March 30, 2002.

After seven studio albums, Blind Guardian releases their eighth and highly anticipated release “A Night At The Opera”. After the bands monumental 1998 release, “Nightfall In Middle Earth”, everybody has high expectations for the band. Some hoping the band will not do the same highly orchestrated rich vocal harmony style as the bands previous album, some wishing the band will progress with their recent style and continue to develop it, and some people just love everything the band puts out. With four years between albums, it has certainly done a lot for the bands abilities. “A Night At The Opera” is the band continuing their previous efforts but still progressing in many different areas.

When I got my hands on a copy of Blind Guardians EP “And Then There Was Silence”, it took me a few listens to really grasp all the elements of the music. The rich vocals harmony’s, the grand choruses, the epic atmosphere, etc. After I scratched the pretentiousness of “And Then Their Was Silence” and “A Night At The Opera”, I started to begin to enjoy what I was hearing. I’ve always been a fan of the bands earlier material such as “Tales From The Twilight World” and “Imaginations From The Otherside”, but the direction they’re heading certainly is an improvement in many aspects.

The structure of the individual songs and the entire album is just fantastic. The songs absolutely keep the listeners attention fixated on every detail of the album. Unlike earlier Blind Guardian, the guitars are not really the focal point anymore. The vocals play a huge part in the songs, as do the keyboards, drums, bass, etc. Everything here plays a crucial role in making the songs seem complete. Hansi’s vocals definitely are the strongest they have ever been, and really help define the songs and their epic atmosphere. The guitarists Siepen and Olbrich still know how to shred, and they show this on songs such as 'Sadly Sings Destiny', 'The Soulforged', 'Punishment Divine', and others. Thankfully, they do this intelligently and not just in a manner to show of their abilities. The guitars are much more refined and take part as the foundation on which the songs are built up on, instead of playing the leading role. The drums of Thomen Stauch are very well done and he is certainly underrated. Overall the album is done very well and there aren’t very many weaknesses among the band mates or their ability to compose.

Overall there is something for everyone in this album. For people more fascinated with guitar work, it’s still here. If you want something epic and grand, with a fierce atmosphere then you won’t be able to miss it. If you’re looking for a little melancholy or ballad work the band has been known to do, it’s got it’s got something here for you also. Best of all, everything has been done to the best of the bands ability and that can’t be denied. This is where Blind Guardian are and this is the where Blind Guardian are headed, so either enjoy it or forget them.

So I’ve told you about the album, but I’ve got some problems with it. Firstly, it just comes off as really pretentious. It’s just something you have to get used to, but it’s definitely not a good thing to have surrounding an album. Secondly, many of the tracks on this album give a nod to another track on the same album. Many ideas are used on other tracks, which may make it seem a tad repetitive at times. Lastly, the emotion of it often seems fake and manufactured. Just doesn’t seem sincere and natural to me all of the time. I like the emotion of the band to be pure and stripped, like 'Imaginations From The Otherside' and back. So, with all that said I must say that the standout tracks really stand out, and 'A Night At The Opera' has more than its fair share of outstanding parts and ideas.

Bottom Line: An excellent follow up to 1998’s “Nightfall In Middle Earth” that showcases the band’s abilities at their highest. Whether or not you like what you hear is up to you, but I suggest everybody to give the album a fair and unbiased listen.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Originality: 8
Musicianship: 10
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 8
Overall: 8

Rating: 8.4 out of 10