Metal Storm logo
Blind Guardian - Somewhere Far Beyond review




Bandcamp music player
Reviewer:
9.0

1142 users:
8.8
Band: Blind Guardian
Album: Somewhere Far Beyond
Release date: June 1992


01. Time What Is Time
02. Journey Through The Dark
03. Black Chamber
04. Theatre Of Pain
05. The Quest For Tanelorn
06. Ashes To Ashes
07. The Bard's Song - In The Forest
08. The Bard's Song - The Hobbit
09. The Piper's Calling
10. Somewhere Far Beyond
11. Spread Your Wings [Queen cover] [CD bonus]
12. Trial By Fire [Satan cover] [CD bonus]
13. Theatre Of Pain [classic version] [CD bonus]
14. Ashes To Ashes [demo] [2007 re-release bonus]
15. Time What Is Time [demo] [2007 re-release bonus]

Somewhere Far Beyond by Blind Guardian, may very well be the best album of the band, or it should even rank amongst the best power metal albums of all time. The album starts off slowly with the intro to "Time What Is Time", and quickly progresses into the typical Blind Guardian speed and vocalism. I think personally that Time What Is Time is a low point for the album. I liked the demo version of the song better, and I think the extra effects were added to this song just for the heck of it. But one flaw does little to discredit this album.

Most of the songs on this album are written masterfully. The song "Theatre Of Pain" is done so perfectly, lyric and instrumental wise, that you may very well find its catchy words and tempo slipping into your everyday life. Along with some darker songs like Ashes To Ashes, which produces a sense of dread, there are also some more "light" songs. Overall, the whole album is very epic, and you can tell the lyrics were based on fantasy, like most of Blind Guardian's material.

Enough of the songs, the instrumentals are also noteworthy. All of the members perform their very best to bring the final product. Not only are they masterfully played, the quality is great, and all of the notes fit the lyrics very well.

One last complaint for this album is the song "The Pipers Calling", which I found pointless in every way possible. Maybe it's just me, but I don't like, and never have liked transition songs.

If you've read this far, by now you should know that this album is a jewel. Something breathtaking that everyone should at least give a listen, old time Blind Guardian fan or if you never picked up a metal album before, this great album deserves at least one listen.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 10
Songwriting: 9
Originality: 9
Production: 8

Written by Piro | 12.08.2007




Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.


Comments

Comments: 8   Visited by: 176 users
12.08.2007 - 18:54
Rating: 9
Katatronik
Angel of Lust
Very good album indeed, Here there are some of their most beautiful songs in my opinion... Good review!
----

"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear,
and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown."
Howard Phillips Lovecraft
Loading...
16.04.2009 - 14:31
Uirapuru
Liver Failure
Great album, the first work of Blind Guardian that really called my attention. The songs are not as thrash as before, more melodic but still the power necessary. ''The Quest for Tanelorn'' is a catchy song with a memorable chorus, one of the best in BG all time. The two Bard songs are also exellent. The Queen's ''Spread your wings'' is way better with new vocals.

Quote:
Most of the songs on this album are written masterfully. The song "Theatre Of Pain" is done so perfectly, lyric and instrumental wise, that you may very well find its catchy words and tempo slipping into your everyday life.


But this one is the best song in the album, as it is well write in the review.
----

----
member of the true crusade against old school heavy metal, early 80s thrash, NWOBHM, traditional doom, first and second wave black metal, old school death metal, US power metal, 70s prog rock and atmospheric doomsludgestoner. o/
Loading...
24.01.2010 - 19:27
Rating: 10
irondeth33

Favorite BG album, it is more catchy than the previous albums and much more powerful than the new sound (don't including imaginations.. which is also great).
All songs are excellent, ashes to ashes and theatre of pain are outstandings. Somewhere far beyond is the best power metal song ever it's just perfect
Loading...
16.03.2010 - 17:31
Rating: 9
Andreas

I just wanted to say that I totally disagree with you ("you" being Piro) about Time What Is Time. It's my favourite track of the album, so
Loading...
15.05.2010 - 04:51
Rating: 10
BlankFile

This album is one of the best of BG. "Time What is Time" is the perfect opener. Great acoustic parts and powerfull riffs. "Journey through the Dark" is a great song too. It stays in your ear. "The Quest for Tanelorn" is one of my favourite songs of BG. That chorus is unforgettable. And what about "The Bard´s Song - In The Forest"? This song is the hymn of BG, and that says it all, altough this version of the song is not my favourite. I prefer the recent studio version launched in 2003. But the best song of this album, as some users and the reviewer have mentioned it, is "Theatre of Pain". This song stands on a place of its own, a special place indeed. What a genius song! As for the rest of the album i must say that is very solid and very enjoyable to the very end. Certainly, as i said before, is one of the best releases of BG and one of the best in this kind of metal. With this release BG established, in a definitive way, their identity that still remains today. An identity that wasn´t present in their first three releases (more trashy than power). |m|
Loading...
15.05.2010 - 08:25
Rating: 8
Ellrohir
Heaven Knight
"Time What Is Time" is one of the best BG songs and then of course "Somewhere Far Beyond" with the awesome pipe interlude!
----
My rest seems now calm and deep
Finally I got my dead man sleep


Loading...
15.05.2010 - 22:57
Rating: 10
BlankFile

Written by Ellrohir on 15.05.2010 at 08:25

"Time What Is Time" is one of the best BG songs and then of course "Somewhere Far Beyond" with the awesome pipe interlude!



True. I Forgot to mention the spectacular "Somewhere Far Beyond". This album is fabulous.
Loading...
07.03.2011 - 17:56
serega25

I love this album!
Loading...

Hits total: 8548 | This month: 20