Description

2018 re-issue on black vinyl with gatefold cover and two bonus tracks

Probably the most adventurous disc of Blind Guardian’s career (and that’s saying something with this troupe), A Night at the Opera lives up to its name by channeling Queen’s most symphonic arias through a dynamic prog metal background that makes Fate’s Warning’s most complex licks seem positively pedestrian in comparison with a glorious production that allows every nuance to literally explode from the loudspeakers. As ambitious as this disc is, however, it is similarly difficult to digest. Everything is over the top to the nth degree; every refrain is bolstered with a chorus lifted to the heavens; every song is an overwrought epic overture of garish calls to Valhalla; every moment is a grandiose concerto. By the time you hit the bonus track “Mies del Dolor,” the only moment of the disc where Blind Guardian lightens up even a little, the band must be exhausted. No doubt, the listener will be too.

Track list:
1. Precious Jerusalem
2. Battlefield
3. Under The Ice
4. Sadly Sings Destiny
5. The Maiden And The Minstrel Knight
6. Wait For An Answer
7. The Soulforged
8. Age Of False Innocence
9. Punishment Divine
10. And Then There Was Silence
11. Age Of False Innocence-preproduction mix 2018
12. Under The Ice-preproduction mix 2018