Somewhere Far Beyond

by

Blind Guardian

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People don't seem to talk about 'Somewhere Far Beyond' as much as some of there more recent albums, which is really a shame cause this album has some of their best material. It's got a good mix of speed and power metal styles, with plenty of energy and lightning riffs, but with the sorta epic choruses that Blind Guardian is known for. Definitely a worthwhile album for anyone who has a taste for the more melodic metal styles, and can handle more than a little theatricality.

This album has excellent production, particularly by 1992's standards, and better than the next two BG albums, I think. Very, very clear, and sharp, but still as heavy as it needs to be. As is typical of Blind Guardian, there are no throw away tracks. It opens with 'Time What is Time' a fairly standard BG track, but it works, as it always does, with the standard combination of speed metal riffs and epic chorus and some acoustic work. Definitely a fine opening track. 'Journey Through the Dark' is one of the very best tracks on the album. It's more speed oriented than 'Time is Time' and is probably the fastest, catchiest thing on the album.(The 'Live' version of it is even better, though) They slow things down some for Theatre of Pain. It's a moodier, somewhat maudlin song with some very cheesy synths and some funny lyrics.(When the last whale went away / Did they ever see the tears. Ouch) This sorta melodramatic stuff is what BG thrives on, however, and this is another good track, though not one of the very best ones on the album. 'The Quest For Tanelorn' is a bit faster again, though with an even more over the top chorus, and some medieval flavoring. Another good track, though not a complete standout. 'Ashes to Ashes' is a darker, moodier song, but still with your basic Blind Guardian flavor. Another good one, which provides a nice change of pace 'The Bard's Song - In the Forest' is a nice folky and sentimental, acoustic singalong track. Once again, this is sorta thing that most bands couldn't dream of pulling off, but Blind Guardian does it beautifully. Some nice little acoustic leadwork too, and definitely a classic track. 'The Bard's Song - The Hobbit' is an electric track, but it's a bit more subdued than most of the other ones on this album, and it retains a lot of the folk flavor of the previous track. It didn't jump out at me the first couple of listens, but I like it a lot not, and it has some of the nicest, most lyrical melody lines on the album. After the interlude we have the title track, which is one of the very best tracks on the album. It brings the speed metal flavoring back big time, though it's still an epic track with slower stuff and a bizarre interlude. It has Hansi's best, most passionate vocal performance on the album, and earns bonus points for having the lyrics be about King's 'Dark Tower' series. Another classic track.

The cd comes with some bonus tracks, which for once aren't a total waste of time. One track is a different version of 'Theatre of Pain' which isn't worth much, but the covers are cool. The Queen cover, 'Spread Your Wings' is just about the wussiest thing ever, but Hansi's vocals carry the day, and the chorus is undeniably effective, wimpy though it may be. 'Trial By Fire' is pure speed metal, reminding one of their debut album. Tons of energy, nice leadwork and fiery vocals are all you need to make a fine speed metal track, and 'Trial by Fire' has all of those.

Yep, a very good album, and probably a good starting place for someone who hasn't got any Blind Guardian.

Blind Guardian's full length 4th album was the last record where Blind Guardian used a more Thrash/Speed metal approach to fantasy inspired metal rather then the Harmonious epic chorus structure of their 2 latest albums. Don't expect Slayer type Thrash metal though, not even close on this one. It is difficult to rate this record just because the good songs are flawed within themselves due to tacked on riffs and unneccessary solos. The chorus' aren't as epic as their latest 2 albums, so Kirsch's voice is mostly the only one you'll hear on this album, which isn't a big deal. Kirsch is the most passionate singer I've ever heard from any metal band; he just pours his heart out in EVERY song and we feel it just as much as he does.

The first 5 tracks are genuinely good songs, although as mentioned earlier, SOME parts within them drag on. For example, track 5 "Quest for Tanelorn" has a wonderfully melodic chorus, but the verses seem to be laden with uneven guitar riffs. A good song overall, though. Afterwards, you might find yourself skipping a few tracks as I have, most notably "Ashes to Ashes" and "Bard's Song-The Hobbit." Towards the end of the record we get 3 bonus tracks but really only 1 of them is good, another is just a demo version of an earlier track, not necessary.

Overall, this is worth the money if you're into Blind Guardian,but I still highly recommend their latest album "A Night at the Opera" on top of this one. Though I didn't enjoy this album as much it was still worth my money and I do pop it in every now and then, you really just have to give it more then 1 or 2 listens to get the music to grow on you because it eventually will. I still think these guys are one of the best in the world.