BLIND GUARDIAN - Battalions of Fear

Oh, the joy of youth... It was 1988, when the Blind one appeared on the quick metal stage, and the boys had just turned twenty. You can feel this very well on their debut album, but despite this, songs are great to awesome. Energy, hormones, daring, a sure and fast hand, a head full of ideas, naturlich some of the songs written back then are still found in the band’s set lists in today’s public meetings. It’s only when you grow up and wise up that you can replace the cool with the fun.

I think not even Tolkien’s grandsons know that much about “Lord of the Rings” as these gentlemen do. But it’s ok, they entered the Precious’ world young and never came out, so they feel like a fish in the water or an apache in the firewater. As for the music, they play from the horse’s gallop (or the nazgûl’s, more like), two songs as they don’t make anymore – Majesty and Guardian of the Blind, great hit material. One is instrumental about some trial (it is instrumental so it doesn’t say much) and then we move a bit from Sauron with “The Martyr” (Messiah stuff) and “Battalions of Fear” (about American imperialism), and we end up back before the gates of Moria and midwife for Gandalf’s birth, two instrumental pieces, the last one being quite good. In general, melody, force, speed, Tolkien. 

Of course, some might ask “what about that voice, isn’t it too high pitched?” (how ‘bout Kai Hansen when does he get a lower voice? Or, as Klawz would ask, how ‘bout Lemmy, when does his get higher?), others might say “speed is good, but it may have been more polished if it were slower”; I say forget all the ifs, I’m not Kipling I don’t know, we’d best enjoy an enthusiastic and youthful, because we’ll have plenty of time to look for flaws when we’re sixty.  I’d venture and score it 8.5 because its spirit as a youthful debut album. And I’m sure that you, when you needed tape for your Christmas tree, didn’t ruin your “Battalions of Fear” tape. 

Cristake Nota: 8.5