Maximum Metal Rating Legend

Charlie Bauerfeind once again produces these progressive-power aficionados. ‘A Twist in the Myth’ is the first album to feature new skinsman Frederik Ehmke. Original drummer Thomen “The Omen” Stauch departed after the band’s last record, ‘A Night at the Opera’. It’s debatable on Stauch’s ratio of music/personal reasons for departing his long-time gig, but I’m guessing he really didn’t like the symphonic elements that have slowly eroded the original Blind Guardian sound. ‘A Night at the Opera’ never worked into heavy rotation for me and ‘A Twist in the Myth’ continues to disassociate itself from the speed picking that the band was built on. I like evolution, and Blind Guardian surely embrace it, but I think a lot of it is lost in translation here. The album was prefaced with single “Fly”, an average song at best with some abstract tribal elements and a loose presentation. The good--“This Will Never End”, “Otherland”, “Another Stranger Me”. These songs make my robust ‘Guardian playlist due partly because of the factory crisp of the strings. That higher treble and buzz is hard to reproduce and Ehmke does well to allow it plenty of room. The bad is when the orchestra and organic sounds turn on each other. I’m not sure tracks like “The Edge” are really that brilliant. Dimmer spark bogs down songs like “Straight Through the Mirror” and even the “bards” can’t find success with forest tunes like “Skalds & Shadows”. Hopefully at some point in the future this one will just sit side-ways on the shelf instead of falling off.
Blind Guardian - A Twist in the Myth - 2006 - Nuclear Blast

Track Listing1. This Will Never End 2. Otherland 3. Turn the Page 4. Fly 5. Carry the Blessed Home 6. Another Stranger Me 7. Straight Through the Mirror 8. Lionheart 9. Skalds and Shadows 10. The Edge 11. The New Order 12. All the King's Horses 13. Dead Sound of Misery 14. Interview

It's fair to assume that a band that has spent 20 years together is bound to have all the rough edges of youth smoothed off for the polished lines of maturity. There's no surprise in sound here--layer upon layer of twin guitar work, unique medieval-sounding lead melodies and the top vocals of Hansi Kürsch soaring over the polished bombastic metal. He does seem to have adopted more of a singing approach with less of the aggression often utilized on past CDs and so far, my ears don't hear quite as much of the sturm und drang, over-the-top harmony vocals. All the fantasy, fairy and folklore characteristic of a BG record are here with less of the experimentation of A Night at the Opera (2002) and less of the crazed speed metal approach; try Savage Circus which was formed when long time drummer Thomen Stauch departed if that's all you want. "This Will Never End" is a fiery start to A Twist in the Myth with the next few songs carrying the torch of epic glory that have been their confident hallmark. "Another Stranger Me" and "Lionheart" are more limpid by comparison and hopefully not a sign of future albums to come. "Carry the Blessed Home" and "Skalds and Shadows" are welcome touches with the structure and sound of battlement folklore. "Dead Sound of Misery" darkens the guise set up earlier on "Fly". I wouldn't say that Blind Guardian is on the front lines and the trenches anymore and certainly they don't need to be; they've put in the years and are more than any band the commanding generals fit to lead the masses of the worldwide power metal scene.

Bottom Line: Blind Guardian is still a relevant metal band and A Twist in the Myth would be a good starting point for any newcomer to get into the band.

Score: 8 of 10


--Nailer 10.26.06