Blind Guardian - Follow the Blind (10 tracks) +Album Reviews

Mean old school speed-metal

Ilya Malafeyev | Russia | 12/10/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm amazed at people rating this album so low! I think, we should be appreciating music for what it is, not for what it could have become (or became much later). Does anybody remember, that this is a record from 1989? Does anybody remember what metal scene looked like at that time? That was the time of some mean metal reigning supreme, the time of thrash and speed-metal, the time of death-metal gaining full force. There was no place for anything epic or melodic. So what's the point of rating "Follow the Blind" so low after comparing it to "Nightfall in Middle-Earth", I cannot understand.

With that being said, "Follow the Blind" is a terrific example of darker German speed-metal, with all its attributes in place. It has imaginative riffing, accessible melodies and killer ultra-fast guitars. Rough, melodic, and addictive. Similar to what another German band, Rage, played, but with better vocals. If you follow Blind Guardian's development from their 1988 debut, you'll be struck by how much the band developed in just 1 year! Hansi got more comfortable with his voice, while Thomas improved into a fairly good drummer. Several guitar solos here still send shivers down my spine (like the one on Banished From Sanctuary). The music got more melody, but still not enough to be compared to their later power-metal works. Surely, not every idea works, but for the most part the songs here are very enjoyable. I would highlight Banished From Sanctuary, Hall Of The King, Fast To Madness, and of course the still played live, Valhalla with legendary Kai Hansen of Helloween / Gamma Ray fame providing guest vocals. There are 2 cover songs here. One, titled Don't Break The Circle, was original played by a NWBHM band Demon. It's blazingly fast and a pleasure to listen to for any metal fan. The other one is good, but in another way. It's a cover of I-forgot-whose old rock'n'roll song Barbara Ann, which was turned metal. Lots of fun from this one!

It must be noted that whoever only likes later Blind Guardian's epic minstrel power-metal, most likely won't get into this album, and is better starting from the next BG album, "Tales from the Twilight World". But this one is very important for the band, because it shows their transition from "one-of-the-legion" to world's best power-metal band of the 90s. It's also essential for fans of speed-metal."

Follow The Blind

Fingolfin | Greece | 10/11/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Let me explain why I rated this album 3/5. I am an avid BG fan and own all their albums/singles, enjoying every period of the band for different reasons. In this album BG made their sound heavier and more "professional" so to say. However, it lacks the raw spirit of Battalions Of Fear and the songwriting doesn't consistently deliver. A couple songs stand out while the rest of the album is solid. Their next effort, Tales Of The Twilight World, marks the beginning of BG forging their distinctive style and sound.

If you learned BG from Nightfall.. or A Night At The Opera and love them for their multilayered songs with big choruses and melodies you can skip this cd without any consequences. If you fancy speed metal try the previous or the next album first.

A review of FTB would be incomplete without a mention of the cover of Barbara Ann, which is -amazingly enough- even better than the original. The cover of Demon's "Don't Break The Circle" is another great cover. However, the apex of the album is Valhalla, a song you can still catch BG playing live."

A great Blind Guardian CD

kage_tsufuremi | Dalton, Ga United States | 06/22/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If your a Diehard fan like myself. You will Love this CD. If you Started listening to Blind Guardian From "Nightfall in Middle Earth" To "A Night at the Opera" Or Even From Imaginations. You will probly Hate this CD. It has much of the same Feel as Battalions of Fear and Gives us the Raw Untamed Feel of Blind Guardian. In my Opinion It doesnt get any better than This. This CD Doesnt have many of the well known songs but it has some Great Songs such as, Valhalla (one of my personal Favorites) Damned For all Time, Follow the Blind and Beyond the Ice. All around a great Album."

Good Sophomore Release

Mark Tisei | California, United States | 12/07/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is BG' second album. It's really a pretty good album. But if you're use to the BG from "Imaginations from the Other Side" then you might be a little surprised. This album is more thrashy than their later releases but BG still shows their great musicianship. The songs kick ass too. If you're a BG fan then this is a good CD to get to complete your collection."

Early Blind Guardian album, now with much better sound

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 01/11/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Blind Guardian is probably the best power metal band around, but their older albums take a decidedly more thrash metal approach. With the band's second album, 1989's Follow the Blind, you can start to see the band shift directions. Like their debut album Battalions of Fear, this is still largely a thrash album, but the band includes more melodies and more intricate arrangements. The fantasy themes are again quite prominent, and include a song about Elric (Fast to Madness) and what appears to be a Hobbit on the album cover. The album also contains one of Blind Guardian's all-time classic songs - "Valhalla" - which features legendary power metaller Kai Hansen providing guest vocals and guitars.

The album features two cover songs. The first is a cover of Demon's "Don't Break the Circle". NWOBHM purists may have a problem with this one, but I thought the band did a great job. Besides, how often do you run across a Demon cover? The second (and apparently universally hated) cover is a speed metal version of the Beach Boys' classic "Barbara Ann". I can see how metal fans would hate this song, but it totally cracks me up each time I hear it. It shows that the band knows how to have fun and doesn't take themselves too seriously, plus it takes guts to put such an absurd cover on a metal album.

Follow the Blind is still a bit rough compared to the band's later releases, and may not appeal to everyone. If you only want to hear the more refined modern power metal that the band does so well on later releases, you may want to pass on this album. If you're interested in where the band came from musically, you need to own Follow the Blind.

If you're new to Blind Guardian and are looking for a good starting point, skip this one and go straight to Imaginations From The Other Side. Once that one sinks in, listen to Nightfall in Middle Earth. It will likely become the standard by which you judge all other concept albums, if not all other power metal albums.

NOTE: The 2007 reissue of Follow the Blind is not just digitally remastered; the album has been remixed as well. This makes an incredible difference in the way the album sounds, and I am thrilled to hear it. It's almost as if the band went back into the studio and rerecorded the album. Everything is sharper, clearer, and above all louder. I think this gives listeners a chance to finally appreciate all that Follow the Blind had to offer. There are also a handful of bonus demo tracks added for good measure. They're a nice bonus, but the remixing and remastering is the real reason to replace your old copy of the album.

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