Search - Blind Guardian :: Somewhere Far Beyond

Amazing Epic Power Metal - Remastered

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 08/12/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Blind Guardian may have completed their shift from thrash metal to power metal with their 1990 album Tales from the Twilight World, but it was 1992's Somewhere Far Beyond that established them as one of power metal's finest bands.



Somewhere Far Beyond seems, to me, like Blind Guardian's "aha!" moment. This is where their power metal direction, epic fantasy themes, and almost orchestral song arrangements were finally brought together to work in complete harmony. This is what a power metal album is supposed to sound like! The whole album is strong, but there are a few standout tracks, like "Time What Is Time", "Theatre of Pain", "the Bard's Song - In the Forest" and of course the epic title track, which was inspired by Stephen King's Dark Tower series. Gamma Ray's Kai Hansen once again makes a guest appearance, though only on guitar this time. His appearances served to give Blind Guardian some extra credibility, but I think this may be the album where the pupils outpaced the master.



It still blows my mind to think that this album was released in 1992. Epic power metal bands are a dime a dozen today, but at the time it was pretty much Blind Guardian and Gamma Ray (and perhaps Stratovarius, depending on how you classify them). I'd like to think that if I had known about Blind Guardian back then, I might not have jumped directly from Dokken and the Scorpions to Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains. So many wasted years...



It took several years for Somewhere Far Beyond to be released domestically, but there are a few nice additions to make it worth the wait, including a song called "Trial by Fire" and an alternate version of "Theatre of Pain." The band's powerful cover of Queen's "Spread Your Wings" is the best addition though, and serves as a precursor to the direction the band would ultimately take on their A Night at the Opera album a decade later.



This may not be Blind Guardian's best album overall, but it was definitely their best album at that point, and is still as good, if not better than just about any power metal album released lately. Call it a must-have for Blind Guardian fans, and a good introductory album for anyone unfamiliar with the band.



NOTE: The 2007 reissue of Somewhere Far Beyond features a much needed digital remastering as well as a pair of bonus tracks (Ashes to Ashes and Time What Is Time). The bonus tracks are demos, and don't really add much, but the remastered sound makes this a must-have for all serious Blind Guardian fans."