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Blind Guardian - Imaginations From The Other Side



9 | 1423 votes |
Release date: 5 April 1995
Style: Power metal

Owners:

1754 have it
137 want it
1 trades it


01. Imaginations From The Other Side
02. I'm Alive
03. A Past And Future Secret
04. The Script For My Requiem
05. Mordred's Song
06. Born In A Mourning Hall
07. Bright Eyes
08. Another Holy War
09. And The Story Ends
10. The Wizard [Uriah Heep cover] [Japanese bonus]
11. The Script For My Requiem [demo] [Japanese bonus]
12. I'm A Alive [demo] [Japanese bonus]
13. Imaginations From The Other Side [demo] [Japanese bonus]
14. A Past And Future Secret [demo] [Japanese bonus]
15. A Past And Future Secret [demo] [2007 re-release bonus]
16. Imaginations From The Other Side [demo] [2007 re-release bonus]
17. The Script For My Requiem [demo] [2007 re-release bonus]
+ Bright Eyes [video] [2007 re-release bonus]
+ Born In A Morning Hall [video] [2007 re-release bonus]

Top 20 albums of 1995: 3
Top 200 albums of all time: 35
Featured in "Getting Into: Blind Guardian"

Line-up
Hansi Kürsch - vocals, bass
Marcus Siepen - rhythm guitars
André Olbrich - lead guitar
Thomas "Thomen" Stauch - drums, percussion

Session musicians
Mathias Wiesner - effects

Guest musicians
Piet Sielck - backing vocals
Billy King - backing vocals
Thomas Hackmann - backing vocals
Paul "Ronnie Atkins" Christensen - backing vocals
Jacob Moth - accoustic guitar

Additional info
All music written by André Olbrich and Hansi Kürsch.
All lyrics written by Hansi Kürsch.
Cover painting by Andreas Marschall.
Produced by Flemming Rasmussen.
Engineered by Flemming Rasmussen and Piet Sielck.
Mixed by Flemming Rasmussen.
Assistant engineer: Henrick Bindeby.
Drum technician: Flemming Rasmussen and Cuni.
Recorded, mixed and mastered at Sweet Silence Studios, Copenhagen, Denmark from August to November 1994 and January to March 1995.
Backing vocals recorded at Naro Studio, Brackel, Germany in December 1994.

Guest review by
Slayer666
Rating:
8.5
What makes a good Power Metal album? Catchy guitar riffs, good symphonic elements, mighty power chords? If your answer to this is YES, then you are gonna have a great time with this album, that's for sure. Legendary Blind Guardian obviously didn't want to risk anything, so they took the stuff mentioned before and polished it to near-perfection. Yep, near-perfection. Personally, I don't like Power Metal too much, but I'll be a good little reviewer, and do this completely objectively.

Read more ››
published 16.01.2009 | Comments (11)

Guest review by
Pazu
Rating:
9.3
This is it, Blind Guardian's best effort and the very definition of Power metal. Imaginations From The Other Side has everything the genre needs: heavy drums, perfect guitar play and both beautifully calm and powerful vocals culminating in choruses that you'll recognize even ages after you last heard them.

If we take a look at the history of the band and their previous releases, we can see that this album is the product of a decade of improving. What Battalions Of Fear had started with speed and Somewhere Far Beyond added with more emotional elements, Imaginations perfected. Well, almost at least. The lyrical themes are not quite inspired enough to reach the perfect score and "I'm Alive" feels just a little weaker than the rest of the album, mostly because it lacks its recognizable sound that all the other seven tracks have without a doubt. However, I'm complaining on the highest level here. The lyrics are still far from the typical European cheerful and cheesy style and there are many people out there who love "I'm Alive," I just don't happen to be one of them.

Read more ››
published 27.12.2010 | Comments (15)

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Comments: 48   Visited by: 2070 users
30.01.2015 - 21:11
Luneth
Account deleted
Written by Ruchesko on 27.01.2015 at 19:57

Written by [user id=107773] on 18.10.2010 at 20:48

I think this album is overrated. Good, don't get me wrong, but not 'near perfect'

Didn't stop you giving it a perfect 10, though.

A number doesnt make an album perfect. Though you are right. I wouldn't still hear this album as a ten. Probably an 8.
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20.02.2015 - 15:52
Rating: 7
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Written by Maco on 11.08.2014 at 06:51

This truly deserves all the praise. Is better than Nightfall or Somewhere Far Beyond.

last good album from the band
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Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"

I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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12.03.2015 - 02:44
Rating: 7
Ruchesko
After a run of four great albums, three of which had the added bonus of Kai Hansen at his peak, I suppose some slippage was inevitable. Maybe its just that they slowed things down a tad, but this was disappointing coming off the back of Tales.
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06.04.2015 - 21:31
Valentin B
Iconoclast
Not much to add to be honest, this definitely ranks in my opinion as the best album Blind Guardian ever put out, it's one of those albums that you might think is a "greatest hits" record but it's actually just a studio album.
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26.07.2015 - 20:56
Rating: 7
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Written by Ruchesko on 12.03.2015 at 02:44

After a run of four great albums, three of which had the added bonus of Kai Hansen at his peak, I suppose some slippage was inevitable. Maybe its just that they slowed things down a tad, but this was disappointing coming off the back of Tales.

I agree, good reason why listen new bands from a to z
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I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens.

Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"

I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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23.04.2017 - 23:52
Rating: 9
Redel
Moderator
Quote:
Last good album from the band

I wouldnt say that. I can enjoy everything until -- including, and in particular -- Night at the opera. Imaginations is an excellent album, it is their second best for me (after SFB). All songs are very good. Highlights: Past and future secret and Mordred's song.
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02.09.2019 - 02:43
Rating: 10
drangbird
Probably their best.
The snare drum sounds so good on this album (kind of a weird comment, but really, listen to how solid and lush it sounds).
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04.05.2020 - 15:48
Rating: 6
majormalfunction
I know it's like swearing but I find this one to be wastly inferior to all the albums before it. The opening title track is possibly the best song they've written to that point but it never reaches the same level again (even if A Past and Future Secret and And The Story Ends are not that far off) and about half songs here are barely average. One of my least listened Blind Guardian records
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04.05.2020 - 16:23
JoHn Doe
Written by majormalfunction on 04.05.2020 at 15:48

I know it's like swearing but I find this one to be wastly superior to all the albums before it. The opening title track is possibly the best song they've written to that point but it never reaches the same level again (even if A Past and Future Secret and And The Story Ends are not that far off) and about half songs here are barely average. One of my least listened Blind Guardian records

do you mean "inferior" instead of "superior" in your first sentence? So that your paragraph makes sense.
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I thought the two primary purposes for the internet were cat memes and overreactions.
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04.05.2020 - 18:32
Rating: 6
majormalfunction
Written by JoHn Doe on 04.05.2020 at 16:23

you mean "inferior" instead of "superior" in your first sentence? So that your paragraph makes sense.

Haha ofcourse, need to edit that
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Everything's twice as bright with money in your hands
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04.05.2020 - 19:00
Rating: 8
Metren
Dreadrealm
Some parts of this album (Requiem, Bright Eyes especially) sound cheesy and always have, which is odd because BG don't really play the cheesy kind of PM. Overall still a great album though, worth having in my collection for "A Past And Future Secret" alone. I've yet to hear a better folkish ballad than that one.
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08.08.2020 - 10:39
Rating: 10
Hellthunder
This is it, the crown jewel of power metal. Flawless album that for me encapsulates every feeling that is possible to convey through music.
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26.06.2021 - 21:18
Rating: 8
Power metal is not really my favorite subgenre, but what I love about Blind Guardian is how they put a lot of pop culture media references in their songs and albums, and Hansi vocals kick ass, they are not your typical recycled generic tenor power vocals.
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09.08.2021 - 12:04
Rating: 10
AndyMetalFreak
A Nice Guy
Contributor
The perfect Power Metal album! Containing some of BG best songs like: "The Script For My Requiem", "Another Holy War", "Born In A Mourning Hall", and the title track, the whole album is flawless, with some outstanding songwriting skills, and the vocals by Kursch, are supurb as always!
And a special mention to, "A Past And Future Secret", which is one of my favourite ever metal ballads, it is a beautifully written song with beautiful accoustic melodies.
Imo this is the best power metal has to offer, and BG best album, just ahead of their next album, Nightfall In Middle-Earth.
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19.08.2021 - 20:25
Rating: 10
Samot
One of the best metal albums ever made on this planet!
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Um, Dois, Três, Quatro! Yeah! PORRA!!!
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05.04.2022 - 17:40
Rating: 9
nonZero
Written by AndyMetalFreak on 09.08.2021 at 12:04

Imo this is the best Power Metal has to offer, and BG best album, just ahead of their next album, Nightfall In Middle-Earth.

Agreed! The best Power Metal album, although I rate Somewhere Far Beyond higher than Nightfall In Middle-earth (but not by much).

9.1/10 for me - The title track is the standout song. 'I'm Alive' and 'The Script For My Requiem' are both also fantastic.
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23.05.2023 - 22:57
Rating: 10
thenomad111
This will always be my favorite album ever. Partly because of sentimental values, but that aside it's still a masterpiece album. Full of emotion, imagination, and passion. Each band member performed amazingly, songwriting and production are awesome. Not even one bad or even average song. A rare 10 stars album.
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05.06.2024 - 06:29
Rating: 10
Majesty1911
Second masterpiece in a row (and later will be the third one too). Quite a transitional album for the band, with a shift from Speed Metal to more proggy structures, tempo varieties and even more complex arrangements. Songs still powerful and memorable, but even more bombastic and spectacular than usual. Even though I personally love Somewhere Far Beyond more - this album, undoubtedly, is a priceless gem in treasure hoard of Power Metal history, with anthems like: "Bright Eyes", "Mordred's Song", "The Script For My Requiem" and awesome title track!
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Glory to the Nation!
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