Blind Guardian - Nightfall In Middle-Earth
Tracklist
01. War Of Wrath02. Into The Storm
03. Lammoth
04. Nightfall
05. The Minstrel
06. The Curse Of Feanor
07. Captured
08. Blood Tears
09. Mirror Mirror
10. Face The Truth
11. Noldor (Dead Winter Reigns)
12. Battle Of Sudden Flame
13. Time Stands Still (At The Iron Hill)
14. The Dark Elf
15. Thorn
16. The Eldar
17. Nom The Wise
18. When Sorrow Sang
19. Out On The Water
20. The Steadfast
21. A Dark Passage
22. Final Chapter (Thus Ends...)
23. Nightfall [orchestral version] [Japanese bonus]
24. A Dark Passage [instrumental version] [Japanese bonus]
25. Harvest Of Sorrow [remastered edition bonus]
26. Doom [remixed and remastered edition bonus] [original lyrics]
27. The Tides Of War [remixed and remastered edition bonus]
Line-up
Hansi Kürsch - vocals
André Olbrich - guitars
Marcus Siepen - guitars
Thomas "Thomen" Stauch - drums
Session musicians
Michael "Mi" Schüren - piano
Mathias Wiesner - keyboards
Oliver Holzwarth - bass
Guest musicians
Thomas "Hacky" Hackmann - backing vocals
Billy King - backing vocals
Olaf Senkbeil - backing vocals
Hansi Kürsch - vocals
André Olbrich - guitars
Marcus Siepen - guitars
Thomas "Thomen" Stauch - drums
Session musicians
Michael "Mi" Schüren - piano
Mathias Wiesner - keyboards
Oliver Holzwarth - bass
Guest musicians
Thomas "Hacky" Hackmann - backing vocals
Billy King - backing vocals
Olaf Senkbeil - backing vocals
Rating:
9.2
9.2
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Rating:
9.2 |
Power Metal and fantasy - dragons, magic and short, bearded fellows - have been walking hand in hand almost since the creation of the genre. Blind Guardian has strengthened this connection since their first album. Ten years after their initial release the genre-defining group returns with one of their most ambitious projects ever: a concept album based on the epic "Silmarillion" by J.R.R. Tolkien, one of the bands biggest influences. The result? Have they possibly managed to make something memorable and, most importantly, metal of the literary work? Hang on for the answer. Read more ›› |
Rating:
7.7
7.7
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Rating:
7.7 |
Blind Guardian is an absolute star of Power Metal and their 1998 release 'Nightfall In Middle-Earth' is a monolithic work. Using the expression "left a mark" isn't enough. Of course this album has left a mark upon all who have listened to it and left a mark in the history of Power Metal and metal in general. And also literature, all in all, being like an asteroid leaving a crater. Read more ›› |
Staff pick by
ScreamingSteelUS
Found in 90 lists
ScreamingSteelUS
Music, in the truest sense of the word
May 28, 2018
I'm about a month late for the exact anniversary, but Nightfall In Middle-Earth is 20 years old now, and for the last 10, it has been my favorite album of all time. Andre Olbrich's guitar solos, Hansi Kürsch's vocals, the songwriting, the production, the choirs, the drama, the emotion, the cover art, even the cavalcade of excessive interludes - just about every characteristic of this album is, for me, the gold standard by which that characteristic is measured in all other works of music. I can still clearly remember hearing "Nightfall" for the first time and thinking within the first ten seconds, "This is the perfect band for me." Ten years later, I feel the same sentiments I did that first time. Happy birthday, Nightfall. Happy anniversary, Bards of Metal.
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Comments:
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Posts: 1101 Written by DeathMetal on 08.10.2017 at 23:32 Haha yeah you're right. I don't mind those but I can see how it might be a bit too much for someone elses taste.  Personally I think this is their second best album (after Imaginations From The Other Side).
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Posts: 3593
The previous albums were better
---- Crackhead Megadeth reigns supreme.
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Posts: 1672
Decent stuff. Better than Imaginations but not as good as their earlier ones. Into the Storm is a killer track.
---- Everything's twice as bright with money in your hands
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Posts: 64577 Written by majormalfunction on 04.05.2020 at 21:31 Only good songs are Mirror Mirror, and time stands still... Album where bg died
---- 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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Posts: 1672 Written by Bad English on 05.05.2020 at 00:00 I think most of the songs here are good, quite rarely it's anything extraordinary but solid. I don't think Blind Guardian ever "died" even if lost interest in them after A Twist in the Myth.
---- Everything's twice as bright with money in your hands
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Posts: 64577 Written by majormalfunction on 05.05.2020 at 08:11 I throw away all albums after this, later checked on Spotify, and understod, that after this, band is shit to me
---- 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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Posts: 7959
For me, this is one of the best power metal record ever.
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Posts: 57  |
Posts: 57
If you like their previous albums, this is surely a disappointment and probably worth a 6-7. If you like traditional and direct power metal, then this is probably too convoluted and boring with a dozen interludes, worth at most 7-8. If you like epic, symphonic power metal, and you know the story of the Silmarillion, this is the best album ever made. 11/10
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 Posts: 6702 |
Posts: 6702
I Didn't like the album at first, I couldn't get passed all them short songs, between the tracks, I know some people wouldnt find them a problem, and I'm sure they are there to fit in the album story somehow, but I found they disrupted the album and felt unnecessary to me, this would of been a perfect 10 by me if it wasn't for that. So I created a play list and took out the short in between songs, and the album then was brilliant, almost on par with Imaginations, apart from a few tracks I enjoyed the majority of the album, highlights for me are obviously the classic Mirror Mirror, Nightfall, As time stands still and Into the Storm. I slightly prefer Imaginations but this album has grown on me, and I might see me liking this one more eventually.
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Posts: 47  |
Posts: 47
As a fan of Tolkien this has to me my favorite Guardian album.
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Posts: 248  |
Posts: 248
One of the best metal albums ever made on this planet!
---- Um, Dois, Três, Quatro! Yeah! PORRA!!!
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Posts: 64577 Written by BingRobertBong on 13.09.2021 at 16:34 Only 2 songs are worth to mention Time Stands Still (At The Iron Hill), and mirror mirror
---- 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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Posts: 2798 Written by Bad English on 13.09.2021 at 20:30 Yes, indeed, these two tracks, plus Nightfall. And, yes, overall too long, of course.
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Posts: 1571
It's strange, the melodic content is similar to ANATO which is one of my favourites but I can't seem to enjoy this record as much. The interludes are boring. The rhythm guitar and the bass are too low in the mix and it's still sounding muddy. Many of the choruses became convoluted or weird. Into The Storm, Mirror Mirror and Blood Tears are definitely highlights for me, maybe even Thorn. The rest could've used some reduction in melodies, solos... Maybe a full album remix would makes sense here.
---- 
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Posts: 5659
Listening to this after rather long time, I forgot how good this was. 
---- I thought the two primary purposes for the internet were cat memes and overreactions.
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Posts: 194
I'm not a big fan of interludes, especially when they are tied to actual songs, like in The Privilege Of Power. Here interludes were done right, they separate, actually working for the story and didn't slow down the flow of the album. Well, back to the point. I adore conceptual albums and fantasy. Silmarillion is awesome (some day I will read it in English, some day...). Guardian here is in the top form both from performance and songwriting standpoints. So yeah, this album is a masterpiece for me, the third in a row. My most beloved songs here are "Mirror Mirror", "Time Stands Still (At The Iron Hill)", "Into The Storm" and "Blood Tears". I still love Somewhere Far Beyond and Imaginations From The Other Side just a bit more, but it's a "Nightfall", which is considered by many fans as the most famous and beloved BG album and rightfully so!
---- Glory to the Nation!
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Posts: 1281
My personal Top 3 songs from the album: Nightfall Mirror Mirror Into The Storm
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Posts: 845
NaM was of course controversial to the old BG fan. There was a split in: Now they are shit and now they found their style and it is good. At the release I found myself in the A group. It was not total shit but a let down compared to their previous work. With some years distance I liked it better and better and today I count it to my Top 4 BG records. TssatIH is one of the best metal songs ever written but I don´t pick any of the other songs for NaM is not to be seen as an album containing some songs but more as one big song. I like everything - from the intro to the short interludes to the full epic ones! Oh and I like the artwork a lot. Have the poster right at my desk beside Dissections Storm of the light bane. Top 100 album!
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Posts: 2440
their last good album but even then it feels a bit too ambitious for it's own good. they shed away the last traces of speed and get a more pompous approach. the duo The Curse Of Feanor/Blood Tears is amazing though.
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