Blind Guardian – The God Machine
Release Date: 2nd September 2022
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Pre-Order
Genre: Power Metal, Speed Metal.
FFO: Helloween, Gamma Ray, Avantasia.
Review By: Trina Julian Edwards
The renowned Blind Guardian, 30+ year veterans of Germany’s speed/power metal scene, are back with their latest full-length album, The God Machine. Featuring the legendary Hansi Kürsch on vocals, André Olbrich on lead guitar, acoustic guitar, and rhythm guitar, Marcus Siepen on rhythm guitar and acoustic guitar, and Frederik Ehmke on drums, The God Machine is a welcome return to form. Although 2019’s Legacy of the Dark Lands was a remarkable orchestral work, it has been seven years since the band’s last true metal album, Beyond The Red Mirror. For fans patiently waiting for more of that trademark Blind Guardian speed and power, the wait is over.
Deliver Us From Evil is as grand an opener as you could wish for. Hansi’s recognizable harmonies are as compelling as they’ve ever been, and the frenetic speed of the guitar and drums let you know in no uncertain terms that they’re not messing around here. The singable chorus is big and dramatic, and the guitar solo screams 90s Blind Guardian to me. A definite acknowledgement to the old school sound but with modern energy, and a return to what they do so well. I’m sure I had a big, goofy grin on my face the whole time.
Damnation follows with a slower intro, but the speed picks up several measures in and flies off into oblivion. As far as I’m concerned, the faster the better, and they do not disappoint. A prodigious chorus takes it back down a notch, but the verses quickly accelerate again. Something about it puts me in mind of “Bright Eyes” from 1995’s Imaginations from the Other Side. Now, I’m no music theory scholar, but it sounds like there’s some kind of modal shift beginning around the 2:00 mark that is just glorious. Hansi’s perfectly executed jumps in the vocal line here are on another level. I’ve always loved how well his voice meshes with the rhythm, and this is no exception. Honestly, the dynamics in this track couldn’t be better.
Secrets Of The American Gods is an outstanding epic based on Neil Gaiman’s American Gods. It begins with an unsettling xylophone intro with added symphonic and choral-type elements swelling into a wave of sound. The symphonic aspects, particularly the strings, add another layer of texture and interest to this track, and somehow imbue the whole with an air of expectancy. There’s an excellent solo and some beautiful harmonizing guitar work in this track as well, and Hansi’s voice is absolutely riveting. His intonation tells the story like nothing else. As in Blind Guardian compositions of old, it’s suitably imposing but with no lack of heaviness in its foundations. There’s no doubt this powerful, impressive track can hold its own with classics like “The Bard’s Song” and “Nightfall.”
Violent Shadows changes the direction a bit, with the guitar and drums taking off into a thrashy frenzy right from the start. The energetic pace only briefly lets up for dramatic effect before diving right back in, and the vocal line at the chorus is particularly catchy. One of the more aggressive tracks on the album, but with plenty of melody. Life Beyond the Spheres, perhaps a nod to their live album Live Beyond the Spheres, has a darker, more intense ambience and a slower pace. It feels a bit more progressive than previous tracks due to the synth and the atmospheric leads. It’s distinctive, yet Blind Guardian’s hallmark attributes are evidenced throughout. The choral elements are a nice touch- a little eerie, but the placement is just right. Hansi’s voice is particularly expressive in this piece. His clear, precise highs, gritty low growls, and that fantastic fry integrate the vocals with the guitar work so beautifully. This is an evocative, expansive track and one of the most compelling.
The jangly guitar intro is unexpected in a song titled Architects of Doom, but it leads seamlessly into the furious rhythm of the verses. The deliberate pace of the chorus and some of the chord changes hint at their earlier works without being too overt. The lyrical subject of war in space is possibly based on Battlestar Galactica, as Hansi references a “hybrid” and a “harbinger of death.” As a sci-fi fan, this grabbed my attention, and the space opera theme certainly fits this bold track with its fierce vocals and lively pace. The animated leads have an old school feel to them that I love, and everyone knows I am all about that harmonizing guitar.
Let It Be No More is one of those anthemic tracks at which Blind Guardian excel. It’s not a ballad, per se, but rather more like a psalm. It has a solemn, religious connotation that works well with the slower-paced melody and the spare instrumentation. However, the huge, metal chorus is still in evidence, and it literally gave me goosebumps. While Hansi’s voice does not have exactly the same attack on those higher tones as his younger self, his more mature sound is more substantial, giving these weighty words meaning beyond the definition. The song was written in response to the passing of Hansi’s mother, and I think it will resonate with many of us who have lost loved ones in recent years. His thoughtful lyrics had me wondering-who is really the one left behind at the passing of another?
Based on the similarly named Witcher novel, Blood of the Elves is like a bucket of cold water straight to the face, especially coming on the heels of Let It Be No More. It’s immediately “Go! Go! Go!,” reminding us that they’ve been playing speed metal longer than some of us have been alive. (Sadly, I’m not one of them, haha!) The rhythm is relentless, the leads are vigorous and agile, and the vocals are on fire. Even with the incredible speed and intensity, they didn’t sacrifice the melody. The precision in this track is just mind-blowing, and I absolutely loved every second of it. This one can’t miss live.
Destiny is another classic Blind Guardian fantasy storytelling track, an underlying cautionary tale about the control that can be exerted through the bonds of a relationship. It starts out a bit proggy before dropping into a more typical mid-level groove, but they don’t get complacent. We get some great speedy riffs and harmonizing leads in this track, as well as a number of exciting, sweeping changes as the arrangement progresses. Hansi’s highs are an achievement, adding to the overall opulence of this track. When he sings, “I will weave your destiny,” the layered vocals cleverly reinforce the concept of the lyrics. Like Secrets of the American Gods, I can see Destiny becoming a byword among Blind Guardian favorites.
Overall, I’m happy to report that Blind Guardian seem reinvigorated with the fire of their youth. Although you can definitely hear aspects of their older sound in this album, they are not regressing to the Blind Guardian of the 1990s. They have the ease, skill, and confidence of a band three decades in the business, but the creativity is still there in the music, and frankly, no one can touch Hansi when it comes to storytelling prowess in both word and deed. I appreciate that they’ve kept the strong ties between fantasy and metal in their compositions, but focusing on more modern works by the likes of Neil Gaiman, Brandon Sanderson, and Patrick Rothfuss. The God Machine is arguably one of the best entries in their extensive catalog, and certainly their best in many a year.
(4.5 / 5)
