Band : Blind Guardian
Album title : At The Edge Of Time
Label : Nuclear Blast
Distributor : PIAS
Release date : 30/07/2010
Release : CD

Thanks to Dirk, at my age, I'm broadening my music horizons again. I know people who are a few years younger than me, and who have stuck to Iron Maiden, Judas Priest…in short, all the bands they knew when they were much younger.

I've never been that way and have always more or less followed the more modern bands as well. Now I know Blind Guardian is not a modern band in the meaning of a band that has recently formed, since they've been around since the eighties, but in the eighties I'd had it with most German metal groups, so that was a scene I didn’t really follow, and I've always been a bit wary about ever since. Before I knew it however, this CD was put in the lot I had to review. No more escape. So after going through all the other albums, finally came the time to put this one on.

I was immediately blown out of my socks !  What sheer brute power. At times it reminded me a bit of Iced Earth. If the former albums of Blind Guardian were of the same quality I've missed out on something. I don't know how they manage to combine what I'd call "Medieval" chant with pure Power Metal, without falling through the ice. I mean medieval chant you also get in bands like Subway To Sally, but musically they play in a different league. If I'd had to pick two favourite songs out of the ten that are on this album, I'd go for "Valkyries", but most of all for "Wheel Of Time".

A definite must-buy, this album!

96/100

Erik Morren.