Beyond the Red Mirror

by Blind Guardian

Overview

The German power metal unit's tenth studio album and first since 2010's At the Edge of Time, Beyond the Red Mirror is being billed as a sequel to 1995's much-loved Imaginations from the Other Side, but listeners need not be versed in that sci-fi/fantasy narrative to enjoy the ride, as per usual, Blind Guardian lets the music do most of the talking. Sparing no expense, the band enlisted two full 90-piece orchestras and three international choirs (Prague, Budapest, and Boston), but unlike some of their symphony-loving peers, the window dressing is integrated tastefully, allowing the veteran band's well-established technical skill set to shine through. Nearly three decades into their career, Blind Guardian still sound like a spinning top at the edge of a very high (and very ornate) table, firing ideas into the ether with the subtlety of a Gatling Gun, while miraculously maintaining their footing. Nowhere is this penchant for frantic, progressive metal fanfare more apparent than on the nearly ten-minute opener "The Ninth Wave, a lavish, electro-tinged, pseudo-Wagnerian epic that feels like a highlight reel of the band's entire career thus far. Like the majority of the ten-track set, it's bold, immediate, and relentlessly melodic, due in large part to frontman Hansi Kursch's robust vocals, whose stacked Dee Snider-meets-Queen harmonies and commanding presence form the basis of nearly all of the group's best offerings. That equation is put to its best use on the rollicking follow-up, "Twilight of the Gods," the closest Beyond the Red Mirror gets to a single, and a prime example of how deft the band is at fusing pop melodies to a backbone of pure metal might. The rest of the album follows suit, making stops at vintage thrash ("The Holy Grail"), Iron Maiden-inspired, guitarmony-laden NWOBHM ("Prophecies"), and opera metal ("The Throne"), before tying things up with the aptly named "Grand Parade," another just-under-ten-minute, neo-classical metal stunner that's as unapologetically ostentatious as it is genuinely goose bump-inducing. ~ James Christopher Monger

Product Details

Release Date:	10/20/2023
Label:	Nuclear Blast
UPC:	0727361347604
Rank:	20780

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Blind Guardian   Primary Artist
Hansi Kuersch   Vocals
Frederik Ehmke   Drums,Percussion
Adam Klemens   Conductor
Marcus Siepen   Guitar (Rhythm)
Andre Olbrich   Guitar,Guitar (Rhythm)
Barend Courbois   Bass,Guest Artist
Peter Pejtsik   Conductor
Michael Schuren   Piano,Guest Artist
Matthias Ulmer   Piano,Keyboards,Guest Artist
Hungarian Studio Orchestra   Orchestra
Andrew Shelton   Conductor
FILMharmonic Choir Prague   Orchestra,Choir/Chorus
Hungarian Studio Choir Budapest   Choir/Chorus
Vox Futura Choir Boston   Choir/Chorus

Technical Credits

Blind Guardian   Producer
Charly Bauerfeind   Composer
Hansi Kuersch   Composer,Lyricist,Group Member
Carsten Heusmann   Orchestra Production
Frederik Ehmke   Composer,Group Member
Marcus Siepen   Group Member
Andre Olbrich   Composer,Group Member
Sandor Jozsa   Orchestra Contractor
John Weston   Engineer
Hans Martin Issler   Photography,Photo Design
Felipe Machado Franco   Artwork,Cover Art,Booklet Design
Jan Kotzmann   Engineer
Wolfgang Eller   Music Sequence Selection
Michael Schuren   Composer
Petr Pycha   Music Contractor,Recording Manager
Oldrich Slezak   Engineer
Miklos Sugar   Proof Reading
Tamas Kurina   Engineer
Cenda Kotzman   Studio Technician
Matthias Ulmer   Composer,Keyboard Engineer,Orchestra Assembly,Orchestra Production
Thomas Geiger   Mixing,Engineer,Piano Engineer
Dr. Jason Breitweg   Proof Reading
Tina Ehmke   Composer
Gergely Kiss   Orchestra Manager
Charlie Bauerfeind   Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Producer,Mastering,Orchestra Production
Philipp Dusse   Piano Engineer
Dr. Carolin Caliendo   Translation,Proof Reading
Dr. Magaret Gonzales   Proof Reading