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Abyss's Review (11/23/02, The WWE World, New York, NY):

Blind Guardian Photos by Hel

Orcs and Dorks

I can't ever remember being completely psyched for a power metal show. I really like power metal, but it definitely isn't the genre that takes up most of my listening time. But tonight was different. I've recently come to terms with my cheesiness and allowed myself to admit how much I like Blind Guardian, and my recent introduction to Symphony X made this show all the more special. So I pushed my hangover aside, and made ready to build another one.

Blind Guardian

I walked into The World in Time Square right as Symphony X started their first song of the evening. Perfect timing. This would be the first time I would see this band live, and apparently that is true of most people in America. This despite the fact that the band hails from New Jersey, not exactly the most obscure of places. Symphony X add to any live atmosphere, injecting energy and good vibes throughout their set. They just seemed to be having a ton of fun up there, and that giddy feeling became infectious, as the crowd became completely enthralled. Anyone who has listened to their work no doubt has noted their insane technical prowess, and that comes across in their stage show as well. I usually put down bands that are so seemingly self-serving, but this band's solid songwriting just makes it a magical show to watch. Of course I would be hypocritical if I didn't admit that it's still musical masturbation, but it's musical masturbation that gets me off; the musical equivalent of a fine lesbian porn. You know, the kind that has lesbians in it. Anyhoo, I find myself liking their last album The Odyssey, more and more with every passing moment of their set. Vocalist Russell Allen is a great frontman. His voice is powerful and precise, but also edgy and alive. On top of this he has an innate ability to make you have a good time, to get you into the show despite the fact that you just got there, you're tired, and you only have one beer in you so far. Their newer material is all that I've been exposed to so far, and luckily for me they touched on their new album often. The crowd was rabid and the band deserved all the accolades they received.

It wasn't until the end of Symphony X's set that I even thought to search for my friend Solomon. Luckily I found him soon enough, got a beer, shot the shit, and awaited Blind Guardian. Now I feel I have to come clean here. While I like to consider myself open minded (by the way, I'm not claiming that I am open-minded, I'm just saying that's the way I like to consider myself), I must admit that the first time that my good friend Famine introduced me to Blind Guardian, he was met with a wall of laughter. In hindsight, I'm not sure what changed my mind and let me embrace the band and not feel like a total dork (again, I'm not saying I'm not a total dork, I'm just saying I don't feel like one), but I'm pretty sure some form of brainwashing was employed. Looking around at the denizens of a concert like this is always interesting. On this particular night I noticed a great deal of what you'd expect, fans wearing frizzy hair and Helloween shirts, but I also saw things that I found a little hard to explain. Firstly, the small contingent of hardcore-looking kids that I kept seeing. They seemed to enjoy making fun of the bands, which made me wonder why they were there. I mean, it's not like this was a mixed bill, if you don't like power metal, I struggle to find another reason for you to be there. I mean, hell, it ain't like it's difficult to make fun of hardcore, I just don't feel the need to go see the bands live just for new material. I also saw a meticulously dressed, yuppie-looking young lady who looked like she just came from the office. Of course, while trying to make up her story in my head, I figured she must have been there with her boyfriend. It was to my surprise that she not only seemed into the music and had no man around her, but she knew every lyric to every song! Just goes to show that people can always surprise you.

Symphony X

Or perhaps not, this was a Blind Guardian show after all. Perhaps it's magic that they conjure up. I mean you can't praise Wizards day in and day out without making some friends, right? I was also surprised that there were so many kids about. And I don't mean high school kids, I mean like between the ages of 8 and 10. I then thought to myself that perhaps they weren't kids at all. This was Blind Guardian; perhaps they were hobbits. Then I realized that they were far too skinny and hairless. Luckily for me (and you) the band started to play then and focused my attention away from my pointless observations. The band definitely smoked, but I was a little let down simply because of how good Symphony X were. BG just seemed a tad flatter, but I might have been the only one in the crowd of that opinion. Power metal fans are among the most dedicated fans on earth (or Middle-Earth for that matter), and the entire floor was a churning sea of fists, horns and hair. A sporadic pit was present as well, proving that these fans weren't too upscale for a little bit of violent fun. The band even got me psyched to see 'The Two Towers' by hitting on their classic Nightfall in Middle Earth. Introductions like, "This song is about the members of the Lothlorien race!"got my blood pumping as well as my fists. Of course, when I told my girlfriend about it later, she let the wind out of my sails by scolding, "That makes no sense. There is no Lothlorien race! The race that lives there are elves!" (Yeah, but I'm a dork for listening to metal and liking Star Wars!).

End result is this is the best power metal show I've ever seen. By far. Not even a competition. And beside that, it's one of the best shows, period, that I've seen all year. One word review: Amazing.

 

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Death's Review (12/15/02, The Key Club, Hollywood, CA):

Blind Guardian

Geeks had it great in late 2002: Blind Guardian toured the U.S., and we got a new Lord of the Rings movie; both got great reviews. Fresh off their appearance at ProgPower USA, the German power-metal warriors finally made it to Hollywood to perform on a Sunday night in mid-December at the Key Club on Sunset Strip. While I'm not a huge fan, I do love metal, and so I knew this was a big night out and was not to be missed whatever my personal tastes and biases (not to mention the fact that I really like the new album from openers Symphony X, too). So after an afternoon of kicking back watching NFL football (can you say "2003 Super Bowl Champion Oakland Raiders"? Kinda has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?), we hit the Key Club ready to rock out like it was 1399.

But first things first. As always, we were late. Watching football blended right into also sticking around to watch the new Simpsons episode before we booked over to Hollywood and got to the club a song or two into the Symphony X set. Symphony X released what may have been the best prog-metal album of 2002, and their live performance only solidified their rapidly-elevating reputation. They rocked hard, deftly performing their intricate metallic gymnastics with awesome precision. The house was pretty much packed (I think it was a sellout) and, while the fans were clearly there to see Blind Guardian, Symphony X held the audience's attention and then some.

Blind Guardian

I stayed in the back of the club and drank, enjoying relief from the crush of people crowding for the best views of the stage while cherishing the easy bar access and talking with people as they passed by through the crowd to go outside and have a smoke. I couldn't see all that great, but the video screens above helped me to get the full-effect. It was so crowded I don't think we ever even made it downstairs to check out the merchandise. A great sign for Blind Guardian.

Symphony X

I spoke with several huge fans who had been waiting years for this night. As the band took the stage, the biggest fans of all quickly revealed themselves by pumping their fists to the music and shouting along with every word of every glorious song. In many ways, it was the passion that Blind Guardian commanded from their fans and the warmth of the interaction between band and audience that was the most interesting aspect of this show and I quickly realized that this was probably as much of the reason that Blind Guardian is a "special" band as the music itself. On the surface, the material is pedestrian, but, like Manowar, Blind Guardian have cultivated an exciting aura around themselves which makes their live performances feel more like an "event" than most bands who roll through L.A. ever could. I found myself getting caught up in the moment. I too was excited to be here. "Welcome to Dying!" "Born in a Mourning Hall!" This was cool!

I went upstairs to get a better view and watch the rest of the show. It was overall pretty killer, I must admit. I'm not gonna rush out and get buy any twelve-sided dice, but it was a good show nonetheless. Probably one of the better gigs of 2002, although it didn't make my top ten.

 

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Hel's Review (12/15/02, The Key Club, Hollywood, CA):

Blind Guardian

If you are surprised to learn that I missed most of the opening acts on this evening, then you've clearly never read one of my concert reviews before. That's right, folks, despite my desire to see both Onward (who was not a part of the full tour) and Symphony X, I still did not get to the venue in time to catch their sets. I did walk in at the very end of Symphony X, but in my haste to fight through the sold out crowd in the Key Club and attempt to snap a few photos before they left the stage, I really wasn't paying much attention to the song they were playing. It did sound good, and the few moments I saw were excellent, but that was about as far as I got before their set was over.

Blind Guardian

Frustrated and disappointed, I awaited the beginning of Blind Guardian's set, marveling at the size of the crowd (the largest I've seen at the Key Club yet, and not dispersing in the slightest following Symphony X's set) and chatting with Death and Chainheart. Finally, the moment arrived, and I battled back up to the front, to attempt another round of photo taking. My camera is digital, so I was already aware of the disappointing results of my attempt to document Symphony X, and I decided to give the other side of the stage a try. In the end, I got a handful of decent Blind Guardian pictures, but the enthusiastic crowd ensured that I had many a photo of flailing hair, arms, the floor, the monitors, and the ceiling. It is times like these that I am doubly grateful that I do not have to pay for film processing.

Symphony X

I spent over half of the set trying to get that handful of decent photos. Then I bailed out and went looking for Death and Chainheart in the packed house. My mind is still boggled at the turn-out on this night - Blind Guardian had never made an appearance in LA before, but still… It would appear that I have vastly underestimated the popularity of power metal in the LA area. And it was clear that the band loved it as much as the fans. The entire set was an all-out mutual adoration fest, with the band and the fans interacting throughout the night. Blind Guardian put everything into their set, and it was enthusiastically received, to say the least.

My favorite shows have always been the small club gigs that are somewhat under attended. You can really see the band, and don't have to worry about sweaty people crushing you - a real concern for someone of my rather diminutive size. But when tiny clubs are oversold, and have no photo pit, there's a high probability that I will be rather grumpy at some point during the evening. And while both Symphony X and Blind Guardian supplied tremendous sets, I still left rather grumpy, and alas, I must withhold a skull for that result. Everyone who is a fan of either of these bands should make a point of catching them if they come around your town, but I strongly recommend smaller folks finding a nice comfy spot toward the back if it is sold out - power metal or no, Blind Guardian still gets the crowd worked up - at least in LA.

 

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Requiem's Review (11/19/02, The Palladium, Worcester, MA):

Heavy metal has come a long way. It seems that it comes and goes in terms of popularity, but it is always going to be there. There are always going to be people that want to play and hear heavy metal music as an escape to their every day lives. The intensity of the music captures the anger that we all hold inside of us and releases it in a positive manner. Within the past five years, I've seen the crowds growing over time, and more overall awareness of the quality of music that lies within the underground. Tonight's performance nearly brought a tear to my eye, with nearly 1,000 people in attendance to witness Germany's Blind Guardian and New Jersey's Symphony X. This was undeniable proof that heavy metal was in great shape, bringing out the leather jackets and denim vests by the multitudes.

Blind Guardian

Things got off to a confusing start when Ember and I arrived shortly before the doors were supposed to open, only to find out that the first band Blistered Earth was already thrashing away on their brand of carbon-copied Bay Area Thrash metal. Not only this, but the event was upstairs, which was already fairly jam-packed. Come to find out, the openers were to play in the upstairs portion of the venue, while the headliners were to play in the larger downstairs portion. Scratching my head in confusion to the logic involved in this, I shrugged it off and grabbed a beer. Nevertheless, Blistered Earth played a tight set of old school-sounding Metallica and Testament-inspired thrash. With fast double picked guitar riffs on top of frantic, thrashing drum work, complemented by a young Hetfield on vocals, this four-piece showed those who missed the 80's what it was all about. For such a dated sound, they sure won over the audience and fists were pumping from beginning to end.

Next up were Beyond the Embrace, a three guitar melodic metal act recently signed to Metal Blade. For a US band, I was expecting something of metalcore quality, but BTE proved to be more than that. With the 3-guitar attack, it was certain that these lads were destined for all things melodic, but due to the imperfect sound of the room, I was unable to determine if they really did much for me. Their drummer seemed to be a weak link to the fold, with sub par drumbeats taking away from the fancy guitar work executed by all four stringsmen. The vocalist proved to have some value, tackling singing and screaming duties alike, but nothing of a jaw-dropping nature. The band played a cover tune instrumental, which I struggled to decipher but apparently this one was out of my league, or dilapidated memory banks for that matter. Nice melodic guitar work by all, and a band to potentially look out for in the future. That was enough for me, it was time to make sure I didn't miss the band I came to see.

Blind Guardian

Everyone soon filed downstairs where the rest of the event was to take place. A seemingly vacant downstairs soon filled in with metalheads of all shapes and sizes. Symphony X soon took the stage and due to the poor sound quality it was quite the letdown. A band of this nature should have a crystal clear sound in order to fully capture their unrelenting talents. Despite this sound obstacle, I did my best to enjoy every lasting second of their set. They further proved to be the second best thing to Dream Theater, and in many ways I wonder why they aren't as critically acclaimed themselves. For one, singer Russell Allen performed like it was no trouble to sing as he does. I haven't heard many singers match the ability this man had. And each member handled their instrument flawlessly as they ripped through technical ditties from their entire catalogue including their newest, The Odyssey. It was good to see the prog fans come out of their holes to witness such a talented band.

I hit the bar for a beer or two more before Blind Guardian hit the stage. Many wondered how they would handle the multi-layered vocal approach heard on most of their releases. Would it be a DAT or a vocal effect of some sort? The answer is no. Blind Guardian came out in the raw, relying on Hansi Kursh's powerful voice to hold its own. And it did. And then some. The live experience was no letdown, and the fact that this symphonic-sounding power metal band came dressed to kill in their sweatpants and sneakers was even more of a bonus. Let's see Rhapsody pull that one off! Proving that studio antics and imagery mean shit in the live environment, Blind Guardian captured the attention of all, and showed me that power metal is alive and well. They played a lengthy set of over an hour's worth of material, including a couple of acoustic songs, which were some of the highlights of the show. They closed with, you guessed it, "Imaginations from the Other Side," and at that point I was more than satisfied to make my exit. An encore ensued, but due to work the next morning and an alcohol drenched liver I made my leave. What an excellent evening though, proving that metal is on the upswing and will hopefully stay that way for a while.

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Solomon's Review (11/23/02, The WWE World, New York, NY):

Few will soon forget Saturday night's progressive/power metal extravaganza that saw German legends Blind Guardian go head-to-head with American heroes Symphony X and turn the World on its collective ear. This was Guardian's first tour of America, and SymX have played so few shows stateside they are practically a European import. Of course, the playing was ferocious, but whether you are a "prog" freak who grovels before lightning guitar solos and multiple tempo changes or not, you would be hard pressed to find this event unentertaining.

Symphony X

Symphony X themselves were a hard act to follow. The instrumentalists were one thing, with Michael Romeo's chops honed from the school of Rising Force and bassist Michael LePond's animated stage presence, but my respect for vocalist Russell Allen has increased tenfold, now that I've witnessed the man in action for myself. Not that I thought he "sucked" before, but his performance was exceptional, all those notes coming through with power and clarity in a manner few can afford to muster. Allen has to be one of the top vocalists playing in metal today. The band pushed through several older faves including "Egypt," "Smoke and Mirrors" and "Evolution" while touching lightly on the new album, The Odyssey. The newer material was heavier and groovier when compared to the classics, but it all blended together wonderfully into a stellar set.

Blind Guardian

Symphony X handed the torch to Blind Guardian and our German comrades-in-arms had no problem wowing the gathered faithful. I have to admit I am mostly unfamiliar with Guardian's catalog, only catching a bit here and there, but the overall impact of seeing them live was amazing. Powerful, professional, courteous, dramatic, these words all come to mind when thinking about this band's time on stage. The boys kicked it off with "Into The Storm" and proceeded to stomp through one Tolkien-inspired gem after another, including "My Requiem," "Valhalla," "Harvest of Sorrow," "Nightfall" and "Bright Eyes," a highlight of the evening. Hansi Kursch may not look like the quintessential frontman, but he was amiable and worked the crowd well.

A night with these acts paired together would have been easy to call "great," but BG and SymX easily earned this praise. A concert highlight for 2002.

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