I Posit That Blind Guardian Is The Best Fantasy Metal Band Ever

[Seil]

Seriously, The Bard's Song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_tORtmKIjE), Time What Is Time (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0fV5KF80_Q), and Thorn (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL79ZqFXBHw) are totally rad.

Who challenges the Guardians?

[Bells]

Fantasy Metal Band? HA! Give me a Real Metal Band!

Also, you might want to check with Rhapsody and Emerald Sword (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye6YHQ8AZzU) before putting this one to rest.

[Toastburner B]

While I do enjoy Rhapsody (Dawn of Victory (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0L_iOnLNt9M) being a favorite), Blind Guardian is better, in my opinion.

Nightfall on Middle-Earth is one my favorite albums ever. Nightfall (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Azt8p7rWFaQ), The Curse of Feanor (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0TX0Q1s6sU), and Time Stands Still (at the Iron Hill) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKMX6ExToyM) are all great songs.

[RickZarber]

Oh man. I get to see them one week from today! The final stop of their North American tour. Anyone else catch them this year?

Nightfall on Middle-Earth is one my favorite albums ever.Same here. It's not their masterpiece, but it's definitely the one of which I'm most fond.

[Fifthfiend]

Fantasy Metal Band? HA! Give me a Real Metal Band!

Personally I prefer the imaginary kind (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UosmKd1krWU).

[Hanuman]

Other Contenders:

Rhapsody, elected for epic fantasy storytelling, some songs are 10 minute odes. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5kLxQGbRYg)

Demons and Wizards, elected for it's ability to overlay it's metal ambiance OVER it's fantasy aspect, which makes it an inferior band based on fantasy genre, but it's got the benefit of having the "metal" feel regardless of what's actually being done. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y7ntWf_5uo)

[RickZarber]

I don't really care for Rhapsody. I find their sound a little too... artificial, I guess? I think BG have superior melodies and whatever the band equivalent of "orchestration" is. (Not to mention their actual orchestration (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfEJwK6InXc), which is tremendous.)

Demons and Wizards I'll accept, but then again, it's still Hansi, so it's not that big a stretch. :P

[A Zarkin' Frood]

I never really liked Blind Guardian.
But I love Demons & Wizards.

But since when has Fantasy Metal become a genre? Back when I was a wee lad our metals just had too speeds. Metal and Extreme. What's up with this new wave of ridiculous genres? Has anyone ever heard of Winter Metal? It exists. I mean, I don't even care for all these labels, I've seen quite a few in my time, but Fantasy Metal? come on! It's like fucking Black Metal all over again. Only with dragons instead of church burning.

Yeah, I'm aware that Fantasy Metal would actually be "Power Metal" all over again. But you can't replace dragons with more dragons.

Silly IG, genres are for kidz.

[Hanuman]

I never really liked Blind Guardian.
But I love Demons & Wizards.

But since when has Fantasy Metal become a genre? Back when I was a wee lad our metals just had too speeds. Metal and Extreme. What's up with this new wave of ridiculous genres? Has anyone ever heard of Winter Metal? It exists. I mean, I don't even care for all these labels, I've seen quite a few in my time, but Fantasy Metal? come on! It's like fucking Black Metal all over again. Only with dragons instead of church burning.

Yeah, I'm aware that Fantasy Metal would actually be "Power Metal" all over again. But you can't replace dragons with more dragons.

Silly IG, genres are for kidz.
Metal is a relatively new genre in the big scheme of things.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Hawk]

It was somebody on this site who first got me into BG a few months ago. It was great because I had just finished the Silmarillion too. I haven't had chance to listen to anything other than that one album though.

[Magus]

Ah, where shall I begin. I enjoy many of their songs because they are so topical to my fantasy reading interests, be it The Dark Tower ("Somewhere Far Beyond"), the Silmarillion and Lord of the Rings (Nightfall in Middle-Earth and some others on their other albums), Elric of Melnibone ("Run Fast to Madness", "Cry for Tanelorn", "Quest for Tanelorn", etc. etc.), and now they finally tackled A Song of Ice and Fire and The Wheel of Time on their latest album At the Edge of Time ("The War of the Thrones and "A Voice in the Dark", "Ride into Obsession" and "Wheel of Time", respectively), which was a treat for me (also "Valkyries" and "Control the Divine" (which is based on Paradise Lost) are pretty amazing. Heck, it's all pretty amazing, even "Sacred Worlds" which was apparently done for some video game I never heard of). Plus a bunch of other stuff I can't remember but it's all pretty great.

[RickZarber]

Saw them tonight for the end of their North American tour. They played a lot of music. Like, at least a dozen songs. Plus both of their epics: we got And Then There Was Silence as a finisher, and then Wheel of Time as the encore. Plus they played like five songs after that! Not to mention a few that they didn't play anywhere else this tour: Punishment Divine (you could see Ehmke--the drummer--steeling himself beforehand) and, surprisingly, Barbara Ann. Good times.

My only complaint came from one of the bands that opened for them, who told people to start moshing. This venue isn't big enough for moshing; there's no where to go to get out of the way. So consequently, about half way through Guardian's set, a random mosh pit developed right in front of me and I didn't get out of the way in time before I was taken down by a hit to my bad knee. Had to retreat to a wall to lean on for the rest of the show. >: (

[Magus]

I never really liked Blind Guardian.
But I love Demons & Wizards.


Being as how Demons & Wizards is half Blind Guardian and sounds pretty much the same they might as well have called it "Mildly Iced Guardian" and been done with it ("Largely Blind Earth"?)

Although I guess Blind Guardian would never have ventured into the realm of

"EVERYTHING IS BURNING
ROTTEN FLESH KEEPS BURNING
IT'S MY LAST SUNRISE
IN FEEEEEAAAAAR"

without a little push from Iced Earth, all told.

The second album which is entirely based on The Dark Tower, I really dug that. Any news of a third album from Demons & Wizards? Two in one decade just isn't enough, I know it's a side project for both bands but they seem to create magic when they get together.

EDIT:

“You’re going to have to wait and find out my man. I mean, I’m just not ready to divulge yet. I’ve got a few irons in the fire and some things I’m very excited about. Hansi and I have planned late in 2009 to get together to do DEMONS (and WIZARDS) stuff so that’s going to be cool. We saw each other in Cologne (earlier this year) and made plans and I think it’s realistic to say that there will be a third DEMONS and WIZARDS album probably mid- to late 2010. We’re going to have two song writing sessions. We are committed to doing the bulk of this in-person. One of the things I felt like from the last Demons album was that we had this window of opportunity where we had to get it done and we kind of let time dictate the schedule instead of our feelings and that was probably a mistake. I mean I’m proud of that record (“Touched by the Crimson King” 2005) and it sold killer and it’s a good album but I think Hansi and I are capable of a lot more especially when we get back to the root reasons of why we did this thing together. We are not going to be bogged down by schedules – we’re going to do this as we see fit and we’re not going to let a particular window of opportunity dictate that this is when we have to do it. We’re going to do it as it feels natural – and if we feel that in Spring of 2010 that we don’t have the songs yet then we’ll push it back. I mean, we don’t have to do it on any specific schedule. We had a really long talk about it and I’m really looking forward to it because I always enjoy working with Hansi and just spending time with him. So, our first get-together is going to be late in the year, but before that I’ve got a few things going on and like I said, we’ll announce it in due course.”

Thank you, Wikipedia.

[A Zarkin' Frood]

I was always more of an Iced Earth fan (Though, not anymore, at least I haven't checked them for any new records in the last few years).
While Blind Guardian have some great songs (And then there was Silence!) I never dug their overall style. Demon's & Wizards took the best of both bands, in my opinion, and made it something reminiscent of the "source" bands but still unique.

The first album has some songs I really love, but I think the second is better overall.

[h4x.m4g3]

I saw them last week when they were in Atlanta. A friend brought me along to be his ward against evil (something random has prevent him from attending the last four years or so), so it was my first exposure to them.

It was awesome. That is all.