Blind Guardian are no strangers to the word “masterpiece”. Their catalog is filled with albums of which this word can be applied to. Their early output blurred the lines between power and speed metal, showcasing a young, hungry band with musical and songwriting abilities beyond comprehension. Much like Helloween, Blind Guardian served as a melodic alternative to the harsh Teutonic thrash of bands like Sodom, Kreator, and Destruction. They further embraced their melodic side on 1998’s Nightfall in Middle-Earth, practically abandoning the raw speed of their youth for grandiose arrangements, progressive musicianship, and epic lyricism.
This set the tone for much of Blind Guardian’s catalog to follow, as well as the euro power metal scene in general for that matter. Too many bands to mention have embraced the power-prog-symphonic amalgamation and laughed all the way to the bank while doing so. But as the old saying goes, “often imitated, never duplicated”. Whereas 99% of this crop comes off as bloated, tired, and downright pompous, Blind Guardian has managed to stay mostly fresh; continuing to release exciting modern power metal albums. And I can’t think of a more exciting Blind Guardian album in recent memory than The God Machine.
For those who follow the metal media, The God Machine has been hyped via interviews with founder Hansi Kürsch for close to a year now (or so it feels). Somehow it got out on social media that this would be a “return to the early sound”. Now whenever I hear this, I can’t help but feel weary. Time and time again I’ve heard veteran bands resort to this tactic, and it comes off as nothing more than a marketing ploy. Why? Because 99% of the time said album sounds NOTHING like “the early sound”. I’m happy to say The God Machine is part of the 1% that stays true to its promise.
From the opening wrath of “Deliver Us From Evil”, Blind Guardian lets it be known that they haven’t lost one bit of their speed metal mojo. The ripping power-speed aesthetic is further strengthened by Kürsch’s soaring vocals (How has he been singing like this for 35 years?) and an epic arrangement that has since become the band’s signature. Mind you, this isn’t a mere one-off. Roughly half of The God Machine can be categorized as speed metal. Whether it be the Painkiller tinged “Violent Shadows”, or the unrelenting attack that is “Blood of the Elves”, Blind Guardian still has the speed flowing through their veins.
But of course, what would this album be without stylistic diversity? “The speed metal album of the decade!”, one may answer, but I digress. See, it doesn’t matter whether Blind Guardian is playing melodramatic power metal with operatic vocals and symphonic undertones (“Secrets of the American Gods”), slow, menacing power-doom (“Life Beyond the Spheres”), or even an epic ballad that has since become obligatory of the euro power metal scene (“Let It Be No More”). Blind Guardian manages to keep things creatively fresh and organic. There is not one moment throughout this entire release that feels forced. Kürsch remains a potent font of ideas, both lyrically and musically. When set to the spellbinding soundtrack we know as Blind Guardian, these ideas become nothing short of enchanting.
With The God Machine, Blind Guardian can chalk up yet another tally in the masterpiece column. What’s absolutely incredible is if I were to rank this in the scope of their catalog, it wouldn’t even crack the top 5. Yet when putting it head to head with this year’s releases thus far, well…you can wait a few more months for my Top 40 of the year, you greedy bastard. That said, the below rating speaks for itself. If you’re looking for a lethal dose of unadulterated power, Blind Guardian has you covered.
10 out of 10
Label: Nuclear Blast
Genre: Power Metal
For fans of: Helloween, Grave Digger, Judas Priest