Demons & Wizards...Better Than Any BG Album?

Walter_Langkowski

Neuroses Facilitator
I've been listening a lot to the 1999 Demons & Wizards release a lot lately, and I am just totally in awe of this album. This is just a masterpiece in my eyes. I really believe that this is Jon Schaeffer's last true bit of genius as there isn't one bit of filler on this thing. Hansi sounds unbelievable with his mixed vocal delivery as well.

I do like BG, especially Nightfall In Middle Earth, but I think that this album tops all of them by BG.

Thoughts?
 
Well, I have D&W and most of Guardian's discography as well... I will be honest... D&W never caught 100% of my attraction, even though it's a strong album... Maybe cause I didnt listen to it as many times as I should have...

GIve me two or three more days and I'll give you another thought.. I haven't listened to it in a while =)
 
Hard to say if it is better, but it is definitely up there on the same level with the best Blind Guardian and the best Iced Earth.
 
Metropolis Part 2 said:
Yes, I would agree mainly. Its one of the best Power Metal releases ever, if not the best ever.

I think you're overreacting over it... Best eveR?
 
D&W is definitely one of my all time favorite albums, but in my opinion it is not as good as Nightfall in Middle Earth. If I hadn't read the Silmarillion a couple of times, though, I might think otherwise. If you know the stories that NiME is rooted in, the album has so much more depth.
 
Hmmm... can't say that I agree. I think it's quite average, bordering on disappointing. I'd put it below everything in Iced Earth's entire catalogue, and below 3 or 4 Blind Guardian CDs. And to call it Jon's "last true bit of genius" is to suggest you've never heard the Gettysburg trilogy.

Zod
 
General Zod said:
Hmmm... can't say that I agree. I think it's quite average, bordering on disappointing. I'd put it below everything in Iced Earth's entire catalogue, and below 3 or 4 Blind Guardian CDs. And to call it Jon's "last true bit of genius" is to suggest you've never heard the Gettysburg trilogy.

Zod

my thoughts exactly... :Spin:
 
I like Demons & Wizards but for me they are nowhere near Blind Guardian. D&M is very simple, straight-forward metal (I learned how to play the entire album on guitar, including all melody lines and solos, in one afternoon), which does not mean its bad, but Blind GUardian is so much more detailed and rich, and on top of that just simply kicks ass! For me, what makes D&W stand out is Hansi's voice, but if you take him out, it would have simply been another Iced Earth album, only a little less heavy. I like Iced Earth (up to Something Wicked...by far their best album) but Blind Guardian is simply unique and nothing comes close to them IMO (Persuader gets close to their older material). Hail the Guardians!
 
I'm with Yngvai X. D&W is a separate entity. I love it, but... I don't bang my head all the way through the album, like I do with Something Wicked and Imaginations.

And LIVE is Blind Guardian's best album. BY FAR. I get to hear Majesty and Valhalla in excellent audio quality, I get to hear thousands of people singing along to The Bard's Song, I get to hear Mirror Mirror just tearing the cones off my speakers.... that's my favorite BG album.

And strangely, ALIVE IN ATHENS is my favorite Iced Earth album. For the very same reasons. I get to hear Barlow, I get to hear him do Iced Earth without that shitty Grim Reaperish scream from their first singer, I get to hear such an outrageously eeeeeevil version of Dante's Inferno.... excellent.

I want a Blind Guardian/Iced Earth tour.




I'ma go cry about Thomen now....
 
General Zod said:
Hmmm... can't say that I agree. I think it's quite average, bordering on disappointing. I'd put it below everything in Iced Earth's entire catalogue, and below 3 or 4 Blind Guardian CDs. And to call it Jon's "last true bit of genius" is to suggest you've never heard the Gettysburg trilogy.

Zod


Thanks for your honest opinions Zod.

Oh, and I've heard The Gettysburg trilogy quite a few times and I think that it is uninspired garbage, along with about 85% of the rest of that album. But that's another thread...