Blind Guardian: A Night at the Opera 12"

With a steady evolution from their early days as a speed metal band to their current, renowned musical alchemy of glory, drama, and grandiosity, Germany's Blind Guardian have long since made their mark as the world's definitive melodic/progressive rock band. Called everything from heavy metal bards to modern-day minstrels, Blind Guardian possess the ability to transport their legions of fans to new landscapes with their majestic songwriting, fantastically themed lyrics, and meticulous, emotion-packed music. January 2019 sees the band team up with Nuclear Blast to reissue remixed and remastered editions of their three classic albums Imaginations from the Other Side (1995), Nightfall in Middle-Earth (1998) and A Night at the Opera (2002).

Teaming up with producer Charlie Bauerfeind (Helloween, Gamma Ray, Angra) at the band's own Twilight Hall Studios in Grefrath-Oedt, Germany, seventh studio effort A Night at the Opera showcased a more aggressive version of Hansi Kürsch's strongly emotive vocals, and cleaner, down-tuned guitar sounds. While the storytelling aspect of the band and the epic and grandiose studio performances remained intact, noticeably absent were the Tolkien-themed lyrics, but that would prove to be no hindrance to the success that waited them. A Night at the Opera went on to receive universal praise as one of the best albums in its genre. This reissue is augmented by the bonus cuts "Age Of False Innocence" and "Under The Ice."