Several weeks back I was contacted by an independant record label who had found our website, www.mastersrpg.com), and was wondering if I'd be interested in reviewing the new album by one of their rock artists. It seems that the German metal band Blind Guardian had put together an album inspired by the fantasy genre: J.R.R. Tolkien's work "The Silmarillion" to be specific. Now, being a music lover, I'm always interested in listening to something new, and being a Tolkien fan the prospect of a rock album based on his work really intrigued me. So it was with a great deal of excitement that I opened the promo CD when it arrived and tossed it in the player the moment I got back to the office. What greeted me when the CD began was a blitzkrieg of heavy metal riffs, eerie ballads and a medieval battle thrown in for good measure. If you're a fan of the hard rock or heavy metal style music, then I highly recommend this album. If you're also a fan of fantasy stories, knights in armor and the like, then I recommend it even further. As I've listened to this album more times than I can count while at home and at work, I feel that I can say that and be justified in doing so. It reminds me of bands such as earlier Iron Maiden or Crimson Glory, yet Blind Guardian has a heavy style all their own. Songs such as "Into the Storm" and "The Curse of Feanor" have a crunchy, meaty sound reminiscent of any good metal album. Then you've got "Nightfall" that has an eerie opener which quickly escalates into a driving piece that gave me chills the first time I heard it. It remains one of my favorite songs on the album, along with selections such as "Mirror Mirror", "Naldor (Dead Winter Reigns)", "Time Stands Still (At the Iron Hill)" and "Thorn." Hats off to Hansi Kursch, Andre Olbrich, Marcus Siepen and Thomas Stanch for putting together such a incredible conceptual metal album. Also, a hearty pat on the back to artist Andreas Marschall for the stunning cover art. Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed Blind Guardian's "Nightfall in Middle Earth" and am pleased to have it in my collection, but I'm still not sure if I should put it with the regular albums or the soundtracks! Back to Masters of Role Playing #7 Table of Contents Back to Masters of Role Playing List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 1999 by Chalice Publications. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com