Ranking the Studio Albums: Blind Guardian (w/Rich Catino & Nick Franco)

Join Pete Pardo, Rich Catino, and Nick Franco as they rank the albums of German power metal legends Blind Guardian. #blindguardian
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[@warpig4942]

"Nightfall in Middle Earth" doubles in greatness for anyone who has read "The Silmarillion" and can then recognize how insightful the lyrics are. All time masterpiece. P.S. When you do the logos show you can put a jab in on Blind Guardian for stealing their font from The Bee Gees.

[@PWRobinson1976]

Bloody hell!!! I never noticed 😂😂😂

[@themetallian2112]

#1 - "Imaginations from the Other Side" - (1995) 🏆👑 #2 - "Nightfall in Middle-Earth" - (1998) #3 - "Somewhere Far Beyond" - (1992) #4 - "Tales from the Twilight World" - (1990) #5 - "Battalions of Fear" - (1988) #6 - "Follow the Blind" - (1989) #7 - "At the Edge of Time" - (2010) #8 - "Beyond the Red Mirror" - (2015) #9 - "A Night at the Opera" - (2002) #10 - "Legacy of the Dark Lands" - (2019) #11 - "A Twist in the Myth" - (2006) Love this band! Thanks guys for doing this!!

[@Questformetal]

On our quest for Tanelorn! Somewhere far beyond is a masterpiece

[@diannecarpenter7718]

Thank you guys for your picks. My top 5 picks: 5.*A Twist In the Myth 4.*Tales From the Twilight World 3.*Nightfall In the Middle Earth 2.* Imagination From the Other Side 1. * Somewhere Far Beyond 🎤🎸🎵🥁

[@floriansievers6439]

Yes, Blind Gurdian! One of the first metal bands I have ever listened to (I think after Helloween and Manowar). Love all their albums (including the cover art) and even the lowest entries on my list are 8/10 for me. And the top 4 ranks are quite interchangeable. I am not including the orchestral album because it is credited to "Blind Guardian Twilight Orchestra" and as far as I know, not all of the members had partaking, so here's my ranking of ten albums: #10 - A Twist in the Myth #09 - At the Edge of Time #08 - Follow the Blind #07 - Battalions of Fear #06 - Beyond the Red Mirror #05 - A Night at the Opera #04 - Imaginations from the Other Side #03 - Somewhere far Beyond #02 - Tales for the Twilight World #01 - Nightfall in Middle-Earth Looking forward for to see your choices!

[@IRONHORSE_666]

Great thing about this channel is all the different views you get on a Artist's work. It really helps turned people on to Artist's they may not be so familiar with.

[@danteruivo]

1 - Imaginations 2 - Somewhere Far Beyond 3 - Nightfall 4 - Tales 5 - Follow the Blind

[@metal-adventures-joerg]

Thanks for reviewing a german band!!! Greetings from Stuttgart,Germany!!!

[@MrJericholic]

Ranking this catalog is so difficult but Imaginations From The Other Side is definitely my #1

[@Ryan_Thompson_Guitarist]

For me, it goes: 1) Nightfall in Middle Earth 2) Somewhere Far Beyond 3) Imaginations from the Other Side 4) At the Edge of Time 5) Tales from the Twilight World 6) A Night at the Opera 7) Battalions of Fear 8) Follow the Blind 9) Beyond the Red Mirror 10) A Twist in the Myth 11) Legacy of the Dark Lands

[@JoeyArmstrong2800]

Imaginations from the other side is their best. A culmination of the older speed metal and their bombastic future.

[@analoguesoul]

Thsnks for Blind Guardian ❤️ waiting for Gamma Ray & Avantasia & Great White album rankings

[@johankarlsson4357]

1. Imaginations From the Other Side 2. Somewhere Far Beyond 3. Nightfall in Middle Earth 4. Tales from the twilight world 5. Battalions of Fear 6. Follow The Blind 7. A Night at the Opera 8. At the Edge of Time 9. Beyond the Red Mirror 10. A twist in The Myth

[@garyjoyce2160]

Like this trio. RICH/ NICK/ PETE. 👍💯

[@fmainier]

If you read interviews from Hansi from 2019, he doesn’t consider Legacy of the Dark Lands a regular BG album, that’s why the album is credited to the "Blind Guardian Twilight Orchestra" instead of Blind Guardian. Besides it’s not his project, but his project with André Olbrich who is a songwriter and producer on the album.

[@CarloNassar]

That's honestly what some people don't seem to get.

[@wastelander1015]

Love BG, one of last few bands a haven't seen live yet. My rank goes like this: 1. At the edge of time 10/10 2. Somewhere far beyond 10/10 3. A night at the opera 10/10 4. Nightfall in middle-earth 10/10 5. Imaginations from the other side 9/10 6. Beyond the red mirror 8/10 7. Tales from the twilight world 8/10 8. Battalions of fear 7/10 9. Follow the blind 7/10 10. A twist in the myth 6/10

[@dannyfeanor]

Thanks for Blind Guardian! They were the band that got me not just into metal, but for me also laid foundation for listening more progressive music later. My top 3 choices are mostly because of how much powerful and emotional Hansi's vocal performances are on those albums. I consider Legacy of the Dark Lands more as a BG spin-off, so my (volatile and current) ranking is as follows: 10.) A Night at the Opera 09.) A Twist in the Myth 08.) Beyond the Red Mirror 07.) Battalions of Fear 06.) At the Edge of Time 05.) Follow the Blind 04.) Tales from the Twilight World 03.) Somewhere Far Beyond 02.) Imaginations from the Other Side 01.) Nightfall in Middle-Earth

[@andrewpequita6569]

I also first saw this band on the 2002 tour. I got into them with Nightfall when It got a domestic release in 1998 and slowly I acquired all the albums. At the time I was really in the depths of death and black metal so I had to acclimate to their sound. My friends and I first saw them when we traveled from Massachusetts to the Medley in Montreal. We were in our early 20s and carefree and that was the best live set I’ve ever seen. Seeing them live cemented them as one of my favorite bands ever. Listening to one of you talk about the entire crowd singing the Bard song is something we experienced at that show and it was like a magic tonic. 1. Somewhere Far Beyond 2. Nightfall 3. Tales from the Twilight World 4. Imaginations 5. A Night at the Opera 6. The God Machine 7. Edge of Time 8. Follow the Blind 9. A Twist in the Myth 10. Battalions 11. Beyond the Red Mirror 12. Legacy of Dark Lands.

[@themadmattster9647]

Blind Guardian has been my life for over twenty years

[@gringochucha]

Cool video. I have to say I've never felt the "power metal" tag really does Blind Guardian justice. Since Tales, their sound has always been so unique and nothing like typical power metal bands like Helloween, Hammerfall, Edguy, Gamma Ray, Stratovarius and the like.

[@hsmetalhb2036]

Thanks guys! As always: Great discussion, full of knowledge and highly entertaining. I really enjoy this channel. My Top 5 form BG: 1. Imaginations from the other Side 2. Somewhere far beyond 3. Nightfall in Middle-Earth 4. Tales from the Twilight World 5. Follow the Blind

[@henrikkoponen3615]

My list, worst to best (a little bit divided in groups): Twilight orchestra A night at the opera Beyond the red mirror Battalions of fear Follow the blind At the edge of time A twist in the myth The god machine Tales from the twilight world Imaginations from the other side Somewhere far beyond Nightfall in Middle-Earth

[@MrFrikkenfrakken]

Glad to see you get to these guys, I have really enjoyed this band from day one. While your lists are varied I can't argue with any of them, here is mine: 'Nightfall', 'Somewhere Far Beyond', 'Twilight World', 'Edge of Time', 'Follow The Blind', 'Beyond The Red Mirror', 'Myth', 'Imaginations', 'Battalions of Fear', 'Opera' - not ranking the last as it was not a BG album proper. Fun show Rich, Nick and Pete.

[@diannecarpenter7718]

Rich’s shirt and collages rock!!🎤🎸🎵🥁

[@RanterInShades]

My top 5: 5. Tales From the Twilight World 4. A Night at the Opera 3. Nightfall in Middle Earth 2. Somewhere Far Beyond 1. Imaginations From the Other Side

[@mohammed.alfarsi.454]

1 Somewhere Far Beyond 2 Nightfall in Middle Earth 3 Tales From The Twilight World 4 Battalions Of Fear 5 Follow The Blind 6 Imaginations From The Other Side I'll rank the others once I listen to them 🤘🏼

[@Alecx854]

For me l suppose it's something like this but it's very switchable 1. Nightfall in Middle earth 2. God Machine 3. Imaginations from the other side 4. Somewhere Far beyond 5. At the edge of time 6. Beyond the red mirror 7. A night at the opera 8. Tales from the twilight hall 9. Legacy of the dark lands 10. Twist in the myth 11. Follow the Blind 12. Battalions of fear

[@SolidusDaedalus]

Awesome and varied lists! One of the greatest power metal bands, with one of the greatest vocalists ever. Mine would be a bit of a mix of all of your lists - I started a couple years ago with Nightfall and Imaginations and went to both directions from there. Love every album, but Imaginations has to be my favorite. Cheers!

[@johnnyjohansson1736]

Always go back to Nightfall in Middle earth. Absolutely love it, probably one of the best albums of the genre.

[@themadmattster9647]

it's their best album, bar none, and groundbreaking, though my personal favorite is still Tales since it's the first I heard and changed my life

[@johnnyjohansson1736]

@@themadmattster9647 my first was the Forgotten tales which is a more experimental album with covers and acoustic versions then Nightfall so that definitely matters. Tales is my nr.2.

[@jensnilsson1507]

Great to see so different lists! My list is close to Rich's list and I got into BG with "imaginations" and my top 3 is imaginations, somewhere far beyond and follow the blind, with follow the blind being number 3 and the other two constantly shifting the other spots.

[@artirony410]

I'd rank them 10. Battalions of Fear 9. Follow The Blind 8. Beyond The Red Mirror 7. A Night At The Opera 6. At The Edge Of Time 5. Tales From The Twilight World 4. A Twist In The Myth 3. Nightfall In Middle Earth 2. Somewhere Far Beyond 1. Imaginations From The Other Side

[@michaelhudson2912]

Mine: 1. Nightfall 2. Imaginations 3. Somewhere 4. Tales 5. Opera 6. Edge 7. Mirror 8. Twist 9. Battalions 10. Follow Legacy is a Blind Guardian Twilight Orchestra side project, not a BG album

[@donaldwrissler9059]

I didn't get into BG at first due to the Helloween worship early on, so it took awhile to renew my interest. 1. At the Edge of Time - 'Control the Divine' is my fav BG song 2. Imaginations from the other side 3. Somewhere Beyond 4. Night at the Opera 5. Tales from the Twilight Hall 6. Nightfall on middle earth 7. A Twist in the Myth 8. Follow the Blind 9. Beyond the Red Mirror 10. Battalions of fear

[@AMCmachine]

The orchestral album took Hansi literally about 20 years to finally put out.

[@johnkatsoudas3544]

Tales From The Twilight World is the first album I ever listened to from Blind Guardian back in 1993 at 15 years old. I had to order the album from a catalog in some Heavy Metal magazine because at that time it was not available in America, but only as an import. I could not get into Grunge music that was extremely popular back then, so I got into Power Metal instead. Gamma Ray is another band that I got into back in the early to mid 90's the exact same way. They also have an amazing catalog of albums. Hopefully you guys do a ranking of their albums soon.

[@PWRobinson1976]

Beenn listening to Blind Guardian for nearly 30 years now. Have to say that their best album is ... (drum roll) ... "Somewhere far Beyond" ... 😉

[@themadmattster9647]

I've been listening to them since February 2nd 1998 when I received Tales From The Twilight World on my mom's porch in the mail from R.A.M. music that ran ads in Metal Edge Magazine tto sell import cds.

[@PWRobinson1976]

@@themadmattster9647 ... and bee hooked ever since? 😀 Gotcha! 😀 Always love to meet fellow Guardian fans! Where are you from? I'm from the southern part of Germany, though I am half US being an army brat and all 😀

[@chasemathis2016]

Fuck yeah, I thought I was alone with putting Somewhere Far Beyond at #1. It's an album that is best enjoyed listening from start to finish. The title track is just epic, and listening to both of the Bards Songs back to back is almost too perfect.

[@PWRobinson1976]

@@chasemathis2016 Yeah, that album is just pure perfection!

[@chasemathis2016]

@@PWRobinson1976 I only buy my absolute favorite albums on vinyl. I don't have many, but that small collection consists of Balls to the Wall, Sabbath's Sabotage, Under The Sign of the Black Mark, Made in Japan, and of course Somewhere Far Beyond. It's in that elite tier that not many others get to be in. I'll never get tired of listening to it!

[@peterichards3261]

Nice show. Some very different rankings. By the way Beyond The Red Mirror was actually designed to be a sequel to Imaginations From The Other Side. Nice mention Pete and yes they did play Last Candle on the last tour I saw them on in London...the Red Mirror tour. Nightfall is my favourite followed by Imaginations, Somewhere, Tales and then At The Edge Of Time which I thought was a brilliant album

[@lening9]

1) Nightfall in Middle-Earth 2) Imaginations from the Other Side 3) Somewhere Far Beyond 4) Tales from the Twilight World 5) A Night at the Opera 6) Battalions of Fear 7) Follow the Blind 8) Beyond the Red Mirror 9) At the Edge of Time 10) Twilight Orchestra: Legacy of the Dark Lands 11) A Twist in the Myth

[@bgkakos]

1) Imaginations From The Other Side 2) Somewhere Far Beyond 3) Tales From The Twilight World 4) Nightfall In Middle Earth 5) At the Edge of Time 6) The God Machine 7) A Night at the Opera 8) Follow the Blind 9) Battalions of Fear 10) A Twist in the Myth 11) Beyond the Red Mirror

[@TimmyTantrum]

I would have to really sit down and listen to all of them again (especially the latest 3 or 4) to give an honest personal ranking, but what I do know is: Somewhere Far Beyond is my all time #1; the first five albums would comprise my top 5; there isn't a single album of theirs that I dislike at all, but I'm not as crazy for Nightfall in Middle Earth as everyone else seems to be--maybe I'm missing something; and I still haven't listened to the orchestral album yet, not so excited to do so after this video...

[@OferZivony]

I felt like Hansi got a bit too much credit - he's maybe the best vocalist out there, but it's André who writes about 90% of the music. As a long-time fan my list would certainly include Legacy of the Dark Lands in the top 3 (along with 2 out of BtRM, NiME and ANatO) and I was surprised that none of you liked it. I can (and did, for a long period) listen to it any day. For me it feels like an anthology of songs from different periods merged into a concept album. It actually has songs written in the Nightfall in Middle Earth era - and written for orchestra (not adjusted), and for a big big fan of NiME, from around the time when it came out, it feels both nostalgic and refreshing. And it's very varied, as it contains compositions from different periods. I just hope people won't shy away from even trying it after so many (undeserved, imho) bad reviews. Blind Guardian are better when doing unexpected things, and originality is a big part of their quality...

[@acidarrow]

It's definitely NIghtfall for me and I think it's worth mentioning that the narration on the interlude parts from the two British actors really adds to the atmosphere. At the beginning when I heard "I release thee... GO!" I was like OK they've made an effort to hire some decent actors who are taking it seriously, plus the spoken parts are not over-used like on some Rhapsody albums for example.

[@ilovevinyl620]

1. Nightfall in Middle-Earth 2. Imaginations from the other Side 3. Tales from the Twilight World 4. Somewhere far beyond 5. Follow The Blind 6. At the Edge of Time 7. Legacy of the dark Lands 8. Beyond the red Mirror 9. A Night at the Opera Unfortunately I don't own 'Battalions of Fear' and 'A Twist in the Myth'.

[@robertsparling917]

For the next Hudson Valley Squares, you guys should express your thoughts on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!

[@simond1574]

I think, this would be a complete waste of time. They aren't worth talking about.

[@analoguesoul]

You mean the hall of shame?? They're a joke

[@robertsparling917]

@@analoguesoul Especially for turning down Iron Maiden and Judas Priest.

[@MetalPersonJ]

@@simond1574 Agreed, the less breath wasted on them the better.

[@nerzenjaeger]

Thomen went on to form Savage Circus. The first album, Dreamland Manor, is an almost perfect encapsulation of the old BG sound, even the singer sounded like Hansi.

[@RockstarWizardess]

Yeah and the album turned out to be not so great. They tried to be old BG and failed. It lacks originality and it doesn't slap like BG do. This album is one of the reasons that makes me want to side with the band even more.

[@squid4104]

A big thank you to Pete and his mates. Another band I'd never heard of. Beautiful vocal harmonies like the band The Sweet on amphetamines lol.

[@Ryan_Thompson_Guitarist]

It's important to note that the orchestral album is not a proper BG album. It's a side project.

[@MovieMasterMike]

It says blind Guardian on it.

[@nicholasadams9881]

A Band i really should have gotten into, Discovered them when I saw them live at Bloodstock 2009 and never gotten round to listening to their albums. Now is the time!

[@simonepeverelli883]

I got into BG with somewhere far beyond, and for me it's the best. It's speed metal with epic prog influences. It's dark and it contains the Bard song, a all time live classic. Immagination follows closely, and then nightfall. Legacy of the dark land is a solo project and I keep it out of the list. I've seen BG live many times but nothing can be compared to seeing them at Wacken, in their homeland, in front of 100000 fans. Everyone was songing! Cheers from Switzerland!

[@mtaffer]

Nightfall in Middle Earth is my favorite, but I also love Twist in the Myth and ANaTO very much. I'm more of a fan of the bombastic stuff than the speed metal. I do think The Lord of the Rings and The Bard's song are absolute classics though. And Then There Was Silence is one of the most interesting songs i've ever heard. I fall in love with that song again all the time.

[@IcedEarthMinion]

Blind Guardian! Finally!! Thank you SoT team 🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@jeremyf9476]

Friend of mine in the military burned me a CD in 2003 that had Blind Guardian Nighfall in Middle Earth and Symphony X Twilight in Olympus. That CD never left my discman for my entire deployment.

[@eslwgpg1226]

1. Imaginations From The Other Side 2. A Night At The Opera 3. Nightfall In Middle Earth 4. Beyond The Red Mirror 5. At The Edge Of Time 6. Somewhere Far Beyond 7. A Twist In The Myth 8. Tales From The Twilight World 9. Legacy Of The Dark Lands 10. Follow The Blind 11. Battalions Of Fear

[@BSPVMD]

Very cool, I was at that Birch Hill show also!

[@headovmetal]

I was hoping you'd rank their albums! I adore them all and listen to them over and over, more than any other band, other than Enslaved. I just skip the cover songs. Thank you guys for such a knowledgeable commentary!

[@meganega123]

1. Nightfall in Middle-Earth 2. Imaginations from the other side 3. At the edge of time 4. Tales from the twilight world 5. Battallions of fear 6. Beyond the red mirror 7. Somewhere far beyond 8. A night at the opera 9. Legacy of the dark lands 10. The God Machine 11. A twist in the myth 12. Follow the blind

[@damianczarnecki8775]

My rank: 1 Imaginations from the Other Side 2 Somewhere Far Beyond 3 Tales from the Twilight World 4 Battalions of Fear 5 Follow the Blind 6 Nightfall in Middle-Earth 7 The God Machine 8 A Twist in the Myth 9 Beyond the Red Mirror 10 At the Edge of Time 11 A Night at the Opera 12 Legacy of the Dark Lands

[@xyzz101]

You should do Gamma Ray next

[@w-james9277]

12. Legacy of the Dark Lands 11. A Twist in the Myth 10. Battalions of Fear 9. A Night at the Opera 8. Follow the Blind 7. Tales from the Twilight World 6. Beyond the Red Mirror 5. At the Edge of Time 4. The God Machine 3. Somewhere Far Beyond 2. Nightfall in Middle Earth 1. Imaginations from the Other Side

[@chrisharper6088]

Excellent ranking show, apologies to pick up on one comment, big follower of Sonata Arctica, never really classed them as a happy band, please try the song, Caleb from the album Unia, quite dark, in fact much like the album, especially Paid In Full. Anyway looking forward to listening to my Blind Guardian collection again only really picked up on them around Night of the Opera, By the way loved the Edguy show, any chance of Avantasia?

[@themadmattster9647]

watching their Wacken 2020 virtual event, the new song they played was veryy speed metal and the same with their setlist being more derived fron that

[@peterspalda1077]

11. Follow the Blind 10. Battalions of Fear 09. Legacy of the Darklands 08. A Twist in the Myth 07. At the Edge of Time 06. Beyond the Red Mirror 05. Imaginations from the Other Side 04. Tales from the Twilight World 03. Somewhere Far Beyond 02. Nightfall in Middle-Earth 01. A Night at the Opera

[@danielflorio4739]

1. imaginations 2. SFB 3. Nightfall 4. Opera 5. Edge Of Time

[@The.Last.Candle]

I go back and forth, and this is one of the few examples to me where “best” and “favorite” can be applied to two different albums in a band’s discography. Imaginations is arguably their best album. Every song absolutely kills, it’s a nonstop masterclass in power metal pomp. Nightfall is just so perfect to me, though. The entire vibe of the album and the stone cold classic songs paired with the interludes and wide open Manowar-esque production are just too much. NiME is probably my favorite album ever.

[@cryofthewolfmagazine]

awesome

[@RockstarWizardess]

Yesterday I listened to a podcast with their former drummer Thomen Stauch where he discussed the direction BG had taken. There's a part of that podcast here on YT. He said they sounded "too intelligent" and that "it wasn't his cup of tea anymore". Apparently he wanted to retain the Imaginations style sound, while the rest of the band wanted to expand their music potential. A lot of fans say things like "the new albums aren't Imaginations or Nightfall anymore". Now imagine if the new albums did sound like Imaginations or Nightfall. Then fans would say things like "they're stuck in the 90's and play same things over and over, that's so dull". Honestly, the more I listen to that podcast, the more I side with the band. They were right to expand their horizons without forgetting their roots. Each album is unique and you can tell them apart. Of course, there are aspects of "the new BG" that kinda deserve their criticism (Beyond the Red Mirror being a mess and the mixing of A Twist in the Myth), but in general things are going right for them. Here's the link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gprWhZKsjd1lo8U

[@Ihatecensorship1]

Thank you for this. :)

[@RockstarWizardess]

@@Ihatecensorship1 You're welcome. 👍

[@nod55106]

NIGHTFALL!!!!!!!!!, one of the greatest power metal albums of all time. i can listen to this any day of the week.

[@themadmattster9647]

glad Tales is a bit higher than expected, as that was always my fave!

[@forestofthewolfofficial]

11 Battalions Of Fear 10 A Twist in the Myth 9 At the Edge of Time 8 Legacy Of The Dark Lands 7 Beyond The Red Mirror 6 Follow The Blind 5 A Night At The Opera 4 Nightfall in Middle-Earth 3 Imagination from the other side 2 Tales from the twilight world 1 Somewhere Far Beyond

[@cirenotsluor9999]

Amazon Prime is also doing 'The Wheel Time' series that was pushed back to who knows when due to Covid.

[@gordy3714]

Imaginations From the Other Side. Is it with Nick Franco.

[@simond1574]

Legacy of a dark land is not in my list, as it is not a real BG album for me. Respect for the ambitions and the concept, but it doesn't much for me... The other albums I can rank in 4 tiers Total Classics, belong in every collection 1. Imaginations from the other side 2. Somewhere far beyond 3. Nightfall in Middle Earth Great albums 4. At the Edge of Time 5. Tales from the Twilight Hall 6. Follow The Blind some great songs, rest ok 7. Beyond the Red Mirror 8.A Night at the Opera 9. Battallions of Fear Sorry, no 10. A twist in the myth

[@xllag]

I really enjoyed the discussion. What surprised me is that Nightfall in Middle Earth (also my favourite) is so highly rated and Legacy of the Dark Lands is left in such a bad position. For me, LotDL is a masterpiece. Obviously it doesn't sound like metal, but it is conceived as such. And it has several impressive songs and an overwhelming vocal treatment. I accept that the interludes detract from its dynamics (compared to NiME) but it has some of BG's most epic songs, like This Storm.

[@Spartanj42]

1. At the Edge of Time 2. A Night At the Opera 3. Nightfall in Middle Earth 4. Somewhere Far Beyond 5. Imaginations From the Other Side 6. Beyond the Red Mirror 7. Tales From the Twilight World 8. A Twist in the Myth 9. Follow the Blind 10. Battalions of Fear I still haven't finished the orchestral album

[@Orange_Affinity]

I must say that I am not a fan of High Fantasy novels and Dungeons & Dragons type stuff, but I LOVE Blind Guardian! So that might explain my rankings... 11. Nightfall In Middle Earth 10. Legacy Of The Dark Lands 9. Battalions Of Fear 8. Follow The Blind 7. Beyond The Red Mirror 6. At The Edge Of Time 5. Tales From The Twilight World 4. A Night At The Opera 3. Somewhere Far Beyond 2. Imaginations From The Other Side 1. A Twist In The Myth

[@eliunger16]

Nightfall in middle earth is my fave blind guardian album.

[@themadmattster9647]

I own that pendant!

[@SardonicWrath]

1. Follow the Blind 2. Somewhere Far Beyond 3. Nightfall in Middle-Earth 4. Tales from the Twilight World 5. Battalions of Fear 6. Imaginations from the Other Side 7. At The Edge of Time 8. The Forgotten Tales 9. A Twist in the Myth 10. A Night at the Opera 11. Beyond the red Mirror 12. Twilight Orchestra: Legacy of the Dark Lands

[@SardonicWrath]

I was about to write a comment about how none of you mentioned the masterpiece that is The Curse of Feanor, when Pete saved the day. Thanks! Great show as always. Blind Guardian is one of my favorite bands ever.

[@dissonanttapes]

1. Nightfall in Middle-Earth 2. At the Edge of Time 3. Imaginations from the Other Side 4. Somewhere Far Beyond 5. Tales from the Twilight World 6. A Night at the Opera 7. A Twist in the Myth 8. Battalions of Fear 9. Follow the Blind 10. Beyond the Red Mirror 11. Twilight Orchestra: Legacy of the Dark Lands

[@deadliestassassin3092]

Would love to see a Nocturnal Rites ranking or Warlord. Speaking of Warlord, William J. Tsamis passed away so RIP Warlord. 10. A Twist In The Myth 9. A Night At The Opera 8. Beyond The Red Mirror 7. Follow The Blind 6. At The Edge Of Time 5. Battalions Of Fear 4. Tales From The Twilight World 3. Somewhere Far Beyond 2. Imaginations From The Other Side 1. Nightfall In Middle Earth

[@metalanthology]

Blind Guardian is such a difficult band for me to rate their albums. Follow the Blind is my last choice and I think it will be the best album in a lot of Power Metal discography. They’ve done so many different styles while keeping the essence of their sound, you know within few seconds on any of their songs that’s them. Hansi and Andre are so recognizable. One of the best discography in any style of music. 1- Nightfall 2- Imaginations 3- A Night at the Opera 4- Somewhere Far Beyond 5- At the Edge of Time 6- Tales 7- Beyond the Red Mirror 8- A Twist 9- Battalions 10- Follow the Blind

[@thewal1ofsleep]

11. Legacy 10. A Twist in the Myth 9. Beyond the Red Mirror 8. A Night at the Opera 7. Battalions of Fear 6. Follow the Blind 5. At the Edge of Time 4.Tales from the Twilight World 3. Nightfall in Middle-earth 2. Somewhere Far Beyond 1. Imaginations from the Other Side

[@themadmattster9647]

dude on the bottom has almost a matching list to mine, including seeing At The Edge of Time as their crowning jewel post Nightfall

[@RockstarWizardess]

For me it goes like this: 11. A Night at the Opera. Very grandiose album, it was a hard pill to swallow for me, but when I listened to it again it grew on me. Maybe when I'm going to revisit it again, it will take a higher spot. 10. Follow the Blind. It's total opposite of the previous example - it's too simple and thrashy. Valhalla is a song that grew on me, although - unpopular opinion - I am not a fan of Kai Hansen's guest vocals. 9. Tales From the Twilight World. For a long time I forgot this one existed (yeah, shame on me) and then thought it was some kind of a best-of album. But it's a good album all the same. 8. Battalions of Fear. Aw, it's their beginning, how sweet of them. I must say that there's one thing that makes this album stand out - Hansi's baritone vocals (and not-so-great-English skills). I mean, most bands of the 80's had tenor vocals. 7. Beyond the Red Mirror. This album is a mess, but a lovely mess. The Ninth Wave, Miracle Machine and Ashes of Eternity are great songs. Twilight of the Gods, the Throne, Prophecies and At the Edge of Time are my favourites. But don't try analyzing the story. It's even a bigger mess. 6. Nightfall in the Middle-Earth. Into the Storm, Mirror Mirror, Time Stands Still (on the Iron Hill), Curse of Feanor, When Sorrow Sang are epic. Awesome album, although not my top favourite. 5. Imaginations From the Other Side. This is the album where, as I like to say "we got Hansi as we know him today". I mean, he established his singing on this album. 4. A Twist in the Myth. Most people would probably be surprised to see this album above Imaginations and Nightfall, but I can't help it. I love this album for many reasonsand I'm going to defend it. I agree with Pete on this one - it's bright and uplifting, especially compared to ANATO. The only thing I don't like about the album is the mixing. It could have been mixed so much better. 3. Somewhere Far Beyond. If I was writing this a month or two ago I would have ranked this album lower (lower than Twist), however, I listened to this album again last week and loved it. Theater of Pain is such an amazing song. This album is a great bridge between the band's previous and latter albums, especially in terms of vocals. 2. Legacy of the Dark Lands. At first I was disappointed to learn that this album was going to be orchestral, therefore I had zero expectations from the album. However, when I listened to it, it was amazing. And for those of you who say "there are no guitars" - listen to the orchestral version of Dark Cloud's Rising (my favourite song on the album) 1. At the Edge of Time. The first BG album I heard. It has better mixing than Twist and everything to please both old and new fans: progressive elements, folk elements, thrash elements, orchestras, epic vocals and fantasy elements. I really don't understand why doesn't this album stand close to Imaginations or Nightfall.

[@davidevans2481]

1. Imaginations from the other side 2. Somewhere far beyond 3. Nightfall in Middle Earth 4. Tales from a Twilight World

[@johnmichaelwilliams6694]

Really enjoyable to have Nick and Rich join Pete for this show. It shook up the order of the choices but certainly made it interesting for someone like me who is not too familiar with this band. Now some more music to track down and hear. Have been enjoying these recent Sunday Brunch Power Metal shows. Thanks again to all three for spending the time to provide this ranking episode.

[@chrisbaranowski5516]

Blind Guardian is a legend. I have lots of memories with their music since 90's (fantasy nerd). Great conversation but I have one issue, regarding Legacy of the Dark Lands. Technically it's not Blind Guardian album, it's unique side project. Hansi wanted to do symphonic only album since 90's. It's even called Blind Guardian Twilight Orchestra (not Blind Guardian) and it's not new direction of the band, rather fulfilment of long time dream or passion project. As such shouldn't be classified as Blind Guardian album although definitely demands mention when talking about Blind Guardian. It pisses me off when metalheads moan that it's not metal but orchestra. Duh, Hansi was talking about it for years, so shouldn't be surprise to anyone. I must agree though, that it's not perfect and I was expecting something better. Anyway great job guys!

[@zacharyseibert6788]

Somewhere Far Beyond Nightfall In Middle Earth Imaginations From The Other side 👍

[@bofad6074]

ive watched so many of your proggresive rock reviews and ranking but to see blind guardian on your channel gets you a like and sub from me !

[@diegodz7510]

all italian friends here ! 🇮🇹

[@hfdmxd]

Nick you seem very distracted and down in this video. Sincerely hope it is my imagination. Wish you well. Love your contributions to the squares.

[@Ihatecensorship1]

Full disclosure, I woke up late! That was me about 5 minutes after flying awake in a panic !!

[@crashcrash4373]

Hello Pete!Can you do a Duran Duran ranking?

[@thenomad4123]

How can Tolkien Foundation prevent a music band from saying certain words? I am assuming they could not legally but Blind Guardian did it out of respect or something?? Anyway, awesome discussions and my list would be: 11 - Beyond the Red Mirror 10 - Legacy of the Dark Lands 09 - Follow the Blind 08 - A Twist in the Myth 07 - Batallions of Fear 06 - Tales From The Twilight World 05 - At the Edge of Time 04 - A Night at the Opera 03 - Nightfall in Middle Earth 02 - Somewhere Far Beyond 01 - Imaginations From The Other Side

[@bema_seat]

"Figuring It Out" Years 10. Battalions Of Fear 9. Follow The Blind Post-Thomas Years 8. A Twist In The Myth 7. At The Edge Of Time 6. Beyond The Red Mirror "Figured It Out" Years 5. A Night At The Opera 4. Tales From The Twilight World 3. Somewhere Far Beyond 2. Imaginations From The Other Side 1. Nightfall In Middle-Earth

[@l.revisited5933]

Blind Guardian + 1349 = respect.

[@matthewskow2428]

Would love to see you do Angra!

[@MaverickMustaine]

My favourite kind of metal

[@griefforest1870]

11 Legacy of the dark lands 10 Twist in the myth 9 Night at the opera 8 Batallions of fear 7 Follow the blind 6 Tales from the twilight world 5 Somewhere far beyond 4 At the edge of time 3 Beyond the red mirror 2 Nightfall in middle earth 1 Imaginations from the other side

[@independenceltd.]

Still pissed I missed that Blind Guardian/Grave Digger tour in 2016.

[@killerdude35]

Nightfall In Middle Earth is their Magnum Opus.