tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355108483588914160.post3940027341473202395..comments2023-10-24T00:24:11.707-07:00Comments on Poetry of Subculture: Blind Guardian - Somewhere Far BeyondHelmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00584102280299430293noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355108483588914160.post-82911844380350300012011-03-22T09:21:38.714-07:002011-03-22T09:21:38.714-07:00That's exactly what Meat Puppets albums are fo...That's exactly what Meat Puppets albums are for me. Most of their lyrics don't really make any sense unless you are on psychotropic drugs or something, but upon repeated listens, my mind automatically invents significant meaning. I'm a big program music guy, and so usually the meaning is a story that runs through the whole album, and so I end up turning regular old collections of songs into concept albums. But for some reason it only happens with the Meat Puppets. I don't know why.<br /><br />Blind Guardian are almost always very explicit about what their songs are about, so for me it's difficult to apply much additional meaning to them like that. <i>Somewhere Far Beyond</i> is a good listen for me, even today, but the subjects of the songs are so eclectic that I have a hard time tying them together conceptually. Even the bagpipes appearing in both of the last two tracks confuse me. I associate "Somewhere Far Beyond" so strictly with King's Gunslinger that it feels a little like putting a sousaphone solo in the middle of a song about a Chinese diplomat.<br /><br />I feel as though I'm coming across as overly negative, and I don't mean to do that, because I enjoy this album a great deal. I hope you understand what I'm trying to say.Erenanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17727748726607756131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355108483588914160.post-15143177233496579582011-03-22T08:45:41.543-07:002011-03-22T08:45:41.543-07:00I have to say that of all the power metal bands, B...I have to say that of all the power metal bands, Blind Guardian, esp. on SFB/IFTOS/NiME are impressively devoid of Cheese. <br /><br />Really, the classic insult thrown at the band and their fans is that they are nerdy. Geeks. RPG boys. Who dream of dragons and unicorns. Which could be true I suppose, although I personally do not find the (american) definition of a "nerd" insulting. The stereotypical RPG kid who finds more substance in simple escapism, yes.<br /><br />But I think Blind Guardian put their money where their mouth is, so to speak. The escapism is not without substance, at least not in their "good years" (I'll conveniently consider those to be the years with Thomen as their drummer). <br /><br />This is one of my favourite albums ever. The fantasy element is totally devoid of cheese (perhaps a little bit on Theatre of Pain orchestral version), there are both sides of the spectrum here, light and darkness, there is GOOD power metal and ORIGINAL, which are feats in themselves and I am a complete sucker for Hansi's vocals.<br /><br />Oh, and being a huge Tolkien fan, I found NiME to be a magnificent metal soundtrack to The Silmarillion. Funnily enough, a favourite of a lot of fans, "When Sorrow Sang", which could have been on IFTOS easily, is one of the worst imo, simply because it does not capture the essence of the story it tells.<br /><br />As for our own fantasies, you can do that, music has the gift of having the cake AND eat it. The desperation in Noldor (Dead Winter Reigns)for example, is felt through the piece without having to share (in your mind) the trip through the ice desert! ;)Vichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11436837570961539852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355108483588914160.post-27792379674882565122011-03-22T04:31:08.640-07:002011-03-22T04:31:08.640-07:00This was a fascinating read and reminded me of tho...This was a fascinating read and reminded me of those powerful and kind of guilty feelings I associated with everything metal and fantasy as an early teen. My extremely strict, fundamentalist christian parents contributed to the overall atmosphere at the time.<br /><br />Thanks to fantasy literature, pen and paper RPGs (which we had to play secretly in the basement with my brother and cousin like some eerie cult), Warhammer Fantasy Battle and the like, nerdy things; I managed to develop a realm of my own which distanced me from the dull everyday life of a kid raised in a glass prison.<br /><br />In my regular BBS chat room (internet wasn't available for me then), I found out that there's this band, Blind Guardian, which plays fantasy themed metal. I told my brother about it and he managed to get this very album. Amusingly enough he chose Somewhere Far Beyond because of the extremely cool, RPGish cover art.<br /><br />The fact, that my parents had judged all the fantasy books etc. as satanic tomes created to delude innocent kids to serve the devil and burn in the eternal fires - only further ignited that flame of curiosity and excitement towards fantasy and metal. So you can imagine how gobsmacked I was, finding that there's music actually called fantasy metal. Power metal wasn't that popular term yet in the mid 90s Finland.<br /><br />One day I was home alone and went to my brother's room to secretly listen to this mystical and forbidden piece of art. From the first notes of Time What Is Time, I felt enchanted. It was the opening step in my long and sometimes painful journey to get rid of the binds of fundamental christianity and grow out from a set layout of rules and angles on life and beyond. That music would open my eyes to a huge new world - the world of heavy metal.<br /><br />There's a wide spectrum of moods present on this recording. From acoustic intros and passages to at times epic, boisterous vocal work all the way to the ferocious and aggressive riffs. That mixture combined with fabled lyrics worked wonders in the fertile imagination of a spiritually and mentally confused kid.<br /><br />I'm in the latter half of my twenties now and only recently I've listened to Blind Guardian again after a long break. I still find a lot of enchantment in it, even though I'm not sure whether this album would induce the same powerful effect had I never heard it before. Now, as I've gone through many phases in my musical preferences and matured quite a bit, I'm focusing more on the arrangements, guitar work and harmonies among other details, and yet I find their musical output also unique and exceptional. Far from that candy coated, double bass drum driven, mindless power metal we got craploads near the millennium and after it, mostly from Finland, Sweden, Germany and Italy. <br /><br />Blind Guardian definitely has a sound of their own which endures time and will always have that spark of enchantment which carries our minds to a world of bards' songs, ale, swords and sorcery.Nwyfrehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12522075616896930823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355108483588914160.post-59450771870331627452011-03-21T15:19:35.483-07:002011-03-21T15:19:35.483-07:00Nightfall's a strong work, only marred for me ...Nightfall's a strong work, only marred for me by its excessive connection to the Tolkien story. As a teen I rejected it for the wider and more ambiguous works such as this one, instinctively. I didn't want a 'soundtrack to a book', I wanted a soundtrack to my own fantasies.Helmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00584102280299430293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355108483588914160.post-66262021150404947142011-03-21T14:51:28.217-07:002011-03-21T14:51:28.217-07:00My first encounter with Blind Guardian was in high...My first encounter with Blind Guardian was in high school, but the album was <i>Nightfall in Middle Earth</i>. My brother and one of my closest friends were right there with me, and they were every bit as enthusiastic about the band's greatness as I was. Of course, attempts to share it with my other "guitar-minded" friends at school were met with nary a comment of approval. "Cheesy" was a word I heard often. "Crappy" was another. I'm sure if I hadn't attended a Christian high school I would have gotten far worse.<br /><br />I still listen to Blind Guardian occasionally. I suppose I could say that my interests have matured, but what that means is not a move away from childish things. It simply means that I recognize them as an artifact of my childhood to which I can return whenever I need it, and I expand my view to include more "mature" forms of art, whatever the hell that means. So I listen to Shostakovich and George Crumb and Xenakis and all these guys, but I haven't abandoned the things from my youth. I still listen to Ayreon for crying out loud. Right now, my car's CD player is filled with Meat Puppets, not because their music is amazing, but because their music represents something for me that no other artist does. It's for that reason that bands like the Meat Puppets and Blind Guardian and Ayreon will always remain important to me.Erenanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17727748726607756131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355108483588914160.post-29258915171702239892011-03-20T18:55:23.858-07:002011-03-20T18:55:23.858-07:00Nekromantis: I am touched by what this album means...Nekromantis: I am touched by what this album means to me more than I enjoy it as a collection of riffs and songs and hooks. If I try to listen to it as a distanced critic now, I can find a lot that puts me off. But if I remove the distance and feel like the thirteen year old me that was into this and Helloween and Rage and stuff like that at a formative age, then... the original text of the post happens.<br /><br />Supreme: I hear you on the 'my Heavy Metal is not rock and roll!'. However it's a gradation (there's very rock-esque NWOBHM, for example) and the gradation slopes slippery downwards to very dubious ideas (and ideological systems) in which Heavy Metal is a continuation of romantic classical music, free from the burdens of modernity and other such toss.<br /><br />And yes. If you didn't listen to Blind Guardian when you were a teen, you'll never know what it feels like when 'in my thoughts and in my dreams, they're always in my mind...' comes on. Heavy Metal hooks people in their teenager years, I have this intuitive suspicion. As you say, I too have met people whose interest in HM had been mostly fueled by intellectual curiosity and that's fine, I certainly have it too. But it also flows in my veins and that's more difficult to communicate. But I am trying.<br /><br />I appreciate the dialogue, guys.Helmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00584102280299430293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355108483588914160.post-24692823218416224962011-03-20T18:23:27.462-07:002011-03-20T18:23:27.462-07:00That aside I just want to say I love this album. I...That aside I just want to say I love this album. I am still unable to chooce a favourite from Blind Guardian's discography but this makes it to the top three with Follow The Blind and Tales from the Twilight World. They are like fuel for my escapist tendencies, for better and for worse.Nekromantishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03439391978636334926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355108483588914160.post-65702380734497627642011-03-20T16:10:39.942-07:002011-03-20T16:10:39.942-07:00You know, after reading this I was inspired to go ...You know, after reading this I was inspired to go out and buy some Blind Guardian albums that I got rid of years ago. I went down to a local record store and they didn't have this album but they had Imaginations from the Other Side. Close enough. Boy am I glad I did that. I forgot how awesome this band was in their classic period. These guys had the total package: rousing heavy metal with great imagery that takes you to a completely different world (just look at that album cover!) Listening to this band again reminds me of when I discovered stuff like Maiden and Helloween when I was a teenager. Man, those old records excited my imagination in a way that normal rock music never did. There's definitely something magic about good heavy metal. That's one of the reasons why I tend to draw a sharp distinction between heavy metal and rock music. I even sometimes feel a little annoyed when people identify heavy metal as a rock subgenre. To me heavy metal has always been rock instrumentation with a completely different set of priorities.<br /><br />I went through a period where I felt a little embarrassed to say "heavy metal" when somebody asked me what kind of music I listen to. That was in my early 20s though. I'm now in my mid 20s approaching my late 20s and I simply do not give a shit anymore. I've grown up with this stuff since I was 9 years old and it has been one of the only constants in my life. Just to show how geeky I am, some of the best memories I have of being 15-17 years old are of me sitting in my room listening to albums like this. And I still love just sitting here staring at the album cover while the music plays and getting lost in the worlds that these bands create. I've gotten some people I know to appreciate metal in an intellectual sense, and some of them even enjoy some of this stuff now, but I feel like if you didn't grow up with this stuff you'll just never get what it means to people like me.Supremehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10795152197839307101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355108483588914160.post-8839704630211756852011-03-20T15:35:21.891-07:002011-03-20T15:35:21.891-07:00I can only concur on this.I can only concur on this.Helmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00584102280299430293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355108483588914160.post-41867597185545453152011-03-20T15:26:53.354-07:002011-03-20T15:26:53.354-07:00"Belittle them or not, I want to understand. ..."Belittle them or not, I want to understand. I don't care about respect or credit" <br /><br />What I mean is that being honest and confident about the imporant stuff is a good thing to one's self-esteem and something helpful when you're getting into any kind discussion about persona and life. Respect and credit on the other hand are something I find most tasty when received from yourself. When you belittle the most imporant things to you, you're actually belittling yourself and I don't need anymore of that. I'm tired of hiding behind masks and distancing what is me from the world. I rather fight no more forever. I know it's not an answer to anything but it might be just what I need to survive long enough to understand.Nekromantishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03439391978636334926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355108483588914160.post-31854791363288675312011-03-20T07:18:07.102-07:002011-03-20T07:18:07.102-07:00We have avoided saying we love Heavy Metal because...We have avoided saying we love Heavy Metal because we fear the harsh but fair judgment to come: "these things are for teenagers". Talk to a horror movie fan or a pro wrestling fan some time, it's the same thing.<br /><br />Yes, they are for teenagers. The curious thing is that I don't think anyone has ever stopped being a teenager completely. It's an endless hide-and-seek, did you see my heart? Oh no, I have to hide it more efficiently.<br /><br />"Never again I belittle these silly things that get me out of the bed every morning."<br /><br />Belittle them or not, I want to understand. I don't care about respect or credit, perhaps this is the completely wrong way to live in the end. I just want to know.Helmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00584102280299430293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355108483588914160.post-31396397131488852112011-03-20T05:25:33.797-07:002011-03-20T05:25:33.797-07:00I can definitely relate to a lot of this and it go...I can definitely relate to a lot of this and it got me thinking more about insecurity. It's telling that many metalheads I've talked to has at least in some point of their life avoided saying they like Heavy Metal with straight face and confidence when someone asks about their taste in music. I know I have circled around it few times with "I listen to many kinds of music, mostly Heavy Metal though" etc. It's stupid. Heavy Metal HAS shaped me and I should not be ashamed to say it. Why is it that men who listen to the thundering voices of eldergods are so afraid to admit it. It is perhaps that we are all cowards who need this music in order to carry on, become better men and find contentment in life. Never again I belittle these silly things that get me out of the bed every morning.Nekromantishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03439391978636334926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355108483588914160.post-12401549146995259732011-03-18T15:04:58.082-07:002011-03-18T15:04:58.082-07:00Thank you for reading the piece and for commenting...Thank you for reading the piece and for commenting.Helmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00584102280299430293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355108483588914160.post-64568870466057473472011-03-18T12:03:39.182-07:002011-03-18T12:03:39.182-07:00Not particularly a fan of Blind Guardian beyond a ...Not particularly a fan of Blind Guardian beyond a few songs (although I suppose I could always listen to them more) but I like this piece. Perfectly captures the kind of uncertainty associated with metal: a will to live, boundless and free, tempered by societal expectations, by scorn, by our own self-hatred. Very few if any of us are truly free, very few of us actually don't give a fuck. Gather the wind, though the wind won't help you fly at all. Hide your tastes, they're shameful. I can relate to this perfectly.Alex_Phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16640547412949387859noreply@blogger.com