Transitional periods are often interesting and somewhat risky for bands. In case of Blind Guardian, ‘Tales From The Twilight World’ and ‘Somwhere Far Beyond’ still feature the band’s early speed metal roots fairly prominently, but the arrangements in particular already hint at the more theatrical sound they would later come to be known for. Hansi Kürsch’s instantly recognizable vocals and André Olbrich’s very characteristic lead guitar themes kept the difference between Blind Guardian’s early days and latter days from being too big, but there is something really exciting about the way ‘Tales From The Twilight World’ bridges their two eras.

As an early German power/speed metal band, Blind Guardian was occasionally brilliant on their first two albums – tracks like ‘Majesty’ and ‘Banish From Sanctuary’ still rank among their best material – but they were never a good enough speed metal band to deliver a consistently good album in that style. ‘Tales From The Twilight World’ seems to indicate that the Germans themselves realized this as well. While the riffs and lead guitars are largely in line with what the band did on their first two albums, Blind Guardian really doubled down on the more intricate arrangements and the theatrical opportunities of layered backing vocals here.

One of the main risks of such a transitional approach is that the sound ends up being not enough of either to please fans of each side of the aisle. ‘Tales From The Twilight World’ is one of those cases where the elements really enhance each other. The guitar riffs courtesy of Olbrich and Marcus Siepen still have the bite and aggression that occasionally made Blind Guardian borderline thrash on their earliest works, but the backing choirs really enhance the anthemic character and the memorability of the choruses. Early Helloween is still a point of reference, but this album is truly where Blind Guardian started shaping its own identity.

While later albums would be slightly more consistent, ‘Tales From The Twilight World’ has some of the greatest highlights in Blind Guardian history. The way melancholy and defiance battle for supremacy on ‘Welcome To Dying’ is nothing short of brilliant. Having a singer as expressive as Kürsch certainly helps there. ‘The Last Candle’ has some of the best riffs and possibly the greatest chorus Blind Guardian ever recorded, while ‘Traveler In Time’ is a surprisingly inventive song for its time, toying with an unconventional structure. Similarly unconventional is the structure of the largely acoustic ‘Lord Of The Rings’ – a title bound to happen at some point – and the riffs in ‘Lost In The Twilight Hall’ are just incredibly catchy.

Blind Guardian is the type of band where it is difficult to pick a favorite album. But when I list multiple, this one is always among them. It may not be the band’s most consistent album, but it is certainly a step up from their first two albums in terms of consistency and shows quite a fearless character when it comes to trying out new things. And yet, among all the large choirs, acoustic guitars and layered guitar arrangements, Blind Guardian is still a speed metal band here. The cliché would be to call an album like ‘Tales From The Twilight World’ the best of both worlds and that really is not too far off.

Recommended tracks: ‘The Last Candle’, ‘Welcome To Dying’, ‘Traveler In Time’