Follow the Blind

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Follow The Blind
Blind guardian follow the blind.jpg
Studio album by Blind Guardian
Released 24 October 1989
Recorded January-February 1989 at Karo Studios, Münster, West Germany
Genre Speed metal, thrash metal
Length 42:00
Label No Remorse, Virgin, Century Media
Producer Kalle Trapp
Blind Guardian chronology
Battalions of Fear
(1988)Battalions of Fear1988		 Follow the Blind
(1989)		 Tales From the Twilight World
(1990)Tales From the Twilight World1990
Singles from Follow the Blind
  1. "Banish from Sanctuary"
    Released: 1989
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 3/5 stars [1]
Rock Hard (7.5/10)[2]
Metal1 (7.5/10)[3]

Follow the Blind is the second full-length album from the German metal band Blind Guardian. It was released in 1989 and is more in the vein of speed metal, compared to the style that would later define the band's unique sound. According to guitarist Marcus Siepen, "When we were doing Follow the Blind we were listening to a lot of thrash metal bands like Testament or Forbidden, and that's why Follow the Blind was a bit heavier".[4] The album was remastered, remixed and re-released on 15 June 2007, with the whole second demo tape, Battalions of Fear, of the band (at the time called Lucifer's Heritage) as part of the bonus tracks. The album was again re-released as part of the A Traveler's Guide to Space and Time boxset with minor adjustments to the mixing and with new mastering. "Banish from Sanctuary" was released as a single to promote this album.

Track listing

No. Title Lyrics Music Length
1. "Inquisition"   N/A Hansi Kürsch, André Olbrich, Marcus Siepen, Thomas Stauch 0:40
2. "Banish from Sanctuary"   Kürsch Kürsch, Olbrich, Siepen, Stauch 5:27
3. "Damned for All Time"   Kürsch Kürsch, Olbrich, Siepen, Stauch 4:57
4. "Follow the Blind"   Kürsch Kürsch, Olbrich, Siepen, Stauch 7:10
5. "Hall of the King"   Kürsch Kürsch, Olbrich, Siepen, Stauch 4:16
6. "Fast to Madness"   Kürsch Kürsch, Olbrich, Siepen, Stauch 5:57
7. "Beyond the Ice"   Kürsch Kürsch, Olbrich, Siepen, Stauch 3:28
8. "Valhalla (ft. Kai Hansen, Gamma Ray, ex-Helloween)"   Kürsch Kürsch, Olbrich, Siepen, Stauch 4:56
9. "Don't Break the Circle†" (Demon cover) Mal Spooner, Dave Hill Spooner, Hill 4:28
10. "Barbara Ann†" (The Regents and Beach Boys cover. Transitions into a cover of Long Tall Sally by Little Richard at the end.) Fred Fassert Fred Fassert 1:43
2007 re-release bonus tracks
No. Title Lyrics Music Length
11. "Majesty (Demo Version)"   Kürsch Kürsch, Olbrich, Siepen, Stauch 7:16
12. "Trial by the Archon (Demo Version)"   (instrumental) Kürsch, Olbrich, Siepen, Stauch 3:53
13. "Battalions of Fear (Demo Version)"   Kürsch Kürsch, Olbrich, Siepen, Stauch 6:21
14. "Run for the Night (Demo Version)"   Kürsch Kürsch, Olbrich, Siepen, Stauch 4:29

^† "Don't Break the Circle" was not featured on the vinyl LP release. As such, "Barbara Ann" appears track number 9 on the LP version.

Lineup

Band

Guest musicians

Personnel

Lyrical References

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  • "Inquisition" is a version of the Latin phrase Pie Jesu Domine, dona eis requiem (english: O sweet Lord Jesus, grant them rest) chanted as it would be by monks. The phrase forms part of the Roman Catholic Requiem Mass, and is also identical to that which is chanted by the monks in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
  • "Damned for All Time" and "Fast to Madness" are based on Michael Moorcock's characters from Eternal Champion series.
  • "Banish from Sanctuary" is based on the life of John the Baptist.
  • "Follow the Blind" is based on Stephen King & Peter Straub's The Talisman.
  • "Hall of the King" is about the faith and being faithful.
  • "Valhalla" references the Mythological Valhalla, and the song is about a wizard who deplores the loss of his people's mythology, hinting at the historical shift from the Norse pagan religion to Christianity.
  • "Fast to Madness" contains reference to Elric of Melniboné, the doomed albino Emperor of Melniboné, who finds Stormbringer, a sword created by Chaos, which causes him to be alienated from his close friends and his family, taking souls from each of them, eventually even taking his own soul for fulfilling the hunger of Stormbringer

References

  1. ↑ Anderson, Jason. Follow the Blind at AllMusic. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ http://www.metal1.info/reviews/reviews.php?rev_id=10
  4. ↑ MetalKings.com interview with Markus
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