Of all the albums released in 2022, none was more anticipated than this one. The God Machine is the band’s 12th album but the first proper release since 2015’s Beyond the Red Mirror, with Legacy of the Dark Lands which was released in 2019 seeing singer Hansi Kursch performing with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra under the name Blind Guardian Twilight Orchestra.
The first thing to say is that it’s brilliant to have Blind Guardian back with new music. To me they are as vital to the power metal scene as Helloween and Gamma Ray, and for consistency, they are by far the best. Secondly, the seven-year wait has been worth it, for The God Machine is monstrous. Rather than hark back to the Lord of the Rings themed 1990s, the band have taken time to revitalise their sound, using the time afforded by the pandemic to create what is possibly their best work. It’s organic, contemporary and flows with a tempo that even the band have rarely managed to maintain for entire albums in the past.
Kursch is in magnificent form. His range covers low growls through to soaring operatic levels, as demonstrated on the ballistic opener “Deliver Us from Evil,” which races along at breakneck speed and sets the tempo for the album. The God Machine sees Blind Guardian at their heaviest for many years and tackling a range of subjects which although taking their themes from the likes of Neil Gaiman and Arthur Miller, are also relevant to current times. “Let it Be No More” deals with the death of Kursch’s mother, whilst the ferocious “Architects of Doom” references the Battlestar Galactica series.
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The God Machine is one of few albums that grips you from start to finish. The title track races breathlessly, “Secrets of the American Gods” is Blind Guardian at their majestic best, with soaring harmonies and melodies, whilst penultimate track “Blood of the Elves” which references the first novel in The Witcher series is a total thrasher. It’s an album that you want to listen to again and again, singing along and feeling that pure adrenaline surging from the pure enjoyment.
Musically it is peerless, with Frederik Emhere’s drumming off the scale and the dual guitar attack of Andrė Olbrich and Marcus Siepen lacerating with razor sharp riffs and some searing solo work from Olbrich. The songs are complex, layered, and at times punishingly heavy. Blind Guardian have rolled back time, and never have you heard them so determined and focused as they are here. Possibly the album of 2022. It really is that good.
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The God Machine is out on September 2nd
Check out all the bands we review in 2022 on our Spotify and YouTube playlists!
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