GUARDIAN! GUARDIAN! GUARDIAN!
Cross-posted from http://www.tehmetalleer.com/
Wow, it’s been ages since I’ve updated. An awful lot has happened, but suffice to say I’m not feeling terribly Christmas-y. But on to happier, more metal topics!
On Wednesday David, Rebecca and I made the trip up to Springfield for the Blind Guardian show. It was quite a long drive (though nothing compared to the one from Virginia Beach to Winter Haven, FL…) but the concert at the end of it was fucking epic. We arrived just as Seven Kingdoms was finishing the first or second song of their set, and they were pretty decent for a newer band, although the lead singer gave a pretty cheesy speech about following your dreams that lasted a little too long. I really like that their songs are all based on the A Song of Ice and Fire books though, a series for which (if you don’t already know) I have a huge nerd-boner. If you haven’t heard of them, they’re by George R.R. Martin and are pretty unconventional as far as fantasy books go for the huge depth of their characters, and the fact that Martin isn’t afraid to kill characters off haha. Also, for most of the series there is just a hint of the supernatural and magic to the world which creates a much more subtle brand of fantasy than wizards slinging fireballs and summoning demons all over the place (which is cool too in its own right, don’t get me wrong.) Oh, also the first book (A Game of Thrones) is being made into an HBO mini-series, and really seems to have an amazing cast so far. I believe it’s set to start airing sometime in the Spring, so be on the look0ut for that.
Anyways, back to the concert. The second band up was Holy Grail. To be honest I had no idea what to expect from these guys since I hadn’t really heard but one of their songs and even that only very shortly, so basically the only thing I knew about them was that they are from Pasadena. I was very pleasantly surprised when they came on, as they were full of old-school metal bombast hearkening back to the days of old-school Iron Maiden and the like, and they were very probably one of the most energetic bands I’ve ever seen. Also, their guitar playing (as would be expected from a power metal band striving to be like Maiden) was pretty spot-on, with some impressive solos, although one of the guitarists did get a little sloppy at a couple points. But hey, last show of the tour, I’m sure those guys are exhausted. At some point during the night I saw both the vocalist and one of the guitarists walking around, and when I congratulated them on such a job well done and being so awesome both of them seemed genuinely humbled and, oddly, surprised. It’s always cool to see bands that are still down-to-earth people behind all the awesome performance skills.
And on to the main event! Blind Guardian opened with Sacred Worlds, a song which I’ve been listening to like crazy since I first heard it. Here’s the full setlist:
1. Sacred Worlds
2. Welcome to Dying
3. Born in a Mourning Hall
4. Traveler in Time
5. Nightfall
6. Fly
7. Punishment Divine
8. Time Stands Still (at the Iron Hill)
9. A Voice in the Dark
10. Lord of the Rings
11. And Then There Was Silence
Encore:
1. Wheel of Time
2. The Bard’s Song (In The Forest)
3. Valhalla
4. Mirror Mirror
5. Barbara Ann (NO JOKE, HAHAHAHA)
I’ve seen them live once before (on the A Twist in the Myth tour in 2006) so many of these I’d heard live before. Interestingly, Hansi said that in celebration of the Christmas holiday and since it was their last show on the tour, they’d be playing a couple songs for us that they didn’t play anywhere else on the tour. The first example of this was Traveler in Time, and the other was Barbara Ann (which I could not believe they played, it was highly amusing and a lot of fun). Despite it being my second time hearing And Then There Was Silence live, it was not at all any less impressive than the first time I heard it. Sooooo epic, and their performance was absolutely spot on. Mirror Mirror was also just as intense as my first time hearing it. I think that may very well be my favorite song off Nightfall in Middle Earth. The newer songs off At The Edge Of Time sounded absolutely phenomenal as well, not only including Sacred Worlds but also especially A Voice in the Dark as well. I had heard they’d played Valkyries at a couple other shows, but they didn’t this time which was a little disappointing, as I really think that’d be an awesome song live.
Anywho, a great time was had by all, and I have to say I really hope Holy Grail gets more recognition and a larger fanbase, because they definitely deserve it.
Now I just need to start plotting to see my next show…but Eluveitie, Holy Grail, 3 Inches of Blood, and System Divide are playing on February 27th, and then Ensiferum, Finntroll, Rotten Sound, and Barren Earth are playing on March 3rd…there’s no way I could afford to go to both shows. At least, not in my current financial state. MEEEEHHHHHHHHHH. Guess I’ve got a decision to make.
UPDATE: Actually that first show is on a Sunday, and at that point I’ll be switched to days so I’ll have Sundays and Mondays off…totally sold on it!
Wow, it’s been ages since I’ve updated. An awful lot has happened, but suffice to say I’m not feeling terribly Christmas-y. But on to happier, more metal topics!
On Wednesday David, Rebecca and I made the trip up to Springfield for the Blind Guardian show. It was quite a long drive (though nothing compared to the one from Virginia Beach to Winter Haven, FL…) but the concert at the end of it was fucking epic. We arrived just as Seven Kingdoms was finishing the first or second song of their set, and they were pretty decent for a newer band, although the lead singer gave a pretty cheesy speech about following your dreams that lasted a little too long. I really like that their songs are all based on the A Song of Ice and Fire books though, a series for which (if you don’t already know) I have a huge nerd-boner. If you haven’t heard of them, they’re by George R.R. Martin and are pretty unconventional as far as fantasy books go for the huge depth of their characters, and the fact that Martin isn’t afraid to kill characters off haha. Also, for most of the series there is just a hint of the supernatural and magic to the world which creates a much more subtle brand of fantasy than wizards slinging fireballs and summoning demons all over the place (which is cool too in its own right, don’t get me wrong.) Oh, also the first book (A Game of Thrones) is being made into an HBO mini-series, and really seems to have an amazing cast so far. I believe it’s set to start airing sometime in the Spring, so be on the look0ut for that.
Anyways, back to the concert. The second band up was Holy Grail. To be honest I had no idea what to expect from these guys since I hadn’t really heard but one of their songs and even that only very shortly, so basically the only thing I knew about them was that they are from Pasadena. I was very pleasantly surprised when they came on, as they were full of old-school metal bombast hearkening back to the days of old-school Iron Maiden and the like, and they were very probably one of the most energetic bands I’ve ever seen. Also, their guitar playing (as would be expected from a power metal band striving to be like Maiden) was pretty spot-on, with some impressive solos, although one of the guitarists did get a little sloppy at a couple points. But hey, last show of the tour, I’m sure those guys are exhausted. At some point during the night I saw both the vocalist and one of the guitarists walking around, and when I congratulated them on such a job well done and being so awesome both of them seemed genuinely humbled and, oddly, surprised. It’s always cool to see bands that are still down-to-earth people behind all the awesome performance skills.
And on to the main event! Blind Guardian opened with Sacred Worlds, a song which I’ve been listening to like crazy since I first heard it. Here’s the full setlist:
1. Sacred Worlds
2. Welcome to Dying
3. Born in a Mourning Hall
4. Traveler in Time
5. Nightfall
6. Fly
7. Punishment Divine
8. Time Stands Still (at the Iron Hill)
9. A Voice in the Dark
10. Lord of the Rings
11. And Then There Was Silence
Encore:
1. Wheel of Time
2. The Bard’s Song (In The Forest)
3. Valhalla
4. Mirror Mirror
5. Barbara Ann (NO JOKE, HAHAHAHA)
I’ve seen them live once before (on the A Twist in the Myth tour in 2006) so many of these I’d heard live before. Interestingly, Hansi said that in celebration of the Christmas holiday and since it was their last show on the tour, they’d be playing a couple songs for us that they didn’t play anywhere else on the tour. The first example of this was Traveler in Time, and the other was Barbara Ann (which I could not believe they played, it was highly amusing and a lot of fun). Despite it being my second time hearing And Then There Was Silence live, it was not at all any less impressive than the first time I heard it. Sooooo epic, and their performance was absolutely spot on. Mirror Mirror was also just as intense as my first time hearing it. I think that may very well be my favorite song off Nightfall in Middle Earth. The newer songs off At The Edge Of Time sounded absolutely phenomenal as well, not only including Sacred Worlds but also especially A Voice in the Dark as well. I had heard they’d played Valkyries at a couple other shows, but they didn’t this time which was a little disappointing, as I really think that’d be an awesome song live.
Anywho, a great time was had by all, and I have to say I really hope Holy Grail gets more recognition and a larger fanbase, because they definitely deserve it.
Now I just need to start plotting to see my next show…but Eluveitie, Holy Grail, 3 Inches of Blood, and System Divide are playing on February 27th, and then Ensiferum, Finntroll, Rotten Sound, and Barren Earth are playing on March 3rd…there’s no way I could afford to go to both shows. At least, not in my current financial state. MEEEEHHHHHHHHHH. Guess I’ve got a decision to make.
UPDATE: Actually that first show is on a Sunday, and at that point I’ll be switched to days so I’ll have Sundays and Mondays off…totally sold on it!