ALBUM REVIEW: Imaginations From The Other Side (25th Anniversary Edition) – Blind Guardian

Having gradually shifted from the German speed metal of their earlier albums, 1992’s Somewhere Far Beyond saw BLIND GUARDIAN reach a turning point. Taking a leaf out of the multi-layered textures of QUEEN, Somewhere Far Beyond boasted walls of vocals and orchestration atop the thundering guitar lines – all without straying from their fantasy-based subject matter. Crucially, Somewhere Far Beyond was merely a transition and its follow up, Imaginations From The Other Side, was the band mastering their new, epic sound.

To mark the 25th anniversary of this landmark album, BLIND GUARDIAN and Nuclear Blast have seen it fit to reissue Imaginations with a whole plethora of additional bells and whistles (…well, pan flutes and synths in BLIND GUARDIAN’s case). It’s a lavish set of music for sure, but one that caters mostly to those who have Imaginations seared deeply in their mind already.

Interestingly, the centrepiece of this re-issue isn’t Imaginations itself, but instead a 2016 live performance of the album in full. Those unfamiliar with BLIND GUARDIAN live may find the relative sparsity of the music compared to its studio counterpart somewhat jarring. Despite being known for their dense layers of music, BLIND GUARDIAN make the valid choice to concentrate on what can be reproduced live rather than rely on extensive backing tracks. As a result, this live rendition feels almost stripped back against the original Imaginations, with songs given more room to breathe than before.

What it may lack in studio magic is more than made up for in energy not in the least from the crowd, who step in to cover a huge amount of the backing vocals throughout. The band themselves are in top form to boot, years of live shows honing the skills they’ve had throughout their career. With the gig itself being over two decades after Imaginations’ initial release, it provides a comparison point between who GUARDIAN were then and are now, a difference most pronounced in singing styles. BLIND GUARDIAN are blessed with one of power metal’s most captivating voices in Hansi Kürsch, but his vocal style has shifted notably since 1995.

Imaginations-era Kürsch had less masterful control over his voice, but made up for it with a certain wild energy that would spill out on songs like I’m Alive or Born In A Mourning Hall. That high pitched yelling of 1995 is sadly absent. Luckily, the trade-off is a stronger, smoother and lower tone across the board with Kürsch able to dip into a menacingly gruff baritone voice when needed (the bellowing growl of Bright Eyes’ chorus is one of the gig’s highlights). Coupled with the less dense music, the strong performance offers a slightly different reinterpretation of one of BLIND GUARDIAN’s classics.

The second batch of material in this set is a remixed and remastered version of the studio album. This is not new, but simply the 2012 release – for better and for worse. Whereas the original release of Imaginations From The Other Side had a somewhat muddy yet atmospheric production, the 2012 release attempted to add sonic clarity to varying success. On the one hand, the guitars sound the best they have ever done – bright and heavy, they perfectly complement the melodicism of the songs. Conversely, orchestration sounds almost too clear with any synthesised elements sticking out like a sore thumb.

This is most notable on the opus The Script For My Requiem, where the orchestral elements unfortunately sound thin and twee, pulling you out of the immersion of the track (think EDGUY’s Vain Glory Opera, but less charming). Mordred’s Song manages to be simultaneously better and worse with its actual strings and flutes sounding sharp and warm, but anything synthesised undermining the atmosphere. Moreover, despite the remix’s overall clarity, drum tracks still remain somewhat hissy in comparison to the razor-sharp edges of the rest of the instrumentation. That’s not to say it’s all questionable, mind. The remix brings to the fray how intricately layered each song was and it’s a delight to discover musical elements you never quite picked up before.

Beyond mixing, one of the more curious changes in this version of the album is to the aforementioned The Script For My Requieum, which now ends with an extended piano intro not on the original release. While fine as an interlude, it interrupts the album flow in a way that will definitely prove jarring to anyone familiar with the 1995 release. More welcome additions are the bonus tracks that see BLIND GUARDIAN apply their grandiosity to a couple of classic cuts by URIAH HEEP and MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP. Both numbers exude the joy and energy of a band paying homage to heroes and hearing Kürsch’s melodic and powerful voice bellow System’s Failing is a particular delight.

The collection’s final disc is by far its most niche, consisting primarily of instrumental versions of the whole album. For those who think they know Imaginations inside and out, there is a surprising amount to unpick here. This was a point where BLIND GUARDIAN’s arrangements became far more sprawling and labyrinthine, so to hear them without layers of voices on top will give long-time fans the opportunity to dig into the weeds of the songs. However, your mileage with this material will vary greatly – even the most devoted BLIND GUARDIAN fan is unlikely to return to these instrumental versions, short of preparing a particularly challenging karaoke set. Rounding out the disc are a handful of demos, again providing some hardcore curios. It’s clear that, even at demo stage, the material was fully formed as the final studio versions hew closely to these cuts.

The whole package is a fitting tribute to one of BLIND GUARDIAN’s landmark albums, but by definition is only suitable for the most diehard fans – ideally ones who the 2012 re-release passed by. For them, the live show will be worth the price of admission alone, but only the most dyed-in-the-wool fans will be spinning the rest on repeat. For the rest of us, the original album remains as timeless as ever.

Rating: 7/10

Imaginations From The Other Side (25th Anniversary Edition) is out now via Nuclear Blast Records. 

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