Thursday, December 19, 2019

The Bard's Song

Blind Guardian is a top 10 band for me. Not quite at the level of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, or KISS, but way up there. If you’re a fan of power metal, and/or fantasy literature—The Silmarillion, The Once and Future King, the Elric Saga or The Lord of the Rings—and haven’t dipped into their catalog, you’re missing the boat. Find Imaginations from the Other Side and give it a spin. And be transported on a journey through the dark.

This past September I had the fortune of seeing Demons & Wizards at the Worcester Palladium. Demons & Wizards is a side project of Blind Guardian lead singer
Hansi Kürsch and Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer. ‘Twas a great show. I’m always dumbfounded that fans in the U.S. get to see these bands in such small venues, when over in Europe and South America they play in front of far larger crowds and headline festivals.

Demons and Wizards did not play The Bard’s Song but they did launch into Blind Guardian hits Welcome to Dying and Valhalla. They also played the magnificent Fiddler on the Green. I haven’t gotten into Demons and Wizards like I have Blind Guardian, but Fiddler is worthy of any BG album.

But the Bard’s Song…few songs move me as this one does.

Now you all know 
The bards and their songs 
When hours have gone by 
I'll close my eyes 
In a world far away 
We may meet again 
But now hear my song 
About the dawn of the night 
Let's sing the bards' song 

Just beautiful, man. Terrific acoustic guitar work, and Kursch is himself a bard, of the metal/Germanic variety.

Despite my many travels, my work, the years that have passed, I still am drawn to the bard’s song. I always will be.

In my thoughts and in my dreams 
They're always in my mind 
These songs of hobbits, dwarves and men 
And elves 
Come close your eyes 
You can see them too 

What’s next for me, post Flame and Crimson? I don’t know, but I still hear The Bard’s Song, and I’m sure I will follow wherever it may lead.
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4 comments:

  1. The WaspDecember 21, 2019 at 1:06 AM

    Damn, I'm jealous. BG is one of my metal favorites.

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  2. jasonDecember 21, 2019 at 11:40 AM

    It's because of your blog that I caught BG in Denver years ago. After I read one of your posts about them, I checked their songs out and asked a friend with wide musical tastes about them, and he said, "I think they're coming to Denver." It was at the Bluebird Theater--a really small venue. We were like twenty feet from the stage; it was a great show.

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  3. Brian MurphyDecember 21, 2019 at 12:41 PM

    Wow, Jason, I am so pleased I was able not only to introduce you to a band I love, but then to have you attend a Blind Guardian concert... I'm humbled. It sounds like I did not steer you astray!

    The Wasp: Yeah, they kick ass.

    ReplyDelete
  4. jasonDecember 22, 2019 at 6:51 PM

    You did not. I listened to them quite frequently for years after that, and they're still one of my favorites.

    ReplyDelete