“A Twist in the Myth” by Blind Guardian

“A Twist in the Myth” was released in 2006 by the German power-metal band Blind Guardian. It is the eighth album in the Blind Guardian collection, featuring 51 minutes of original music, with the addition of commentary. As the name suggests, “A Twist in the Myth” pulls influence from literature and mythological lore. Speed guitar reference tales varying from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to ancient Nordic bard songs.
Blind guardian is a heavy/power metal band that was founded in 1984. Originally called Lucifer’s Heritage, the band agreed to change the name to avoid false connections to Satanism as well as to separate them from the emerging death metal genre. Blind Guardian is considered the pioneer of power metal, using progressive guitar riffs and heavy backing vocals as the backbone of their music. The band tours worldwide, and has recorded soundtracks for several movies and games, including “In the Name of the King.” Although cycling through several members, the band retains the majority of their musicians and all of the spirit of their art.

“A Twist in the Myth” wastes no time with build-up in their first song “This Will Never End,” diving straight into lightning guitar skills and bellowing vocals. The sensation of traveling a million miles per hour blasts the senses in this opening. The album continues this trend until the 5th song, “Carry the Blessed Home,” where tamed instrumentals accompany keyboard. The pace quickens again, leading to Blind Guardian’s most unique feature of the album titled “Skalds and Shadows.” Sung from the point of view of a Norse skald (poet), “Skalds and Shadows” utilizes old string and woodwind instruments for a medieval feel. The album gently closes with “The New Order.” Poetic justice can be found in the fact that the song about the end of the world ends the disk. Regardless, the album need not be listened in any particular order, since every song is a separate story being told.

Perhaps their best album in their collection, “A Twist in the Myth” is a perfect for introducing new listeners to the band and style. The broad range of concepts in the song almost guarantees one will find a song they can relate too in some way. This album is optimized for listening to at the gym, playing the boss level of a game, or doing something of epic proportions that only fast music can accommodate.