From their speed metal beginnings, Blind Guardian became one of the most epic and influential power metal bands. This list will not include Legacy of The Dark Lands which is is an symphonic album composed by members of Blind Guardian and is technically released as Blind Guardian Twilight Orchestra.

How this works; Songs are rated on a 5 star rating with each star having a value that is averaged together for the album rating. Average album rating will equal the band’s rating

1 star=0, I hate it! The world would be better off without this.

2 stars=25, I don’t like it but it could be worse

3 stars= 50, decent song but not special

4 stars=75, good song but is missing something that might make it amazing

5 stars=100, Amazing!

Live albums, demos, cover albums and EP’s are not included.

Note: Popular doesn’t mean great and importance doesn’t mean it’s good either. A chart topping song only means it is watered down enough for a mainstream audience.

#11

Beyond The Red Mirror - 81.81%

This is an ambitious album utilizing multiple choirs and orchestras. It makes for an incredibly epic sounding album but at the same time makes for an album that at times reaches far from its metal core. Perhaps this is most obvious on the last track “Grand Parade”. While it is a grand epic musical piece it can at times seem more orchestra than metal. Throughout the album the choir vocals are so prominent that Hansi’s voice can even become lost in the mix. Over all the album loses touch with what makes Blind Guardian special in a reach to be something more. With that said, this is in no way a bad album, but certainly not the first I would recommend to someone new to the band unless they are more into classical music than metal.

The Good: “Twilight of The Gods” is by far my favorite on the album. “At The Edge of Time” and “The Throne” also get five stars from me

The Bad: nothing really bad on the album; all other tracks still got four stars, but for a Blind Guardian album this is to few five stars.

#10

Follow The Blind - 85.71 (excluding intro track and cover medley)

The second album from Blind Guardian maybe heavier than their first, but I wouldn’t say as exciting over all nor is it as epic as Blind Guardian would become. It does however have a few gems

The Good: “Banished Sanctuary” is a fantastic album opener and the album ends with “Valhalla” which featers Kia Hansen of Helloween/Gamma Ray fame. The song has become a epic in their live shows, and like the song that never ends the crowds still linger on the chorus far after it is time to let it go. The Instrumental “Beyond The Ice” also gets five stars from me; I’m a sucker for good instrumentals. It’s fast and heavy and filled with awesome shredding.

The Bad: Outside of those tracks, the rest of the songs sit at four stars. Some have their moments that shine, but overall none remain to exciting. “Follow The Blind” is a bit to complex for it’s own good with changes that disrupt the flow of the song. “Fast To Madness” sounds great, but for a near six minute song it doesn’t offer much dynamic and I end up ready for the next song already before the end.

#9

Tales From The Twilight World - 86.11%

Their third album opens with epic layered vocals which are done to the epicness of what Blind Guardian has become known for. It’s a good album but far from the majesty and epicness of albums that would follow.

The Good: “Traveler in Time”, “Welcome to Dying”, and “The Last Candle” are all solid five star power metal songs. “Lord of the Rings” is lighter folky songs which at that time was the first to show the softer side of Blind Guardian and showcase Hansi’s vocals to a greater degree.

The Bad: The rest of the songs sit at four stars, not bad but not amazing either.

#8

A Twist in the Myth - 90%

This album perhaps more than others has a progressive flare to it. Nearly all the songs make use many changes and unorthodox rythm patterns in the songs as well as some time signatures outside your standard 4/4. On top of that this album makes use of keyboards that give the album a very saturated sound. They occasionally are used as symphonic elements, but far less so than with other albums that make use of such and sound more synthesized than orchestral.

The Good - If you like a more progressive sound then this is probably their most progressive sounding album. It also has some great songs in general such as “Carry the Blessed Home” and “Skalds & Shadows” which are my to favorites of the album

The Bad - Despite some good songs this albums suffers a few problems. First, the guitar leads sound fine, but as far a heaviness the tone on this album is lacking. Second, This album just isn’t as isn’t as epic most others. It seems fewer of the songs have the incredible vocal sections which has become the signature Blind Guardian sound. That’s not to say there isn’t some great work on this album, but many of the songs far short in either vocal arrangements or melodies. This is a writing issue in general. Further as it seems that some of the progressive elements ruin any flow to some of the songs making them feel choppy, but not in a good thrashy way. With that said though it is still not a bad album. If a random unknown band made this album I would be incredibly impressed, but comparing it to other albums of Blind Guardian it doesn’t quite stand up to others as a whole.

#7

The God Machine - 91.11%

After being a bit disappointed with the previous album which was seven years earlier, this album made me very happy. It was a return to a more stripped down sound with far less symphonic elements. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy that side of Blind Guardian, but I felt they was pushing it a bit beyond a good equilibrium. That’s also not to say that this album doesn’t have symphonic elements either.

The Good: This is a fantastic album which opens with barrage of five star tracks “Deliver us from Evil”, “Damnation”, “Secrets of the American Gods”, and “Violent Shadows”. On the latter half of the album is “Blood of the Elves”, another great track which impart inspired a song of my own which at the time of writing this has yet to be released, but if you are reading this in the future check out Eternal Phoenix - “Reborn in Light”.

The Bad: The rest of the tracks were all four stars which certainly aren’t bad, but not quite as impactful for me as the others.

#6

Night At The Opera - 92.5%

Following two albums that rank higher on this list, this album shows that great albums are not just a passing phase for Blind Guardian, but the standard. Although there had been a bit of symphonic elements scattered through previous albums, this is the first album to embrace those elements to a greater extent. Although, at this time it would be done through keyboards unlike later albums to feature actual orchestras.

The Good - Plenty of great songs on this one such as “Battlefield” and “Under the Ice”. Embracing Symphonic to an even greater degree “The Maiden and the Minstrel Night”, and the the 14 minute epic closing the album “And Then There Was Silence”

The Bad - Nothing disappointing here although there are a few tracks only getting four stars.

#5

Battalions of Fear - 93.75%

The first album from Blind Guardian is one I love for a different reason than the others. This album is very reminiscent of early thrash metal such as Metallica’s Kill ‘em All, but with the melodicness of Iron Maiden. It still has the signature vocal layering of power metal, but not as choir like as later Blind Guardian. On an only eight track album this one features two instrumentals which again reminds me of early Iron Maiden to a great degree, but with a harder hitting speed/thrash feel.

The Good - This is a fantastic album hitting with both aggression and melody. The opening track “Majesty” might be favorite. “Trial By the Archon” is a great instrumental which provides a awesome intro track for “Wizard’s Crown” which is another great song.

The Bad - no complaints from me. I say the title track is my least favorite as it has some abrupt changes which break the flow of the song even if each part is still cool; still four stars though.

#4

At The Edge of Time - 97.2

I remember when this album came out it was super expensive for some reason and I put off getting it for way way to long. When finally getting this years later I was kicking myself for not getting it much sooner. This is fantastic album. It keeps progressive elements that was found on the previous A Twist in The Myth, but upgrades with utilizing an actual orchestra. This is a near perfect album

The Good - It’s hard to pic a favorite here, I gave every track except for one a full five star rating

The Bad - Nothing bad to find here. "Wheel of Time” is the only track that only got four stars. The main reason for this is there is so much packed into this song that I feel it sometimes lacks a consistent flow. It is like there are interluding parts that make you wait for the next section of greatness, just give the the goods already and stop the teasing.

#3

Somewhere Far Beyond - 97.22%

Somewhere Far Beyond is another near perfect album. I wouldn’t say this album shows a huge jump in quality for the bas as they had already proven they could produce high quality metal. However, this album proves they can produce quality with consistency with nearly every song on the album being perfection. Orchestral sections are still done through keyboards at this point for BG, but it doesn’t take away from the songs at all.

The Good - Almost everything however it is this alum that contains one of Blind Guardian’s classic songs with the folk ballad “The Bard’s Song - The Forest”, often just called the “Bard Song” by many fans. Besides that one this album is packed full of power, speed, and epic vocals. Aside from “Bard Song” I’d put the title track not just as a favorite from the album but from their entire catalog.

The Bad - The only song to not receive 5 stars from me was “The Bard Song - The Hobbit”. It just doesn’t have the same drive as most of the album.

#2

Imaginations From The Other Side - 100%

A total masterpiece from beginning to end. There isn’t a single bad track on this album. This album is jammed packed with epic choruses intermixed with power, speed, and melody.

The Good - Everything. If I had to pick anything in particular I would say the the opening track/title track and the closing track “And The Story Ends” Tend to be the ones that stick in my head the most.

The Bad - The only bad thing about this album is that there isn’t more of it.

#1

Nightfall in Middle Earth - 100%

Another perfect album from Blind Guardian. It was had to pick over the other, but ultimatly I chose Nightfall because isn’t just a amazing album but is an amazing story as well. If you are a fan of Tolkien and power metal then this is for you. This also happens to have been my first BG album which I’m sure helps in the selection even though I often find myself listening to Imaginations more.

The Good - Again, Everything. Besides every song being amazing, the guitar tone on this album if absolutely incredible particularly with the leads and harmonies. To be fair though this has become typical of Blind Guardian and isn’t isolated to this album.

The Bad - When argument against this one is that between every song is a short narrative track. Personally I like that, but I know there are some that just want to get to the song. They did however release a remastered version which cuts out all of these tracks, but personally I don’t like the production nearly as much as the original.

Bonus Album

Legacy of The Dark Lands - 79.16%

This album is released as Blind Guardian Twilight Orchestra. It is an Orchestral written by Hansi and Andre. Like Nightfall there are narrative interludes between the symphonic cantata tracks. There are no metal elements what so ever so ever and Hansi is the only member of the band performing along side the orchestra. Hansi sounds amazing as always but this album isn’t for your average metal head. I can appreciate and respect this album, but it’s not a Blind Guardian album, and certainly is not a metal album.

The Good - I gave a hand full of five star on this album with tracks “1618 Ouveture”, “In The Underworld”, “Nephilim”, and “Harvester of Souls”.

The Bad - Like Nightfall this album has interlude tracks. Despite not being a metal album there was nothing really weak on this album and the lowest I rated any tracks were three stars with “Dark Cloud’s Rising”, and “In the Red Dwarf’s Tower”.

More Albums Ranked