Probably the most adventurous disc of Blind Guardian's career (and that's saying something with this troupe), A Night at the Opera lives up to its name by channeling Queen's most symphonic arias through a dynamic prog metal background that makes Fate's Warning's most complex licks seem positively pedestrian in comparison with a glorious production that allows every nuance to literally explode from the loudspeakers.
As ambitious as this disc is, however, it is similarly difficult to digest.
Everything is over the top to the nth degree; every refrain is bolstered with a chorus lifted to the heavens; every song is an overwrought epic overture of garish calls to Valhalla; every moment is a grandiose concerto.
By the time you hit the bonus track "Mies del Dolor," the only moment of the disc where Blind Guardian lightens up even a little, the band must be exhausted.
No doubt, the listener will be too.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Precious JerusalemAndré Olbrich | Blind Guardian | Play | 06:22 | 14 MB | 46 MB |
| 2 | BattlefieldAndré Olbrich, Thomen Stauch | Blind Guardian | Play | 05:37 | 12 MB | 41 MB |
| 3 | Under the IceAndré Olbrich | Blind Guardian | Play | 05:44 | 13 MB | 41 MB |
| 4 | Sadly Sings DestinyAndré Olbrich | Blind Guardian | Play | 06:04 | 13 MB | 43 MB |
| 5 | The Maiden and the Minstrel KnightAndré Olbrich | Blind Guardian | Play | 05:30 | 12 MB | 36 MB |
| 6 | Wait for an AnswerHansi Kürsch, André Olbrich | Blind Guardian | Play | 06:30 | 14 MB | 48 MB |
| 7 | The SoulforgedAndré Olbrich, Thomen Stauch | Blind Guardian | Play | 05:18 | 12 MB | 39 MB |
| 8 | Age of False InnocenceAndré Olbrich | Blind Guardian | Play | 06:05 | 13 MB | 43 MB |
| 9 | Punishment DivineAndré Olbrich | Blind Guardian | Play | 05:45 | 13 MB | 41 MB |
| 10 | And Then There Was SilenceAndré Olbrich | Blind Guardian | Play | 14:07 | 32 MB | 100 MB |
| 11 | Mies del DolorMarcus Siepen, Thomen Stauch | Blind Guardian | Play | 03:39 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 70 mins | 161 MB | |||||
| 70 mins | 506 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nordin Hammadi Amrani | Assistant Engineer |
| 2 | Charly Bauerfeind | Engineer, Mixing, Orchestral Arrangements, Producer |
| 3 | Pao Bender | Keyboards |
| 4 | Blind Guardian | Primary Artist |
| 5 | Detlef Funder | Engineer |
| 6 | Paul Gregory | Cover Painting |
| 7 | Thomas Hackmann | Choir/Chorus |
| 8 | Oliver Holzwarth | Guitar (Bass) |
| 9 | Axel Jusseit | Photography |
| 10 | Billy King | Choir/Chorus |
| 11 | Rolf Kohler | Choir/Chorus |
| 12 | Dennis Kostroman | Design |
| 13 | Hansi Kürsch | Bass, Composer, Vocal Producer, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 14 | André Olbrich | Composer, Cover Art Concept, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Rhythm), Orchestral Arrangements |
| 15 | Sascha Pierro | Keyboards, Sound Effects |
| 16 | Michael Schuren | Piano |
| 17 | Olaf Senkbeil | Choir/Chorus |
| 18 | Marcus Siepen | Composer, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Rhythm) |
| 19 | Thomen Stauch | Composer, Drums, Percussion, Translation, Vocal Producer |
| 20 | Matthias Wiesner | Keyboards, Orchestration Reconstruction |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |