Changing of the Bands

[Thought]

I'm not particularly knowledgeable about music, but one of the things that can get me to like a band or song is if it seems like the artists tried to improve upon themselves and to expand their horizons. Regardless of if I actually like the music produced, there is just something admirable about artists who are never satisfied with staying the same, who strive to improve their work, who love the craft more than the cash.

As such, I thought it might be interesting if we post songs from our favorite bands displaying how they have changed over the years and how they have pushed themselves. The intent here isn't so much to recruit new fans to your favorite group, or even to like all the songs posted here. Rather, the intent is to simple be more aware of the artists out there who are, to put it in familiar terms, in the springtime of youth.

To note, this was inspired by a link Zeality posted in the frustration thread.

As it only proper, I will go first. As noted, I am not particularly knowledgeable, so unfortunately what follows is really the only group that I am familiar with that meets these criteria.

I present for your consideration: Blind Guardian, a German metal band. What sort of metal? Well as this topic hopefully implies, that is a question the answer to which largely depends on what album you are talking about.

First, I would like to present back to back links of one of their earliest and one of their latest songs: Majesty and Valkyries

In 1988 they released "Battalions of Fear," which was largely speed metal, as illustrated by: Majesty

That was followed the next year by "Follow the Blind," which likewise is very speedish. There wasn't much change, especially if one isn't familiar with the speed metal genre, but the album did include something that in this context seems noteworthy: A cover of Barbara Ann
Different style, and yet they tried to make it their own.

1990 saw "Tales from the Twilight World," and then in 1992 came "Somewhere Far Beyond." Here the beginnings of their later style is quite evident, as displayed by the two Bard's Songs: The Bard's Song - The Hobbit and The Bard's Song - Into the Forest. Things are slowing down a little, they are using technology to give the impression of a chorus of singers, and the latter in particular is showing a desire for a different musical tradition all together.

One can hear the shift of the the vocal work that the above album signaled in "Imaginations from the Other Side," released in 1995. And the Story Ends is particularly indicative of this, although Mordred's Song displays both that and the slower trend.

These trends came to full fruition in "Nightfall in Middle Earth" in 1998. This album is held by some fans as their best, though personally I see it as more of a turning point. They really nailed the development of their older style with songs like Time Stands Still. The theme of the album also is wonderful: one can get almost the entire plot of the Silmarillion in it.

The 2002 "Night at the Opera" marks the start of a new development. On one hand they continue to rely a great deal on technology to give the impression of a choir of bards singing, but one will note that their guitar use is changing: Precious Jerusalem. And, of course, I can't help but note that with this album they released a wonderful waltz: Mies del Dolor, in Spanish (they are a German band who usually records in English but has no qualms about singing in yet a third language: that is fully awesome).

"A Twist in the Myth" was released in 2006. If you want an album from a band in the springtime of youth, this is it. I think by this point their use of guitars is significantly different than previous albums, vocals don't rely quite as much on playback (though it is still there), they are willing to experiment more with new sounds within the songs, and the lyrics are all about creativity, new life, and kicking ass. Fly is perhaps the most different from their previous songs. They still have a particular love for less metally, more bardy songs, as evident by Skalds and Shadows, but we also hear a better synthesis of this with their normal style in songs such as Turn the Page.

Which brings us to their latest release, "At the Edge of Time." The less-metal songs perhaps have a little more play this go around, with songs like Curse My Name, but the melding that Turn the Page represented seems to be developing nicely with songs like Wheel of Time.

Do you remember back up near the top where I mentioned they did a cover of Barbara Ann? Yeah, they have a grand ol time doing covers of all sorts. There is a somewhat disturbing music video of Mr. Sandman, a cover of Deep Purple's hallelujah, and even Dream a Little Dream

Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this little stroll down my favorite bands history and development. I also hope you'll share a tale of a band or singer yourself.