| Nightfall in Middle-Earth | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 28 April 1998 | |||
| Recorded | July 1997 – January 1998 | |||
| Studio | Twilight Hall Studios Karo Studios Sweet Silence Studios Vox Studios Air-Edel Studios | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 65:29 | |||
| Label | Virgin/Century Media | |||
| Producer | Flemming Rasmussen, Blind Guardian | |||
| Blind Guardian chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Nightfall in Middle-Earth | ||||
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Nightfall in Middle-Earth is the sixth studio album by the Germanpower metal bandBlind Guardian. It was released on 28 April 1998 throughVirgin Records. It is aconcept album based onJ. R. R. Tolkien'sThe Silmarillion, a book of tales from theFirst Age ofMiddle-earth, recounting the troubled history ofBeleriand as theElves battle with the Dark LordMorgoth.[2][3][4] The album contains not only songs but also spoken parts narrating parts of the story. The cover depicts a scene fromThe Silmarillion, the elfLúthien dancing in front of the Dark LordMorgoth.
Nightfall in Middle-Earth is widely regarded as one of Blind Guardian's best-known and best-received albums in their discography.[5] It is also the first album with Oliver Holzwarth as guest musician, playing bass guitar instead ofHansi Kürsch.
It was the first album by Blind Guardian to be released in the United States. The sales encouragedCentury Media to release their entire back catalog in the US in 2007, at which point it was remastered and re-released, with a bonus track.
The album has been described as "grandiose"[5] and influenced byprogressive rock. It has been compared toQueen's operatic approach with "dense choir-like vocal harmonies set against swirling multi-part guitar lines."[5] Music critics have noted the fast, melodic guitar-work and the use of folk instruments, flutes, violins, and other instruments. The album's songs are varied, with "quick-paced numbers", ballads, and operatic pieces.[5]Metal Hammer described it as "a banquet ofmedieval/folk,speed/power metal, and Queen-esque vocal twists, complete with interludes to illustrate the plot."[1]
The album retells the events inThe Silmarillion, beginning with an episode at the end:[6]
The cover art for the album features Lúthien dancing before Morgoth, fromThe Tale of Beren and Lúthien.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Sputnikmusic | 4.5/5[5] |
| Metal Storm | 7.7/10[8] |
The album has drawn universally positive critical acclaim since its release. Writing for Sputnikmusic, Kyle Ward said that on this album "Blind Guardian laid down their finest instrumental performance to date. Everything goes hand in hand with each other, the guitars being nearly always furiously paced and extremely melodic, but not over-the-top and cheesy like many other power metal bands out there." He singled outHansi Kürsch's vocals for particular praise, writing that "In every aspect and mood, Blind Guardian delivers in the vocal department. Whether the song is amazingly fast and melodic, like "Time Stands Still (at the Iron Hill)" or whether the mood is somber and slow ("The Eldar") you are sure to be hit in the face with a simply remarkable feat in terms of vocal achievement, one of the finest vocal performances I have ever seen on a metal album."[5]
AllMusic's Vincent Jeffries gave a similarly glowing assessment of the album, describing the album as "complete with anthemic choruses, spoken word story lines, and plenty of bombasticpower metal punctuating every dramatic turn" and "perhaps Blind Guardian's most triumphant effort."[2]
In a volume edited by Tolkien scholarBradford Lee Eden,Amy H. Sturgis writes that "although one can assume that Tolkien was not a headbanger",[9] she finds that in the opinion of her students, the "driving energy" of the power metal sound is appropriate for the stories: "The music conveys rage and despair, which fits lyrics such as 'The doom of theNoldor drew near/ The words of a banished king, “I swear revenge!”'"[9] Sturgis adds that this facilitates discussion ofTolkien's Christian view of thefall of man.[9]
Metal Hammer named it in its lists "The 10 Essential Symphonic Metal Albums"[1] and in "The 10 Essential Power Metal Albums".[10]ThoughtCo named it one of the essential power metal albums.[11]
Grimdark Magazine's C.T. Phipps called it one of his "favorite power metal band's greatest works". He states that it is told from the point of view of the Dark Lord Morgoth, with the story told both in the songs and in "little vignettes" in between. He describes the music as "not just your traditional power metal sound but there’s quite a bit of melodious, folksy Medieval sounding tunes spread between the fast guitar work."[6]
The tracks are:[12]
All lyrics are written byHansi Kürsch; all music is composed byAndré Olbrich and Hansi Kürsch except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "War of Wrath" | 1:50 |
| 2. | "Into the Storm" | 4:24 |
| 3. | "Lammoth" | 0:28 |
| 4. | "Nightfall" | 5:34 |
| 5. | "The Minstrel" | 0:32 |
| 6. | "The Curse of Fëanor" (Olbrich, Kürsch,Thomas "Thomen" Stauch andMarcus Siepen) | 5:41 |
| 7. | "Captured" | 0:26 |
| 8. | "Blood Tears" | 5:24 |
| 9. | "Mirror Mirror" | 5:06 |
| 10. | "Face the Truth" | 0:24 |
| 11. | "Noldor (Dead Winter Reigns)" | 6:51 |
| 12. | "Battle of Sudden Flame" | 0:44 |
| 13. | "Time Stands Still (At the Iron Hill)" | 4:53 |
| 14. | "The Dark Elf" | 0:23 |
| 15. | "Thorn" | 6:19 |
| 16. | "The Eldar" (Olbrich, Kürsch, Michael Schüren) | 3:39 |
| 17. | "Nom the Wise" | 0:33 |
| 18. | "When Sorrow Sang" | 4:25 |
| 19. | "Out on the Water" | 0:44 |
| 20. | "The Steadfast" | 0:21 |
| 21. | "A Dark Passage" | 6:01 |
| 22. | "Final Chapter (Thus Ends...)" | 0:48 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 23. | "Nightfall" (orchestral version) | 5:38 |
| 24. | "A Dark Passage" (instrumental version) | 6:06 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 23. | "Harvest of Sorrow" (Siepen, Kürsch and Stauch) | 3:39 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 23. | "Doom" | 5:51 |
| 24. | "Harvest of Sorrow" | 3:41 |
| 25. | "The Tides of War" | 5:17 |
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[13] | 39 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[14] | 7 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[15] | 12 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[16] | 44 |
