Search - Blind Guardian :: Mirror Mirror

Not much point in this

Ilya Malafeyev | Russia | 07/14/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Well, this is a single. And that pretty much sums it all. The problem here is not with the production, or quality, or performance, or musicians skill. All those are excellent. The problem is with the content.Track 1. Mirror Mirror. An excellent, dynamic number, retaining that special Blind Guardian melody. One of their best. Problem: if you already have "Nightfall in Middle Earth", which I believe you do, then there's not much point in having this song on a separate single.
Track 2. And the Story Ends. Live performance. Nothing really special. Nothing to mention but the quality recording.
Track 3. Imaginations from the Other Side. Same as #2. Quality live performance, but it fails to add anything to the studio version.
Track 4. Beyond the Realms of Death. This is a cover song by Judas Priest from their album "Stained Class" of 1978, and this is the biggest problem of this CD. For some unknown reason Blind Guardian tries to make it as much close to the original as it is technically possible. Why? Beats me. I fail to see the point of making covers 99,9% accurate to the original version. If I want a Judas Priest performance, I'll take their respected CD from my shelf. You, guys, are Blind Guardian, right? Then, hell, make it sound like a Blind Guardian song! Add dynamics, or orchestration. Add blistering solos or those specific choruses. Do something, but make it sound your own song! Not the case here. Shame. The incredibly creative band made such an uninspired cover.All in all, this probably was a cool single to boil the audience's attention prior to "Nightfall..." release, but today, 5 years later, it's generally a waste of money. Unless, of course, your goal is to have every recorded live performance of Bling Guardian seating neatly on your CD-shelf. 4 stars for the quality of the title track only."

MIRROR MIRROR - A GREAT ALBUM !

maniac_i | Ankara,Turkiye (or in Middle-Earth) | 05/18/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A FANtastic album from Blind Guardian. Noone can say the album is not good enough but good is not enough! It's FANTASTIC! It's GREAT! It's EXCELLENT! It's BLIND GUARDIAN!"

Amazing Judas Priest cover, but available elsewhere

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 05/08/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Mirror Mirror is the single release from Blind Guardian's epic Nightfall in Middle-Earth album. The CD features the title track, live versions of And the Story Ends and Imaginations from the Other Side, and a cover of Judas Priest's Beyond the Realms of Death.



I've never been big on live albums, so while they were decent recordings, didn't add much for me. As with many other CD singles, the real value comes from the non-album material - in this case, the Judas Priest cover. Blind Guardian's version of Beyond the Realms of Death is an absolute masterpiece. Hansi sounds like he was born to sing that song. Blind Guardian has a real knack for recording great covers (Queen, Uriah Heep, Dio, etc.) and this is no exception. It is an amazing recording that is sure to please both Blind Guardian and Judas Priest fans.



The Judas Priest cover is, however, available on Century Media's Judas Priest Tribute album, so if you have that album there may be no real reason to pick up the Mirror Mirror single. For whatever reason, it is not included with the rest of the band's covers on the Forgotten Tales disc though.



UPDATE: The 2007 reissue of Forgotten Tales does in fact have Beyond the Realms of Death, making this single pretty much obsolete.

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