{"product_id":"beyond-the-red-mirror","title":"Beyond the Red Mirror","description":"Lyricist: Hansi Kürsch.\u003cbr\u003ePersonnel: Hansi Kürsch (vocals); André Olbrich (guitar); Matthias Ulmer (piano, keyboards); Michael Schuren (piano); Frederik Ehmke (drums, percussion).\u003cbr\u003eAudio Mixer: Charlie Bauerfeind.\u003cbr\u003eRecording information: Funkhaus Studio, Berlin, Germany (01\/2014); Futura Productions, Boston, MA (01\/2014); MAZ Tonstudio, Stuttgart, Germany (01\/2014); Rudolfinum, Dvorak Hall, Prague, Czech Republic (01\/2014); TomTom Studio D, Budapest, Hungary (01\/2014); Twilight Hall Studios, Grefrath-Oedt, Germany (01\/2014); Funkhaus Studio, Berlin, Germany (05\/2014); Futura Productions, Boston, MA (05\/2014); MAZ Tonstudio, Stuttgart, Germany (05\/2014); Rudolfinum, Dvorak Hall, Prague, Czech Republic (05\/2014); TomTom Studio D, Budapest, Hungary (05\/2014); Twilight Hall Studios, Grefrath-Oedt, Germany (05\/2014); Funkhaus Studio, Berlin, Germany (06\/2014-08\/2014); Futura Productions, Boston, MA (06\/2014-08\/2014); MAZ Tonstudio, Stuttgart, Germany (06\/2014-08\/2014); Rudolfinum, Dvorak Hall, Prague, Czech Republic (06\/2014-08\/2014); TomTom Studio D, Budapest, Hungary (06\/2014-08\/2014); Twilight Hall Studios, Grefrath-Oedt, Germany (06\/2014-08\/2014); Funkhaus Studio, Berlin, Germany (08\/2014); Futura Productions, Boston, MA (08\/2014); MAZ Tonstudio, Stuttgart, Germany (08\/2014); Rudolfinum, Dvorak Hall, Prague, Czech Republic (08\/2014); TomTom Studio D, Budapest, Hungary (08\/2014); Twilight Hall Studios, Grefrath-Oedt, Germany (08\/2014); Funkhaus Studio, Berlin, Germany (10\/2012-10\/2014); Futura Productions, Boston, MA (10\/2012-10\/2014); MAZ Tonstudio, Stuttgart, Germany (10\/2012-10\/2014); Rudolfinum, Dvorak Hall, Prague, Czech Republic (10\/2012-10\/2014); TomTom Studio D, Budapest, Hungary (10\/2012-10\/2014); Twilight Hall Studios, Grefrath-Oedt, Germany (10\/2012-10\/2014).\u003cbr\u003ePhotographer: Hans Martin Issler.\u003cbr\u003eTranslator: Dr. Carolin Caliendo.\u003cbr\u003eThe German power metal unit's tenth studio album and first since 2010's At the Edge of Time, Beyond the Red Mirror is being billed as a sequel to 1995's much-loved Imaginations from the Other Side, but listeners need not be versed in that sci-fi\/fantasy narrative to enjoy the ride, as per usual, Blind Guardian lets the music do most of the talking. Sparing no expense, the band enlisted two full 90-piece orchestras and three international choirs (Prague, Budapest, and Boston), but unlike some of their symphony-loving peers, the window dressing is integrated tastefully, allowing the veteran band's well-established technical skill set to shine through. Nearly three decades into their career, Blind Guardian still sound like a spinning top at the edge of a very high (and very ornate) table, firing ideas into the ether with the subtlety of a Gatling Gun, while miraculously maintaining their footing. Nowhere is this penchant for frantic, progressive metal fanfare more apparent than on the nearly ten-minute opener \"The Ninth Wave, a lavish, electro-tinged, pseudo-Wagnerian epic that feels like a highlight reel of the band's entire career thus far. Like the majority of the ten-track set, it's bold, immediate, and relentlessly melodic, due in large part to frontman Hansi Kursch's robust vocals, whose stacked Dee Snider-meets-Queen harmonies and commanding presence form the basis of nearly all of the group's best offerings. That equation is put to its best use on the rollicking follow-up, \"Twilight of the Gods,\" the closest Beyond the Red Mirror gets to a single, and a prime example of how deft the band is at fusing pop melodies to a backbone of pure metal might. The rest of the album follows suit, making stops at vintage thrash (\"The Holy Grail\"), Iron Maiden-inspired, guitarmony-laden NWOBHM (\"Prophecies\"), and opera metal (\"The Throne\"), before tying things up with the aptly named \"Grand Parade,\" another just-under-ten-minute, neo-classical metal stunner that's as unapologetically ostentatious as it is genuinely goose bump-inducing. ~ James Christopher Monger","brand":"MovieMars","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47502128873759,"sku":"727361327224","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0679\/7833\/0399\/files\/3107d22aa8764ae02a7864757b6294c9_f0f899ae-1c74-47e3-a4b8-056856c28cf8.jpg?v=1777815183","url":"https:\/\/www.moviemars.com\/products\/beyond-the-red-mirror","provider":"MovieMars","version":"1.0","type":"link"}