Blind Guardian released their album, Somewhere Far Beyond Revisited on August 2, 2024 via Nuclear Blast Records. This is a re-recording of their legendary album Somewhere Far Beyond originally released in 1992.

I usually shy away from these types of reviews but decided to purchase this being such a huge Blind Guardian fan and being such a great album. This is the album where the fan-base started being called The Bards and is such a huge part of not only their catalog but the power metal movement overall. With another remaster that happened in 2007 this again had me questioning why do this again.

My fears were quickly dashed as soon as I put it on. This is a fantastic addition to the legacy of this album and I truly believe long time fans will like it. On first listen I find the whole album is more aggressive sounding with a focus on all the instruments more separately. The drums and bass are more pronounced and the guitars sound clear with the harmonizing punch Blind Guardian is famous for. Hansi’s vocals are bang on and are even more assertive showcasing that in the last thirty years he hasn’t slowed in the least.

Although I love the whole album I have riddled down a couple of my favourites from this album. ‘Journey Through The Dark Revisited’ has a much thicker sound, more contemporary than the original, and possibly not as heavy, but the drums really punch this one through. ‘Black Chamber Revisited’ showcases Hansi’s vocals making this a superb dramatic piece.

‘Ashes To Ashes Revisited’ has those killer guitar leads that don’t disappoint. Hansi’s vocals are a bit lower in this one making it a tad darker. It really suits this song and the slight difference makes this more mature. ‘The Bards Song (In The Forest) Revisited’ has always been a beautiful track and I find the vocals are slightly quicker making this another cool change.

‘The Bards Song (The Hobbit) Revisited’ captures that original magic with a cleaner sound. The kick drum is much more prevalent creating a thicker sound on the back end. ‘Somewhere Far Beyond Revisited’ has the most changes for my ears with a slight chorus change and the leads are absolutely fantastic.

I really can see this version being well accepted by longtime fans and I am sure this will be a great gateway album for new fans of the genre. I think it takes guts to re-record such a classic album and Blind Guardian surpassed my expectations.