Nightfall in Middle-Earth

Nightfall in Middle-Earth
Studio album by Blind Guardian
Released	28 April 1998
Recorded	September 1997 - March 1998 Twilight Hall Studios Karo Studios Sweet Silence Studios Vox Studios Air-Edel Studios
Genre	Power metal, progressive metal
Length	65:29
Label	Virgin/Century Media
Producer	Flemming Rasmussen/Blind Guardian
Blind Guardian chronology
Imaginations from the Other Side (1995) Nightfall in Middle-Earth (1998) A Night at the Opera (2002)
Singles from Nightfall in Middle-Earth
"Mirror Mirror" Released: February 7, 1998

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Rock Hard	(9.5/10)[2]

Nightfall in Middle-Earth is a concept album by Blind Guardian, released in 1998. It is Blind Guardian's sixth studio album.

The album is based upon J. R. R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion, a book of tales from the First Age of Middle-earth, recounting the War of the Jewels. The album contains not only songs but also spoken parts narrating parts of the story. The cover represents Lúthien dancing in front of Morgoth.

Album content

The music is more "melodic", dark and dramatic on this album, compared to previous works such as Somewhere Far Beyond, with the band fully utilizing a power metal-oriented sound where the songs have much more fluency, without losing any of the traditional speed or guitar solos and leads. It is also the first album with Oliver Holzwarth as guest musician, playing bass guitar instead of Hansi Kürsch.

Release

Nightfall in Middle-Earth was the first album by Blind Guardian to be released in the US. The sales encouraged Century Media to release their entire back catalog in the US in 2007, at which point it was remastered and re-released, with an added bonus track.

Track listing

All music written by André Olbrich and Hansi Kürsch except where noted. All lyrics written by Kürsch.

Personnel

Blind Guardian

• Hansi Kürsch – lead and backing vocals, producer
• André Olbrich – lead, rhythm and acoustic guitars, producer
• Marcus Siepen – rhythm guitars, producer
• Thomas "Thomen" Stauch – drums & percussion, producer

Guest musicians

• Oliver Holzwarth – bass guitar & fretless bass
• Mathias Weisner – keyboards & orchestral effects
• Michael Schüren – grand piano
• Max Zelzner – flutes & alto-flute
• Norman Eshley, Douglas Fielding – narration
• Billy King, Rolf Köhler, Olaf Senkbeil, Thomas Hackmann – the choir company

Production

• Blind Guardian – producers
• Flemming Rasmussen – mixing
• Charlie Bauerfeind – mixing of interludes
• Flemming Rasmussen, Charlie Bauerfeind and Piet Sielck – mixing engineers
• Charlie Bauerfeind – recording and engineering of drums, percussion, lead and backing vocals, bass guitars, piano and interludes
• Piet Sielck – recording and engineering of lead, rhythm and acoustic guitars, keyboards and orchestral effects
• Flemming Rasmussen – recording and engineering of vocals
• Cuny – recording and engineering of flutes, alto-flutes and vocals
• Andreas Marshall – cover and story paintings
• Thorsten Eichhorst – photos

Thematic references

The album retells the events in The Silmarillion, beginning with an episode at the end:

1. In "War of Wrath", Sauron advises his master Morgoth to flee the triumphant Valar in the War of Wrath. Morgoth sends him away and reflects on the events leading up to his defeat.
2. In "Into the Storm", Morgoth and Ungoliant, fleeing from Valinor after having destroyed the Two Trees, struggle for the possession of the Silmarils.
3. "Lammoth" is the scream of Morgoth with which he fights off Ungoliant.
4. In "Nightfall", Fëanor and his seven sons mourn the destruction wrought by Morgoth, including the slaying of Finwë, Fëanor's father, and swear to get revenge on him, in spite of the Valar's disapproval.
5. "The Minstrel" is most likely about Maglor, son of Fëanor, who composed the song "The Fall of the Noldor" based on the Kinslaying.
6. In "The Curse of Fëanor", Fëanor expresses his wrath and anger and relates the misdeeds he commits, especially the Kinslaying, in pursuit of Morgoth.
7. In "Captured", Morgoth addresses the captive Maedhros, Fëanor's son, and chains him to the Thangorodrim mountains.
8. In "Blood Tears", Maedhros relates the horrors of his captivity and his deliverance by Fingon.
9. "Mirror Mirror" recounts how Turgon, in view of inevitable defeat, builds the city of Gondolin, aided by Ulmo ("The Lord of Water").
10. In "Face the Truth", Fingolfin reflects about the destiny of the Noldor.
11. In "Noldor (Dead Winter Reigns)", Fingolfin recounts his Noldor army's passage from the icy waste of Helcaraxë and the prophecy by Mandos about the Noldor's fate; he reflects on his own and his people's guilt and foreshadows their ultimate defeat.
12. "The Battle of Sudden Flame" refers to the battle in which Morgoth breaks the Siege of Angband using his Balrogs and dragons. The lyrics tell of how Barahir of the House of Bëor, with great loss to his own company, saved the life of the Elven king Finrod Felagund, and in return Finrod swore an oath of friendship to Barahir and all of his kin.
13. "Time Stands Still (At the Iron Hill)" is about Fingolfin riding to the gates of Angband to challenge Morgoth to a duel. Fingolfin wounds Morgoth seven times but is eventually killed.
14. "The Dark Elf" refers to Eöl who seduced Turgon's sister and fathered Maeglin, who would eventually betray Gondolin.
15. In "Thorn", Maeglin reflects on his situation and decides to betray Gondolin to Morgoth.
16. "The Eldar" is Elven king Finrod Felagund's farewell to his people, dying from wounds sustained by saving his human friend Beren from a werewolf, thereby fulfilling his oath to the House of Bëor.
17. In "Nom the Wise", Beren mourns his friend Finrod. Nóm means "wise" and was the name given to Finrod by Beren's forefather Bëor.
18. In "When Sorrow Sang", Beren sings about his love to the Elven princess Lúthien and his death at the teeth of Morgoth's wolf Carcharoth. Last part is about Mandos listening to Luthien song about their grief experienced by being different in kin.
19. "Out on the Water" refers to the last dwelling-place of Beren and Lúthien.
20. In "The Steadfast", Morgoth curses his captive Húrin who steadfastly refused to reveal the secret of Gondolin.
21. In "A Dark Passage", Morgoth ponders his triumph in the fifth battle. The song also relates the origins of the kindred of men and Morgoth's curse on Húrin to be witness to his children's tragic fate.
22. "Final Chapter (Thus ends ...)" concludes the album, speaking of Morgoth's victory by the "treachery of man" but also of the hope for a new day.
23. "Harvest of Sorrow" is the bonustrack on the remastered version of the album. Túrin mourns the loss of his sister Niënor.

The cover art for the album features Lúthien dancing before Morgoth, from "The Tale of Beren and Lúthien".

References

External links

• Lyrics