Even though I am not a fan of BG anymore, I can acknowledge what releases were good and bad from the band’s catalogue. “A Night At The Opera” and “Nightfall…” were not all that great due to the high experimentation. When I received the “Fly” single, I didn’t like the track so much as I did the B-sides. Well, they have a lot of lost time to make up for and the opener “This Will Never End” is pretty much vintage material that all the Power Metal geeks have come to love the band for. Great harmony vocals are placed perfectly with Hansi’s distinct voice and high pitch screams.

The drum skills of new comer Frederik Ehmke are just as good as Thomen’s. The riffs are sharp, aggressive, melodic and catchy just like any of their classic songs. This is Speed Metal at its finest for the guys. The mid to fast paced songs are not only consistent, but back to normal during the first three tracks and it’s there that we encounter “Fly” which my thoughts have been posted on the site. No need to repeat myself. “Carry The Blessed Home” is a ballad that is mediocre. BG in my eyes is not good in this field. They should just stick to what they do best and that’s rock out. The one are that the band shines is when it comes to toss I a folk tune comprised of just vocals and an acoustic guitar.

“Skalds & Shadows” is a wonderful song that I believe will become a fan fav at live venues when everyone will chime in. This record was definitely a long time in the coming. The dragon artwork is once again is displayed all over the cover. Die hards can rejoice as the crew make their way to creating the kind of music that the fans clamor over time and time again. I believe that BG has heard the fans war cry and now they deliver. While the music is deep rooted in the past, it’s not a direct carbon copy as they still manage to progress forward and add just a touch of experimentation as opposed to over killing it like in the past. While this may not be my cup of tea anymore, even I know that this is good and this is what I prefer. No complaints.

(Online November 9, 2006)