Speed Metal, Screams, and Sudden Shouts of "VALHALLA!"
There’s something deeply amusing about how metal bands all seem to pass the same five guys around like cursed artefacts. Remember Kai Hansen from my last post? Helloween’s founding wailer until 1988? Turns out he moonlighted on Blind Guardian’s second studio album Follow the Blind, lending his shriek to what is now the definitive Blind Guardian track: Valhalla.
And when I say it’s been stuck in my head, I mean it’s actively possessing my household. Random outbursts of VALHAAAALLAAAA are now a shared family pastime. I’m not even mad. Just—mildly concerned.
The Origins of Germany’s Nerdiest Speed Freaks
Blind Guardian were forged in 1984 in Krefeld under the extremely subtle name Lucifer’s Heritage (because of course they were). Founded by Hansi Kürsch and André Olbrich, they switched to Blind Guardian in 1988 before releasing their first album Battalions of Fear.
Marcus Siepen joined on rhythm guitar in ’87 and stuck around. Drummer Thomas Stauch pummelled his kit from the beginning until 2005. Later they started adding keyboardists and session folks, but back then it was just raw speed, no filler, zero choirboys in sight.
Speed Metal with a Hint of Tolkien and Trauma
Musically, Blind Guardian’s early years were basically Helloween’s evil twin—blisteringly fast, melodic as hell, and mildly feral. You can hear the fingerprints of Iron Maiden, Metallica, Testament, and Forbidden all over Battalions of Fear and Follow the Blind. But let’s be honest: they weren’t copying, they were stealing like artists—armed with swords.
The band wouldn’t go full power metal until album three—but you can already smell the Lembas bread in the air. Fantasy lyrics were baked in from the start, and fans eventually dubbed them The Bards. Why the hell not.
Hansi, My Angry Little Hobbit King
Here’s the twist: I actually prefer these raw early albums to their later, cleaner power metal phase. No choirs. No walls of overdubs. Just speed, rage, and Hansi sounding like he’s yelling from the top of a dragon.
His voice on these two albums is gruffer, rough around the edges, and full of that primal energy that makes you want to shout lyrics from a castle wall. The drumming is unhinged. The riffs go fast enough to summon a time vortex. And the songs? Catchy as hell. These aren’t background music—they’re blood-pumping, sword-raising, sing-along fuel.
Also, I Used to Own a CD (and It Was Sacred)
Back in 2001, Nightfall in Middle-Earth was one of the only actual CDs I owned. I was a full-blown Tolkien nerd, obviously, so an album based on The Silmarillion was practically a religious artefact. But even before that, the Tolkien-vibes were strong. Blind Guardian doesn’t just write music—they write mythology you can mosh to.
Not Perfect. Still Glorious.
Look—are Battalions and Follow the Blind a bit messy? Sure. Critics have called them repetitive, unpolished, even derivative. But I don’t care. They’re fun. They’re fast. And they’ve got that chaotic charm that only early metal can deliver.
I’ve looped the 2007 remasters several times, especially the added Lucifer’s Heritage demos, and I regret nothing. These albums have everything I want:
- speed
- thrash energy
- melodic hooks
- sing-along choruses
- the urge to wear a cape
Playlist Picks and Live Versions to Lose Your Voice To
If you’re new to early Blind Guardian, start with Valhalla—just trust me. From there, spiral into Majesty, Banish from Sanctuary, and Follow the Blind. The live versions? Still on their setlists to this day. And for good reason: these songs are built to be screamed by crowds and passed down like bardic lore.
Critics can nitpick all they want—say the riffs are borrowed, the production's thin, or the songwriting too rough. I'm too busy shouting VALHAAAALLA in my kitchen to care.
These albums hit fast, hit hard, and refuse to leave your head. They remind me why this whole metal rabbit hole was worth falling into in the first place.