HYLI Vol XXIX: Blind Guardian and Drive Like Jehu
Andy sends Patrick some German power-metal about Middle-Earth and Patrick sends Andy some San Diego-based post-hardcore about, idk, surfing or some California shit
Y’all like books? Books are pretty neat. I don’t nearly read as much as I used to (or as I’d like to) but I try to knock out a few a year. I just read Dune after seeing Part I and that was pretty good. Other than that it’s been some books about black metal and serial killers and a sentient space rock alien trying to save his planet. I’m okay, I promise. I brought up books because I love Lord of the Rings and that is relevant to my album. Tweet your favorite book to Pat and he will read it and let you know if he likes it. Make sure to subscribe cause we have a fun one next week (Patrick: speaking of Andy loving books and Lord of the Rings, I sent him a screengrab of the picture of Sauron from the new Lord of the Rings show looking like Eminem and he full on melted down and soiled his diaper for like ten minutes and it rocked).
Blind Guardian - Nightfall in Middle-Earth
Andy: Let’s get this out of the way: I love all things Lord of the Rings. Yes, haha, a metal head who likes Lord of the Rings! How original, I know. I think the books are fantastic, I think that Peter Jackson did about as good as you can do with a film trilogy, and I enjoyed reading The Silmarillion even though it is written like a god damn history book bible (Patrick: my single worst assigned reading experience in college). I’m a geek. It is okay. Thanks.
Blind Guardian decided to make an album based on the major points of The Silmarillion, complete with dinky little skits. It is the perfect encapsulation of nerdy power metal. What else do you need? It is a high point of power metal as a whole in my opinion. Hansi Kürsch is the power metal vocalist to which all other vocalists are compared. Guitarists Siepen and Olbrich are just like… on another level. Along with singing along to the lyrics, I end up singing the guitar parts because they’re so expressive and catchy.
I won’t do a track-by-track explanation of the album (well I did but then I deleted it, Just use google dot com), but you meet Morgoth and Sauron, experience the death of Finwe (Patrick: ah yes of course Finwe), the destruction of the trees of Valinor, Feanor’s revenge, Fingolfin’s march on Agband, and a whole bunch of other interesting and not at all dumb or boring stories (Patrick: well…).
I admittedly don’t listen to a ton of power metal. I enjoy Blind Guardian a lot as a band (Night at the Opera is another classic) but outside of them, and a few others, I don’t spend a lot of time in that genre. I think that is because this album is just about as perfect as the genre can be for me. It is a 10/10, perfect album. Great riffs, great vocals, LOTR-inspired. What else do you need? I Hope You Like It.
Patrick: I do not share Andy’s affection for the Lord of the Rings (Andy: sad for you). I thought the movies were good. I watched them in the theaters, I watched them maybe once or twice after as a teen boy, and I watched them in the middle of COVID when I got my wisdom teeth removed. That’s about it. I watched the Hobbit movies once and they were some of the worst movies I’ve seen in some time (Andy: We don’t talk about those…). I watched the trailer for this new show and laughed a lot at how dumb it looked and how much money Jeff Bezos spent on it. It’s a fine universe, just doesn’t really get me that excited. However, I know that for metal dorks it’s their version of the MCU and so I am happy for them that they have something to get excited over. That’s all we want in this world, right?
This album rocks. Generally, I think this is a bit more my speed because it’s basically Just Rock Music that’s a little faster and a little heavier. There are quite a few moments on here that basically sound like the heaviest Queen songs pushed a little further, especially “Blood Tears.” The melodies on “The Curse of Feanor” even kinda struck me as something that recalled My Chemical Romance a bit, at their most grandiose.
Everything about the music is shit I loved. The guitars absolutely shred and the drums hit super fucking hard. I could listen to this shit forever, and the vocals fit it perfectly, kinda meshing Freddie Mercury, as previously stated, and Iron Maiden a bit. The only part of this I don’t really fuck with is the LOTR stuff (Andy: whatever). Save it for your Dungeons & Dragons meet-up, virgins. I Liked It a Lot.
Drive Like Jehu - Yank Crime
Patrick: Andy kept going on and on about Unwound last week so I figured I’d give him the post-hardcore band that takes that formula and raises them with some more aggression. I love the Drive Like Jehu album - it’s one of my top 20 ever - and I love what these guys continued to work on with Hot Snakes. If every band had guitars that sounded like this, I would be so satisfied.
“Sinews” is the perfect slow-build post-hardcore song that so many bands try to do but come up just a bit short. “Here Come the Rome Plows” might be the peak of the genre. “Super Unison” makes me want to run through a brick wall like the Juggernaut meme. I could listen to John “Swami” Reis riffs for the rest of time and I plan on doing so. They’re so fucking good. Y’all like guitar? This guy might like guitar more than anyone ever. Just a dude being a guy. Hope You Like It.
Andy: I’m annoyed that Pat has kept stuff like this from me for so long (Patrick: like two years ago in peak COVID we all made lists in our group chat of our top 20 albums ever and this was on mine, did I really keep it from you?). What the fuck my guy. What is your deal (Patrick: you annoy me)? Give me all of these. Stop holding out. I’m gonna give you a deathcore album next as punishment for holding out. Jerk.
This rocked man. So hard. Chaotic in the best possible way. My god these guitars. Always more. Like I’ve said previously, more bands should let guitars make weird noises. Dudes just know how to mess with a guitar so much more than other guitarists. Just an absolute blast. An absolute banger of an opener with “Here Come The Rome Plows.” “Luau” is pretty weird but it works. Even their slowest song, “Sinews,” does it for me (Patrick: my favorite here, more bands should go slow). The whole album is just so very much my vibe.
The internet tells me this is one of the most influential post-hardcore bands of the 90s and it makes sense (Patrick: accurate). Really seems like a bummer that Drive Like Jehu didn’t make more than one album but that often seems to happen with great bands like this (Patrick: the two main dudes behind this band continued in Hot Snakes, take it to the private chat). This album is nearly perfect. I Loved It.