Live Review: Blind Guardian with The Night Eternal at The O2 Forum, London (14/04/24)

The last time I saw Blind Guardian perform live (outside of a festival) was 2016 and it took place at The O2 Forum in London. Eight years later, Blind Guardian are back at the same venue but, this time they’ve sold it out. Something they didn’t manged before, or the time before that. Which is growth. Small growth, but growth none the less.

The thing is, Blind Guardian deserve to sell out venues bigger than this, and they do across Europe, but the UK has always had a bit of a love/hate relationship with power metal. Still, if anyone can bring the fans in, they can, and this entire UK tour has been a phenomenal success for the band.

Something they seem to be acutely aware of, as this is an on form Blind Guardian. In high spirits and with a bevy of new tracks from their latest album, The God Machine, in tow.

First up though, it’s The Night Eternal, a heavy metal band from Germany and when I say heavy metal, I mean HEAVY METAL. Plying a trade that some might call ‘classic’, others might call ‘tired’, and I would call ‘lacklustre’. They have a lot of energy, but not a lot else. Notable by the lack of oomph we’re getting from the two guitars, which could be a venue problem more than the fault of The Night Eternal. After all, it is the O2 Forum in London and sound issues are common here.

What can’t be blamed on the venue is the generic feel of their music and the lack of excitement that comes from it. The venue might be packed, but there’s not a lot of movement in the crowd, and as they near the end, you can tell folks are getting restless.

After all, we’re all here for Blind Guardian and just about everyone is cheering when the lights go down. Talk about a hero’s welcome! Blind Guardian take to the stage to sound of roaring voices, clapping hands, stomping feet, and a wave of energy that they must have felt.

What followed was nearly two hours of Blind Guardian magic. This might have been called The God Machine Tour, but the set they perform is more of a ‘best of’ than anything else. Which, if you know your Blind Guardian, means we got treated to some of the best power metal ever. I mean, how confident can Blind Guardian be in their music, that they can get away with playing Nightfall as the third track in? This, following a deafening rendition of Imaginations from the Other Side and the airing of Blood of the Elves.

Track after track taken from their immense history. We’re treated to tracks from Nightfall in Middle-Earth, Follow the Blind, Somewhere Far Beyond, Tales from the Twilight World, The God Machine, and even A Twist in the Myth. Few are left wanting here, and it’s amazing to hear some deeper cuts alongside the more famous tracks.

For nearly two hours they play, and for nearly two hours, London lets them know how much they appreciate it. It stops being a band performing for an audience, and something more symbiotic. Both the band and the crowd feeding off each other, and nowhere is that more notable than the singalong tracks.

It is stunning to see Secrets of the American Gods join the ranks so quickly, but when it comes to being loud, it’s all about Mirror, Mirror, Valhalla, and of course, The Bard’s Song – In the Forest. Yes, we all know what to do here, but that doesn’t mean everyone will, and the live aspects of these tracks could easily fall apart. Thankfully, London is on mighty fine form too. With The Bard’s Song being taken over by the audience completely, and the band unable to continue the set because of the continuing chorus chant of Valhalla. It’s an amazing experience, always.

@gbhbl

The Bard’s Song by Blind Guardian – Live in London. #thebardssong #blindguardian #livemusic #gbhbl #powermetal #folkmetal

♬ original sound – GBHBL

As Mirror, Mirror brings the set to an expected close, and it seems as though the night is over, Hansi Kürsch declares that it’s their show and they want to play one more. You’d think everyone would be too exhausted, but the roar that greet this says otherwise. Blind Guardian pulling Majesty from Battalions of Fear out of their pocket to send everyone home with beaming smiles.