Nightfall in Middle-Earth

Nightfall in Middle-Earth is an album by Blind Guardian that was released in 1998.

The album is a concept album based on the J. R. R. Tolkien book The Silmarillion. Many of the tracks from the album are not complete songs, but are merely narratives to further the story. Every track that tells a piece of the story has a great ambiance, and contributes greatly to enhance the listening experience. Blind Guardian owes many of its lyrics to Tolkien's work, but this album is exclusively dedicated to "The Silmarillion", a book of tales from Middle-earth. The lyrics range from the quest for the Silmarils until the dawn of the Third Age, period in which The Lord of the Rings occurs. Technically speaking, Blind Guardian is much more "melodic" in this album. Compared to previous works such as "Somewhere Far Beyond", the songs have much more fluency, without losing any of the traditional speed or guitar solos and leads. "Nightfall in Middle-Earth" was the first album Blind Guardian released in the U.S.. The result was so positive that Century Media started to release old Blind Guardian hits in the U.S. (records such as "Follow the Blind" and "Battalions of Fear"). "Nightfall in Middle-Earth" includes a few of the band's best, such as "Mirror Mirror" and "Into the Storm". "Mirror Mirror" is included in the now-released Blind DVD: Imaginations Through The Looking Glass. This DVD was rated by many different music-specialized sites as "a masterpiece".

Lineup

 * Vocals: Hansi Kürsch
 * Lead Guitar: André Olbrich
 * Rhythm Guitar: Marcus Siepen
 * Drums: Thomas "Thomen" Stauch

Guests

 * Bass : Oliver Holzwarth
 * Keyboards : Mathias Weisner
 * Piano : Michael Schuren
 * Flute : Max Zelner
 * Narrations : Norman Eshley, Douglas Fielding
 * Choir : Billy King, Rolf Köhler, Olaf Senkbeil, Thomas Hackmann

Track listing

 * 1) War of Wrath 1:50
 * 2) Into the Storm 4:24
 * 3) Lammoth 0:28
 * 4) Nightfall 5:34
 * 5) The Minstrel 0:32
 * 6) The Curse of Fëanor 5:41
 * 7) Captured 0:26
 * 8) Blood Tears 5:23
 * 9) Mirror Mirror 5:07
 * 10) Face the Truth 0:24
 * 11) Noldor (Dead Winter Reigns) 6:51
 * 12) Battle of Sudden Flame 0:44
 * 13) Time Stands Still (at the Iron Hill) 4:53
 * 14) The Dark Elf 0:23
 * 15) Thorn 6:18
 * 16) The Eldar 3:39
 * 17) Nom the Wise 0:33
 * 18) When Sorrow Sang 4:25
 * 19) Out on the Water 0:44
 * 20) The Steadfast 0:21
 * 21) A Dark Passage 6:01
 * 22) Final Chapter (Thus Ends...) 0:48
 * Bonus Tracks
 * 1) Nightfall (Orchestral Version)
 * 2) A Dark Passage (Orchestral Version)