Tag: Blind Guardian

Best Of 2022 – Chris C.: Special Tunes From Metal Goons

We live in strange times—said everyone, ever, right now. Like literally everyone. No one has not said this. Even the strange people contributing to said strangeness recognize these are strange times in their own strange

Best Of 2022 – Dan Obstkrieg: In Which Foolishness Is Again Considered

The introduction, in which claims are made It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the vest

Best Of 2022 – Andrew Edmunds: An Antonym For Synonym Is Antonym, But A Synonym For Antonym Is The Opposite

As of the first week of December, it’s been fifteen years since I started writing for Last Rites — which wasn’t called Last Rites then, if you remember. (And if you don’t, then it’s irrelevant,

Best Of 2022 – Ryan Tysinger: Lifelong Journeys For Technicolor Vapors

First of all, forgive the self-indulgence. These words could be inscribed atop any list, any review, any critique; yet they beg to be uttered. After all, it’s a fundamental rule in critical writing: don’t use

Best Of 2022 – Zach Duvall: No Dung Ahead

Welcome all, to another view into my listening mind. As usual, I will surely regret the ordering of these items within the fortnight. Or maybe I won’t, because this is just a snapshot, and it

Best Of 2022 – Last Rites Combined Staff Top 25

I have spent the better part of a full morning kicking over rocks in all the corners of my brain in an attempt to recall any sort of crucial trends, significant controversies or major Pants-Filling

Best Of 2022 – Our Album Art Favorites

Chances are pretty high that a not insignificant part of what first drew you to heavy metal were the aesthetics and imagery associated with our beloved genre. Maybe you were a young lady raised in

We Have The Power – The Top 30 Power Metal And Power-Related Albums Of 2022

Heartfelt hails, salutes, subtle nods and solemn bows, all you heroes and villains. As implausible as it may seem, it’s time once again to dust off our helms, spot clean those cravats, fluff those poet