Song 47: 'Mirror, Mirror' by Blind Guardian

[philmophlegm]

I got into Blind Guardian because I spotted on Amazon once that there was this heavy metal concept album ('Nightfall in Middle-Earth') based on Tolkien's 'The Silmarillion', and seriously, who wouldn't want a German heavy metal Silmarillion concept album in their life? This is one of the songs from that album. It's Turgon thinking to himself following his conversation with Ulmo (the one where Ulmo shows him Gondolin and persuades him to move his people there in secret). Ulmo has told Turgon that there is hope for the Noldor, but that it "lies beyond the coast" and that one day "the winds will change" - Ulmo tells Turgon to leave a suit of armour behind in Nevrast, which will be found by Tuor, who will come to Gondolin and ultimately father Earendil who will sail west to the Undying Lands and gain the help of the Valar against Morgoth.

Great song though.

Comments

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

I like this! Thank you. :-D

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

Not just bombastic cheese, but Tolkienian bombastic cheese!

[jane-somebody.livejournal.com]

"and seriously, who wouldn't want a German heavy metal Silmarillion concept album in their life?" Well, quite! Thank you for sharing this :-)

My feeling is that metal bands are more likely to be inspired by Tolkien (or fantasy in general) than other musicians, though maybe I am just disproportionately familiar with metal, esp at the epic fantasy end of the spectrum. But I listen to a fairly eclectic mix of genres, and I don't find Tolkien being much referenced in say, modern folk, which is where you might expect it (other than Skordh's stuff of course!)

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

I'm less familiar with folk generally, but it seems to me that folk singers prefer to sing about "small" subjects, not "epic" ones like the plight of the Noldor...