Follow the Blind

Released in 1989, Follow the Blind is Blind Guardian's second studio album and represents their most significant flirtation with the thrash metal movement. Influenced by American bands like Testament and Forbidden, the record prioritizes speed and aggression over the symphonic complexity that would later define them. Despite this, the seeds of their future are evident: the inclusion of Kai Hansen (Helloween/Gamma Ray) on 'Valhalla' established a lineage of power metal collaboration, while the lyrical focus on Michael Moorcock's Elric series signaled their commitment to literary fantasy. The production is characteristic of the era - reverb-heavy and raw - distancing it from the 'wall of sound' approach of their 90s output. Critics often view it as a formative step that, while less unique than their later masterpieces, remains a high-water mark for the German speed metal style. The album's inclusion of a Beach Boys cover serves as a testament to the band's early penchant for quirky, high-energy reinterpretations.