Blind Guardian - War of Thrones

Since I am on a big “A Song of Ice and Fire,” kick right now, I may as well run with it. I said it a little while ago and I stand by this bold statement, “George R.R. Martin has done it, he has given us the next ‘Lord of the Rings’” it feels odd to quote myself, but whatever. The popularity of this books series is huge, and rightfully so it is excellent, and evidently progressive metal and rock musicians took notice a while ago.

The book series “A Song of Ice and Fire” began 1991 when the first book “A Game of Thrones,” was published, and it appears metal musicians have been written songs about the series for about half the period of time between then and now.

As you must know I am not the only amateur music critic out there on the internet blogging, in fact I am really just an insect within the swarm. As I search for new music I often end up at one of my colleague’s sites and listen to what they are recommending. When I typed “songs about ‘A Game of Thrones’” this is what I found;

http://skyatlantic.sky.com/news/10-songs-inspired-by-game-of-thrones

I would like to thank Sky Atlantic, for their fine work, and the kick ass knowledge I now have of these songs. To sum up their ten songs in a brief effort, Hammerfall – Take the Black, is great, John Anelio - George R. R. Martin Is Not Your Bitch, is entertaining, and the heavier versions of the televisions’ themes were interesting. Also worthy of note is how the majority of the songs were about the Nights Watch and Jon Snow. There is a lot of fantastic imagery north of the wall and Snow is probably the series’ primary protagonist so it understandable that song writers would be drawn to that. Lastly, the presence of Blind Guardian, a German power metal band who more or less write songs exclusively about fantasy literature, no fantasy based metal music list would be complete without them.

Blind Guardian have written songs about Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series, Arthurian lore, and J.R.R. Tolkien’s works, most notably the album “Nightfall,” which is a concept album about “The Silmarillion,” which I freaking love. In the example on Sky Atlantic they show us the song “A Voice in The Dark,” which is about Bran Stark’s dreams of falling and the three eyed crow. It is a decent song, but on the Blind Guardian album “At The Edge of Time” there is at least one more song about “A Song of Ice and Fire,” titled “War of the Thrones,” which in my opinion is a far superior song, and not mentioned on Sky Atlantic list of “A Game of Thrones,” songs.

“War of the Thrones,” is a song from the perspective of Jon Snow. The song does a good job of capturing both the isolation Snow feels while hearing news of his former family and friends going to war, a war that he cannot be a part of. Also the song describes the desolation of north of the wall very well. The first line, “nothing will ever grow here,” I believe is one of the first things Jon Snow’s observes about the winter wastelands in the book in those exact words. There are lyrics about grey shadows and endless battle and suffering, and all that good stuff.

What I really like about Blind Guardian in their songs there is a sense of ambiguity, and through this a stronger sense of poetry. All the songs the other metal songs about “A Song of Ice and Fire,” are rather specific, making very direct if not blunt references to the book. They call characters and locations by name, and describe in full detail events that take place in the novel series. While by contrast Blind Guardian songs create strong images about the world of Westeros without going into specific details, it feels more natural, like this is how someone who actual lives there might describe what they are seeing and feeling. Musicians who write step by step mentions of their lives are few to none, it is far more effective poetry to draw simple ideas that build to a great whole, Blind Guardian do that here, and in every other song of theirs’.

I could break down every line for you, or I could just let you study the lyrics yourself;

"Nothing will grow here
Icy fields - blackened sorrow
Legacy of a lost mind
Feed my void
What you're waiting for

I'm too late
It is more than a game
The river reveals
Now I'm in between these lines
I cannot escape it seems
Sail on, my friend

All I ever feel is
All I ever see is
Walls they fall
When the march of the Others begins

All I ever feel is
All I ever see is
Rise and fall
When the War of the Thrones shall begin

While I sit there in silence
Come and talk to me
I can't free my mind
It is all I'm begging for

While I sit there in silence

Will it ever end?
Will I find what I'm longing for?
Will I ever walk out of shadows so grey?
I'm condemned, I am hallowed
Icy fields they won't hurt anymore

Will you walk with me?
Any further
There at world's end
It's me
I sing

I cannot escape it seems
Sadly I sing

All I ever feel is
All I ever see is
Walls they fall
When the march of the Others begins

All I ever feel is
All I ever see is
Rise and fall
When the War of the Thrones shall begin

Away
Watch the river it flows
Now and ever
I cannot believe in more
And now my time will come
Carry on

Will I ever learn from the past?
Will I fade away?
Will I ever stay where the shadows will grow?
There is luck at the gallows
I will free my mind
Soon it will show

Let it rain
There'll be no spring
My dream is a mirror
It reveals a matter of lies

All I ever feel is
All I ever see is
Rise and fall
When the War of the Thrones will begin

All I ever feel is
All I ever see is
Rise and fall
When the War of the Thrones has begun

Leave a fee for the tillerman
And the river behind"

There are a lot of lyrics in this song, but you see what I mean, if you have read the books you can probably piece together the specific references, however if you have not read the book you are still left with your mind able to experience what this world is like and understand the fears and hopes of those who live there. Blind Guardian guides you to grasp the feelings and setting of this world even without knowing all the fine details within supporting it all.

If there is one way into my heart, it is music like this, powerful rock ballads about epic fantasy. I love it. What a great song, what a fantastic world we live in where bands are ballzy enough to write music like this.

Until next month, keep on rocking in the free world.

- Colin Kelly