A NIGHT AT THE OPERA

4.5. Absolutely epic album. The layered vocals make this a challenging first listen, but after repeated listens its greatness begins to show through. The source material for all of these songs is actually very interesting when you begin to investigate. Every song reminds me of the closing moments of a 30 min prog epic. Sometimes this can be very tiring listen, but when I am in the mood to be awed I turn to this gem. Too bad Blind Guardian will never be able to match this work in the future after deciding to turn away from its complexity in favor of more basic power metal.