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This seventh studio album from the German Power Metaller's was highly anticipated by the metal community. I, for one, had my hands on ANATO the day it hit the shelves in a local store.

Firstly, I must discuss the nature of the Blind Guardian fan prior to starting my review. It is very difficult to stereotype Blind Guardian fans. There are those who favor Blind Guardian's earlier, speedier material (possible comparison to Helloween's Wall's of Jericho) ; those who enjoy the diversity of the third and fourth releases and the ones who appreciate the orchestration of their latter material. Of course, there are the die hard fans that would eat up anything with a Blind Guardian logo. For those that are unfamiliar with this exceptional band, hopefully the terribly rough descriptions of their releases (above) will help in discovering an album that will pave the road into the realm of Blind Guardian.

Now, ANATO. After the godly predecessor NIME, this album was a quite a disappointment for this Blind Guardian fan. To me, this album shows a slight departure from the more metal oriented material the band has released prior to ANATO. It suffers from over orchestration. Don't get me wrong, I am quite the fan of rich, layered baroque-ish metal (see Rhapsody) but in ANATO's case something is lacking.

Hansi Kusch's vocals are highly accentuated on this album. His vocal style is quite unique and is an acquired taste (I have acquired it) but it is quite overwhelming on this release. It overwhelms the music. Rhythm guitar?? Where? It's quite buried under all the orchestration, the choirs and leads.

If you're a die hard Blind Guardian fan, you probably already have this release as part of your collection. If not, I recommend starting with another album. My personal favourites being: Imaginations from the Other Side and Nightfall in Middle-Earth.

This album receives: 3.8/5

www.blind-guardian.com