The Forgotten Tales

Kicking things off with two of the most bizarre metal cover selections imaginable ("Mr. Sandman" and a lightning-paced, double-kick version of "Surfin' U.S.A."), Forgotten Tales is mixed bag of counter-intuitive tributes and mellowed-out retreads from the Blind Guardian catalog. It might be possible that this lightweight effort is more of a palette cleansing than the halfhearted recording that it appears to be upon first inspection -- considering that this experiment was released just before the incredibly ambitious Nightfall in Middle-Earth and A Night at the Opera. Speaking of Queen titles, "Spread Your Wings" is easily Forgotten Tales' shining moment. Not so surprisingly, the rock & roll treatment of "Barbara Ann/Long Tall Sally" works much better than the metal-ized pop and rock covers mentioned above. The seven Blind Guardian remakes are consistently slow, earnest, and boring, so for those curious about the laid-back Blind Guardian, Forgotten Tales offers more than a little insight into the group's less serious side. Otherwise, there isn't much that will hold the interest of most prog/speed metal fans.