BLINDSIDE SYMPHONY is a Symphonic Melodic (Power) Metal band from Buenos Aires, Argentina that appears to have fallen madly in love with the symphonic orchestrations and melodies of RHAPSODY OF FIRE, and I say this because my reoccurring thought when listening through their second album "The Castle of a Thousand Mirrors" was just that: RHAPSODY-lite with an emphasis on Symphonic arrangements.

From the Fantasy themes to the melodically heavy guitar play, through the bombastic symphonies that are as much a part of the music as the played instruments, and all the way down to the slightly broken English(and I say that in a good way), this could just as well have been a RHAPSODY cover band. But let's be thankful it's not, because another aspect that BLINDSIDE SYMPHONY seems to have absorbed from RHAPSODY is their talent for making good music.

The whole album is 11 tracks long, clocking in at 57 minutes, and it manages to stay consistent and interesting throughout the entire album, which is kind of an achievement in itself since they're re-exploring territory that was advanced by one of the greatest Power Metal bands in the world. As such, this should feel like a bore - But it doesn't, and I think the main reason for it is because they play with such sincerity and passion that it's impossible to claim that this was anything but precisely what they wanted to do.

In truth the greatest critique I have of BLINDSIDE SYMPHONY is that they're not more like RHAPSODY: Their symphonic arrangements are fantastic (pun intended), but their emphasis on them also works against them because unlike RHAPSODY they never quite reach those Power Metal high points that gets the adrenaline pumping and demands sing-along, which causes a kind of blandness that prevents the album from soaring. They get close sometimes, like on the first song "Anatomy of Chaos", on the 4^th track "Gabyan, Spellmaster of the Mecha" and on their Progressive 12 minute long title track "The Castle of A Thousand Mirrors", but that iconic Power Metal power surge that bands like SABATON, STRATOVARIUS, DRAGONFORCE and the multiply aforementioned RHAPSODY( OF FIRE) are so famous for never quite appears.

As such I feel that there are a few lessons they can still learn from established bands, but let that not be a deterrent: This is a rock solid album whose only sin is that it's "only" good and not great. And that in turn, I believe at least, is a promise of great things to come, and I for one will be keeping an eye out for BLINDSIDE SYMPHONY in the future.

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