Metal Reviews

Those choir vocals are not the same ones from the album. The singers have different accents fergawdsake.

Sorry to spoil but watch Blind Guardian's Imaginations Through The Looking Glass...especially A Past And Future Secret. Not only are there backing vocal tracks, there's also some added acoustic guitar. When it shows close up shots of both Marcus and Andre, there's a part that neither one of them seems to be playing. With modern technology and click tracks, most bands use some sort of live "enhancement". The degree to which varies though...

Actually, you need to watch it again. The backing harmony on that song was mostly done by the keyboard player, as were the added guitar-like sounds. I couldn't tell either until I saw that's how they did it when I saw them live myself. Then I watched the DVD again. It's hard to tell though since the keyboard player is almost never on camera at all.

I'm pretty sure that although Andre seems to be singing, there's no mic in front of him. The backing vocals sound a bit too rich and identical to the studio version to be done by just one person (i.e. the keyboard player). Musically, I see where the keyboard player could add some color but not the main melody line to the acoustic guitar riff. I could be wrong and I'm not trying to dis Blind Guardian but I've watched that DVD many times and to me it seems obvious that backing tracks are being used at least for that song anyway. I'll give it another close watch.....

It is nearly impossible to see on the DVD. I was able to tell for sure though when I saw it in person. The vocal harmonies you hear live on the song are only made up of one or two voices. The keyboard player and Oliver are both at their mics, although Oliver does not always seem to be singing, and you can't see the keyboard player hardly at all. Still, it's what they did here, and it still sounded just as good as it did on the DVD - better in fact since Hansi didn't screw up the words like he did on the DVD

EDIT:

Also keep in mind that Marcus does much of the lead in this song, so when you're watching Andre, he's mostly just playing the chords, which is unusual compared to most BG songs.

Kamelot DID use overdubs in backing vocals.

I was watching the DVD for the 28th time ( ) and it's clear to me, they used it in "Forever" chorus. The second and third time the chorus is sung, it goes like this:

will you revive
from the chaos in my mind
where we still are bound together (aaaw toogether)

That "aaw together" backing vocal is CLEARLY Khan's voice, when he is actually singing the "bound together" part of the chorus.

Regarding "When The Lights Go Down", I agree with Rad, I think the chorus is sung slightly different from the CD, sounds like the backing vocal people they put there.

Anyway, amazing DVD. Only Maiden's Rock In Rio beats it IMO.