This new era begins right now. Seven years after "Beyond The Red Mirror" and almost three after the orchestral opus "Blind Guardian Twilight Orchestra: Legacy of the Dark Lands", Hansi Kürsch (vocals), André Olbrich (lead guitar, acoustic guitar, rhythm guitar), Marcus Siepen (rhythm guitar and acoustic guitar) and Frederik Ehmke (drums) invite you to their personal twilight of the gods. "After 'Beyond The Red Mirror' and 'Legacy Of The Dark Lands', we knew we couldn't push the orchestral side of Blind Guardian any further," Kürsch says. The new directive while creating "The God Machine" was fairly straight-forward but ever so welcome: "Less orchestration, more punch." In 2022, the opulent arrangements and powerful choirs still exist; yet they are used in a much more selective, focussed and resonant manner. "The God Machine" marks another pinnacle in Blind Guardian's impressive discography by not attempting to pretend it is still the nineties yet instead successfully relying on the muscle memory of this period. It is a gripping, addictive and brilliantly arranged album in the tradition of records with which Blind Guardian reached for the stars in the 90's; yet, by no means, is it a throwback. "The God Machine" represents the heart and soul of Blind Guardian's timeless metal in the here and now, unifying the bards' past, present and future secrets in one consistent, well thought out masterpiece.