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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 16 2007, 3:23 PM EDT (current) | NikosGrDST | 12 words deleted |
| Mar 31 2007, 9:35 AM EDT | boukosthegre@t | 21 words added |
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Tomorrow will take us away,
far from home. No one will ever
know our names, but the bards'
songs will remain
Blind Guardian was formed in 1984 as Lucifer's Heritage. They released two demos which were called Symphonies of Doom (1985) and Battalions of Fear (1986). The first studio album came out in 1988 and was called Battalions of Fear. The first tour took place shortly after the release. At this point the band had between 150 and 300 fans at their shows.
After the release of the second album, Hansi went through an operation which would make the band drop the plans to tour again. With the release of Tales From the Twilight World the interest in concerts of the band got bigger and bigger. When they were touring in Germany the concert was attended by 500 to 800 people.
Two years later, when Somewhere Far Beyond was released, Blind Guardian achieved great success and for the first time, the band played in Japan in front of 4000 fans. The album was also on the top of the international charts.
Blind Guardian's popularity has continued to grow from an initial following in Europe and Japan to one of the most well-known power metal bands in the world. The single for "And Then There Was Silence," for instance, reached #1 in Spain and #7 in Canada, despite its fourteen-minute length.
Blind Guardian's music is characterized by the classic fast guitars and double bass drumming of power metal, but is relatively unique in its use of overdubs to create an extremely dense, "epic" sound. This technique, especially notable in the guitar and vocal tracks, creates the impression of a vast army of musicians playing in unison and singing in harmony. Considering the already anthemic and singalong quality of their choruses, it is unsurprising that the band's 2003 live album, Live, sounded much like their studio recordings: although the overdubs of vocalist Hansi Kürsch were lost, the live audience reproduced them faithfully and enthusiastically. On several occasions the audience has been known to sing along even to André Olbrich's guitar solos.
Hansi has been working on and off for 8 years on an orchestral project writing music about The Lord of the Rings (negotiations failed to be included on the famous The Lord of the Rings film trilogy as the soundtrack). The album will be released in 2008, and although it will not be a power metal album (meaning that there won't be any drums or electric guitars and bass), it will be published under the name of Blind Guardian because it matches the theme of the band's lyrics, according to Hansi.
far from home. No one will ever
know our names, but the bards'
songs will remain
Blind Guardian was formed in 1984 as Lucifer's Heritage. They released two demos which were called Symphonies of Doom (1985) and Battalions of Fear (1986). The first studio album came out in 1988 and was called Battalions of Fear. The first tour took place shortly after the release. At this point the band had between 150 and 300 fans at their shows.
After the release of the second album, Hansi went through an operation which would make the band drop the plans to tour again. With the release of Tales From the Twilight World the interest in concerts of the band got bigger and bigger. When they were touring in Germany the concert was attended by 500 to 800 people.
Two years later, when Somewhere Far Beyond was released, Blind Guardian achieved great success and for the first time, the band played in Japan in front of 4000 fans. The album was also on the top of the international charts.
Blind Guardian's popularity has continued to grow from an initial following in Europe and Japan to one of the most well-known power metal bands in the world. The single for "And Then There Was Silence," for instance, reached #1 in Spain and #7 in Canada, despite its fourteen-minute length.
Musical Style
Blind Guardian's first two albums, Battalions of Fear and Follow the Blind, were much more in the style of speed metal than their following works. Beginning with their third album Tales from the Twilight World, Blind Guardian gradually turned to a more sophisticated sound, including vast use of choirs and sometimes orchestral arrangements.Blind Guardian's music is characterized by the classic fast guitars and double bass drumming of power metal, but is relatively unique in its use of overdubs to create an extremely dense, "epic" sound. This technique, especially notable in the guitar and vocal tracks, creates the impression of a vast army of musicians playing in unison and singing in harmony. Considering the already anthemic and singalong quality of their choruses, it is unsurprising that the band's 2003 live album, Live, sounded much like their studio recordings: although the overdubs of vocalist Hansi Kürsch were lost, the live audience reproduced them faithfully and enthusiastically. On several occasions the audience has been known to sing along even to André Olbrich's guitar solos.
Side Projects
Together with Jon Schaffer (the leader and founder of Iced Earth) Kürsch is the lead singer of a side project called Demons & Wizards.Hansi has been working on and off for 8 years on an orchestral project writing music about The Lord of the Rings (negotiations failed to be included on the famous The Lord of the Rings film trilogy as the soundtrack). The album will be released in 2008, and although it will not be a power metal album (meaning that there won't be any drums or electric guitars and bass), it will be published under the name of Blind Guardian because it matches the theme of the band's lyrics, according to Hansi.
[edit] Band members
- Hansi Kürsch — Vocals (1984–), Bass (1985–1995)
- André Olbrich — Lead Guitar (1984–)
- Marcus Siepen — Rhythm Guitar (1987–)
- Frederik Ehmke — Drums (2005–)
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio Albums
- Battalions of Fear (1988)
- Follow the Blind (1989)
- Tales from the Twilight World (1990)
- Somewhere Far Beyond (1992)
- Imaginations from the Other Side (1995)
- Nightfall in Middle-Earth (1998)
- A Night at the Opera (2002)
- A Twist in the Myth (2006)
- Untitled Symphonic Project (2008)
- The symphonic project is said to contain certain tracks and melodies that were originally intended for Nightfall in Middle-Earth.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Blind Guardian is relatively unique in that until April of 2005 (a twenty year period), the band's original line-up had not changed. However, due to differing musical preference, in April their long time drummer Thomen Stauch left the band to continue his work in Savage Circus, the band he formed to perform more straight-forward music like older Blind Guardian.
- ^ In 1997, Hansi decided that a different bassist would allow for more complex parts, and allow himself to further his vocal technique both live and in the studio. Oliver Holzwarth was hired as a bassist for the album and for the tour. He is not a full member of the band, because Hansi may decide to play bass again, and has said he does not have the heart to put Oliver in the position that he may be fired.
- ^ On Blind Guardian's second and third studio albums, Kai Hansen, formerly of Helloween, and currently in Gamma Ray, performed guest vocals on a few songs and a guest guitar solo.
