Welcome to the Blind Guardian thread:
[img]http://blindguardian.fisek.com.tr/images/iftos_cover1.jpg[/img]
From Wikipedia:
Blind Guardian is a German heavy metal band formed in the mid-1980s in Krefeld, West Germany. The band is often credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in the power metal and speed metal sub genres.
Blind Guardian was a part of the German heavy metal scene that emerged in the mid-1980's.
The band's lyrics, written by vocalist Hansi Kürsch, are inspired by the fiction of fantasy authors such as
J. R. R. Tolkien, Stephen King, and Michael Moorcock, as well as traditional legends and epics. Over the years, a running theme has developed associating the band members with traveling bards.
[b]Biography:[/b]
Blind Guardian formed in 1984 as a German Celtic Metal band in Krefeld, Germany, by Hansi Kürsch (vocals, bass) and Andre Olbrich (guitar) under the name Lucifer's Heritage. The band first released two demos in 1985 and 1986, despite undergoing chaotic lineup changes: Markus Dörk (guitar) and Thomen Stauch (drums) were replaced by Christof Theißen and Hans-Peter Frey, respectively. Finally, in 1987, Marcus Siepen joined and Thomen came back to form the lineup which would stay consistent for the next 18 years.
After Lucifer's Heritage signed a contract with No Remorse Records, the band changed their name to Blind Guardian to avoid any speculations about Satanism (in a bio it was stated that they also wanted to distance themselves from the black metal movement, as their demos were placed in with black metal albums at local record shops). They released their debut album Battalions of Fear in 1988, which was essentially a speed metal album heavily influenced by Helloween. These two German bands had close ties, and Helloween founder Kai Hansen made a guest appearance on Blind Guardian's second LP, Follow the Blind (1989), where the band revealed some thrash metal influence. Their third LP, Tales from the Twilight World (1990), had a much more melodic and "epic" feeling, with usage of choir and classical music influence.
Blind Guardian signed with Virgin Records in 1991, and released their fourth studio album Somewhere Far Beyond in 1992 the live album Tokyo Tales in 1993. Flemming Rasmussen, former Metallica producer, began working with the band in 1994, producing their fifth studio album Imaginations from the Other Side, released in 1995, and The Forgotten Tales, an album that contained half covers and half original work, released in 1996.
In 1998, Blind Guardian released their epic album Nightfall in Middle-Earth. "Complete with anthemic choruses, spoken word story lines, and plenty of bombastic power metal punctuating every dramatic turn", says Allmusic's Vincent Jeffries, "Nightfall in Middle-Earth is perhaps Blind Guardian's most triumphant". A concept album based on J. R. R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion, Blind Guardian's music demonstrated some folk rock influence, but also featured heavy use of Queen-style layered backing vocals. Since "Nightfall", bass guitar has been played by sessional member Oliver Holzwarth, and Hansi has been able to devote all his attention to singing. "Nightfall" was also the last Blind Guardian album produced by Rasmussen.
A Night at the Opera, named after the Queen album, was released four years later. On this album, the band's sound lacked almost all influence of their original speed metal. Power and progressive metal abound, with over the top orchestral backing and a consistent vocal and guitar layering throughout. Though not a true concept album, many of the lyrics dealt with the common themes of religion and relations between human and divine powers. It was followed by a live album in 2003 and a DVD, Imaginations Through the Looking Glass (2004), which was the last recorded Blind Guardian material to feature Thomen Stauch on drums. He left the band due to musical differences and was replaced by Frederik Ehmke. The first album with Ehmke was A Twist in the Myth, which came out in 2006.
Blind Guardian recently participated in the soundtrack for the In the Name of the King: a Dungeon Siege Tale fantasy movie,(Uwe Boll) which came out in 2008. The band also recorded a theme song for Sacred 2 Fallen Angel RPG video game, the prequel to Sacred. According to recent interviews, the song, titled "Sacred", will not be released until their next album as a bonus track. Songwriting for their next album has started and at the same time the band is working with the Orchestral Project. It will be decided at a later date whether they will release a new album or the Orchestral Project first. Regardless, there won't be a new album released before 2010.
[b]Musical Style[/b]
Blind Guardian's first two albums, Battalions of Fear and Follow the Blind, were more in the style of speed metal than their following works. Beginning with their third album Tales from the Twilight World, Blind Guardian gradually began to write more complicated compositions focusing less on speed. As of their sixth album, Nightfall in Middle Earth, Hansi stopped playing bass to focus on singing. At this point the band began to incorporate large amounts of orchestral arrangements, and utilized the technique of overdubbing, heavily influenced by the English rock band Queen.
Blind Guardian's music features the staccato guitars and double bass drumming characteristic of power metal, as well as the use of overdubs to create a 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. This proved significant on all albums after the first two but most particularly on A Night at the Opera which was highly regarded among fans.
[b]Info[/b]
Origin: Krefeld, Germany
Genre(s) :Power metal, speed metal, progressive metal.
Years active: 1984-present
Label(s): No Remorse, Virgin, Century Media, Nuclear Blast
Associated acts Demons & Wizards, Gamma Ray, Helloween, Iron Savior, Savage Circus, Schattentantz
Website: [url]http://www.blind-guardian.com/[/url]
[b]Members:[/b]
[b]Hansi Kürsch:[/b]
[img]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hansi_Kursch2.jpg[/img]
Hans Jürgen Kürsch, better known as Hansi Kürsch (born August 10, 1966 in Lank-Latum, Germany) is the lead vocalist of power metal band Blind Guardian. Together with André Olbrich, he is also the principal songwriter for the band. He was also the bassist in Blind Guardian until the 1998 album Nightfall in Middle-Earth.
He has stated in an interview that he is a faithful but very critical Christian.
[b]André Olbrich[/b]
[img]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Andre_Olbrich1.jpg[/img]
André Olbrich (born May 3, 1967, in Düsseldorf, Germany) is the lead guitarist of the German power metal band Blind Guardian. He is one of the band's founders together with vocalist Hansi Kürsch, and serves as one of its main songwriters.
[b]Marcus Siepen[/b]
[img]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Marcus_Siepen.jpg[/img]
Marcus Siepen (born September 8th 1968 in Krefeld, Germany) is one of two guitarists in the Power metal band Blind Guardian. For the biggest percentage of Blind Guardian's songs, particularly in more recent years, he has almost strictly played rhythm guitar, with most lead and solo work being performed by André Olbrich.
[b]Frederik Ehmke[/b]
[img]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Frederik_Ehmke.jpg[/img]
Frederik Ehmke, born June 21, 1978 in Malsch, Germany is the newest member of the Power metal band Blind Guardian, having joined in 2005 after long-time drummer Thomen Stauch left to pursue his own project. The band's hopes for Ehmke are very high, and they have confidence that he is the right choice, saying "for us he is the lucky draw." The single "Fly" was Ehmke's first release with Blind Guardian. Ehmke is by far the youngest member of Blind Guardian, with the next most junior member, Marcus Siepen being just shy of ten years older than him. He is married and has a daughter.
[b]Former members[/b]
Thomas "Thomen" Stauch – drums (1984–1985, 1987–2005)
Markus Dörk – rhythm and lead guitar (1984–1985)
Christof Theißen – rhythm guitar (1986)
Hans-Peter Frey – drums (1986)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
[b]The Music[/b]
[b]Battalions of Fear (1988):[/b]
Battalions of Fear:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spIXqAwDEKM[/media]
Guardian of the blind
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVv5vdD33hM[/media]
[b]Follow the Blind (1989):[/b]
Follow the Blind:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5LWKD1zylU[/media]
Valhalla:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx5uTlKKNrM[/media]
[b]Tales from the Twilight World (1990):[/b]
Traveler In Time:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS5kMMMI5XA[/media]
[b]Somewhere Far Beyond (1992):[/b]
Somewhere Far Beyond:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kioBCb3fRw[/media]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0N117aqVkA0[/media]
[b]Imaginations from the Other Side (1995):[/b]
Imaginations from the Other side:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8Cxyd3VxbQ[/media]
[b]Nightfall in Middle-Earth (1998):[/b]
Into The Storm:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Vnf0McFrgg[/media]
[b]A Night at the Opera (2002):[/b]
Precious Jerusalem:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJPosPFt9Tw[/media]
[b]A Twist in the Myth (2006):[/b]
Turn the Page:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb9fo6dsZoo[/media]
[b]Live Videos:[/b]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahlWrczIKrM[/media]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYdd4fMtW_A[/media]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ_VFJn2kJM[/media]
Gathering more info...
Blind Guardian, oh yeah. I've never been a super fan of them because I never really cared for the vocals when they're chorused. But they're pretty epic nonetheless. [i]Mirror Mirror[/i] and [i]Valhalla[/i] are my favourite songs.
[QUOTE=Rad McCool;17273324]Blind Guardian, oh yeah. I've never been a super fan of them because I never really cared for the vocals when they're chorused. But they're pretty epic nonetheless. [i]Mirror Mirror[/i] and [i]Valhalla[/i] are my favourite songs.[/QUOTE]
My favorite is Precious Jerusalem and Battalions of fear.
[QUOTE=Riotashuma;17273373]My favorite is Precious Jerusalem and Battalions of fear.[/QUOTE]
They're good too!
PS, thread title is misspelled.
PSPS, fans of this band should check out Demons & Wizards - Hansi Kürsch's side project (along with Iced Earth-guitarist Jon Schaffer!).
[QUOTE=Rad McCool;17273391]They're good too!
PS, thread title is misspelled.[/QUOTE]
I suck at spelling, Ill do my best to fix it.
I don't see whats misspelled?
[QUOTE=Riotashuma;17273455]I suck at spelling, Ill do my best to fix it.
I don't see whats misspelled?[/QUOTE]
It says Blind G[B]au[/B]rdian. It should be G[B]ua[/B]rdian. :smile:
[QUOTE=Rad McCool;17273513]It says Blind G[B]au[/B]rdian. It should be G[B]ua[/B]rdian. :smile:[/QUOTE]
fixed.
Damn, I'm listening to the [i]A Twist in the Myth[/i]-album right now. Typical BG epicness where you get like all exhausted after hearing one song. They just take 20 tonnes of epicness and compress it into one album. :aaaaa:
Also the title still isn't fixed.
But I can forgive you cause of the content you put in.
[QUOTE=Rad McCool;17273969]Damn, I'm listening to the [i]A Twist in the Myth[/i]-album right now. Typical BG epicness where you get like all exhausted after hearing one song. They just take 20 tonnes of epicness and compress it into one album. :aaaaa:[/QUOTE]
Yes, enough Epicness to give you a heart attack.
[editline]05:34PM[/editline]
[QUOTE=INv3Rt;17274003]Also the title still isn't fixed.
But I can forgive you cause of the content you put in.[/QUOTE]
I tried to edit the title, but I don't think it worked.
Another Holy Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar
I realized today that Somewhere Far Beyond is an amazing song.
Somewhere Far Beyond is the greatest power metal album of all time.
[QUOTE=Zeke129;17279159]Somewhere Far Beyond is the greatest power metal album of all time.[/QUOTE]
I love their cover of [i]Spread Your Wings[/i] on that one.
[QUOTE=Rad McCool;17280970]I love their cover of [i]Spread Your Wings[/i] on that one.[/QUOTE]
I'm listening to Ashes to Ashes right now.
Don't forget about "The Bard's Song (In the Forest)" and "A Past and Feature Secret." Those are amazing acoustic songs by BG.
[QUOTE=I_Forgot;17292247]Don't forget about "The Bard's Song (In the Forest)" and "A Past and Feature Secret." Those are amazing acoustic songs by BG.[/QUOTE]
I really don't get all the "Bard's Song"-praising that's going on. I think it's a very boring song.
I like their Trial by Fire cover.
Awesome.
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