Written by Bad English on 07.07.2007 at 15:38

Written by Aylee_Bodom on 07.07.2007 at 14:19

Oh nice, I'll probably get some of those remixed albums

Concerning Blind Guardian's musical career, I think they've done an unbeatable job until "Nightfall.....", and since then their music has decayed more and more, though I'm not saying the last two albums are bad....they're just not as good as the previous ones and have lost the real BG "spirit".

I agree about it because KMO thay are mouist original band in metal history, moust original lyrics, images, inspairation idols and such thinks I dunno any simmilar band like Blind Guardian tell me what you want but Helloween, Rusk and other such bands are lower class how BG

Well, I wouldn't say lower class...just different, it all depends on your tastes.

Written by Aylee_Bodom on 07.07.2007 at 16:26

Written by Bad English on 07.07.2007 at 15:38

Written by Aylee_Bodom on 07.07.2007 at 14:19


Well, I wouldn't say lower class...just different, it all depends on your tastes.

No non of thoe bands cant take my heart away how BG

Yeah yeah, so just what I said, a matter of tastes

A friend of mine just lent me the new remixed versions of 'Battalions of Fear' and 'Follow the Blind', and I must say they're very well done. The guitar tone has lost all the fuzziness, the drums are a lot clearer, and the vocals are mixed in better than before. The only downside is that the old-school production is a major factor in me loving those albums as much as I do, but for those of you who like newer Power Metal with clean production, the new mixes are definitely the way to go.

Only 10 days until concert now I think, or something like that, anyway, can anyone who saw them recently put some playlist or something?

Fan-filmed video footage of Blind Guardian performing one of their famous song "The Bard's Song - In The Forest" at the Gods of Metal festival (Milan, Italy) has been posted at YouTube here.

Also you can find a lot of other videos from this performance here.

Just saw them last night, it was awesome. They played twenty songs, including Welcome To Dying and Majesty.
Probably the best gig I saw this year, beside mighty Grave Digger of cause

Hello all BG fans, I don't know how many has heard the news about next album so I'll post a part of Finnish news paper Ilta Sanomat interview with Hansi, the interviewer was Mikko Räsänen and the interview was published in Finnish so this is my translation of it.. I was going to release this as a news when the interview came out but as we didn't have official permission from the news paper i'll just post it here. For me personally this is great news ideed!!

One of this year's Tuska Open Air Festival main act, German Blind Guardian, is very known of the literature influences in their music, for example the whole Nightfall in Middle-Earth album is based on J.R.R Tolkien's book Silmarillion. Other influences for their music have been Michael Moorcock, Margaret Weiss, Tracy Hickman and even Nietzsche.

- When we are in process of a new album I use 6 to 20 hours a week for reading books. Literature is extremely good source for inspiration the singer Hansi Kürsch says.

Finnish news paper Ilta-Sanomat surprised Hansi with a gift, illustrated Kalevala in English. When he hears that Kalevala was influence for many Tolkien's characters Kùrsch gets seriously interested about Finnish national epic. The fact that Tolkien's Túrin Turambar is directly based on Kalevala's character named Kullervo gets him all excited.

- Túrin is one of my favorite characters in all literature Kürsch adds enthusiastically.

Is it possible that in future you'd write a song or a whole album based on Kalevala?

- It is possible. Next album will be again Tolkien's Middle-Earth based though. When we were recording Nightfall in Middle-Earth we were forced to concentrate on such a small part of the book so there were songs left out, enough for a whole album.
Back then we were talking about the possibility to use those extra songs in Lord of the Ring movies but it didn't happen after all so now we will release those songs as an own album Hansi explains.

Recordings are supposed to be starting this winter but the release date is still far away.

- We are going to use a real symphony orchestra for the whole album so the process can easily take even 1,5 years

Interesting news but I wish thay woud recoreded something like in Battalions days even in Nigtfall Nighfall was good lyrics and small talking parts heheheh
BTW I hear Hansi gonna play bass again and why he stops doing it?

Nice, although I am not very interested in new Blind Guardian works. This will cheer up many metalheads, that is for sure

I heard he stopped because he had problem with his ears

I'm one of those cheered up! After the last album I was a bit disappointed, but now that they'll release songs written in those glorious past days :p I feel relieved and happy ^^

Written by Bad English on 07.08.2007 at 19:14

BTW I hear Hansi gonna play bass again and why he stops doing it?

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.

That is fair enough, good gesture from Hansi, although, he is in the same position, and he would be fired anyway, but ok.

Written by APOHAKC on 08.08.2007 at 15:45

That is fair enough, good gesture from Hansi, although, he is in the same position, and he would be fired anyway, but ok.

It's not the same in fact. One thing is that they hire him for certain tasks whenever they want (and they can stop hiring him), and a very different one is he becoming a BG member, then he would have to take part in every decision and he would have to be kicked off if Hansi played bass again. You know, the way they are now is less compromising for both the band and this guy than if he actually was part of the band.

Blind Guardian played an amazing show at Wacken, they played quite a number of old songs!!
the song that really hit me the most was "Lord Of The Rings" - I love that song and especially live.. wow!!
you will read all about it in the concert review though that I should be getting on with right now actually..

Written by Baz Anderson on 09.08.2007 at 16:03

Blind Guardian played an amazing show at Wacken, they played quite a number of old songs!!
the song that really hit me the most was "Lord Of The Rings" - I love that song and especially live.. wow!!
you will read all about it in the concert review though that I should be getting on with right now actually..

They played it also on Metal Camp, it was quite a surprise!

Written by Judas on 11.07.2007 at 13:39

A friend of mine just lent me the new remixed versions of 'Battalions of Fear' and 'Follow the Blind', and I must say they're very well done. The guitar tone has lost all the fuzziness, the drums are a lot clearer, and the vocals are mixed in better than before. The only downside is that the old-school production is a major factor in me loving those albums as much as I do, but for those of you who like newer Power Metal with clean production, the new mixes are definitely the way to go.

Same here, although I got into BG when the albums were already considered old, the sound created by the oldschool studios, or the "fuzziness", as you can put it, really adds onto the sound.

I've been listening to Blind Guardian again for a few weeks and I can't help wondering why I haven't done it before. I mean BG are one the first metal bands I've listened to, I used to be a big fan of them, and still I had quite forgotten them... "Imagination from the other side" and "Nightfall..." hardly leave my playlist now (only to listen to the complex yet enjoyable "night at the opera", to the incredible "Live!" with its perfect setlist, or to older albums like "battalions", "follow the blind"...). I was pretty curious to hear "a twist in the myth" when it was released, but I found it rather weak and never really managed to get into it...

This post wasn't exactly informative nor constructive but I'm so glad I rediscovered them that I had to share my feelings in this thread

I'm really glad that their next album will be a Tolkien-based thing again. Originally, it was thought that it'd be an entirely orchestral project, but apparently they changed their minds and it's now a normal album, though it will be recorded with a full orchestra. I think Hansi stated somewhere that many of the songs on the next album are those that they tried to get onto the LotR film soundtracks!

"Hansi has been working for 8 years on an orchestral project writing music about Lord of the Rings (negotiations failed to be included on the famous Lord of the Rings Trilogy movies as the soundtrack). The album will be released in 2008, and although it will not be a power metal album (meaning that there wont 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, as Hansi said. Also, some appetiser of the orchestral project will be published as bonus on the digipack version of Blind Guardian's next album, "A Twist in the Myth" (working title)."

As you can see, this was published before A Twist In The Myth album. I´m really looking forward to hear this album!

I hope it will be orchestral in the style of ANATO, but more deep and better production. Maybe they will focus on a specific part of Tolkien's work.

Written by Knightrider on 14.08.2007 at 20:39

"Hansi has been working for 8 years on an orchestral project writing music about Lord of the Rings (negotiations failed to be included on the famous Lord of the Rings Trilogy movies as the soundtrack). The album will be released in 2008, and although it will not be a power metal album (meaning that there wont 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, as Hansi said. Also, some appetiser of the orchestral project will be published as bonus on the digipack version of Blind Guardian's next album, "A Twist in the Myth" (working title)."

As you can see, this was published before A Twist In The Myth album. I´m really looking forward to hear this album!

Yeah, I read that bit of news, but since then he's said that it in fact will be a proper Metal album but incorporating the orchestra. Anyway, it'll rule!

Written by Angelique on 07.08.2007 at 18:54

[...]
- It is possible. Next album will be again Tolkien's Middle-Earth based though. When we were recording Nightfall in Middle-Earth we were forced to concentrate on such a small part of the book so there were songs left out, enough for a whole album.
Back then we were talking about the possibility to use those extra songs in Lord of the Ring movies but it didn't happen after all so now we will release those songs as an own album Hansi explains.

Recordings are supposed to be starting this winter but the release date is still far away.
[...]

This is great news. IMO 'Nightfall...' is their best album and I hope the new one will be something like it

i think the '90's was their best period

Written by Guest on 18.08.2007 at 06:32

i think the '90's was their best period

Yup, me too, I hope they'll realize it too
No offense to anyone

I wouldn't like the new album to be only orchestral...it would be much better if they added "metal" instruments to the orchestra

Yeah I agree. I mean the new albums aren't difficult to listen to per say.....But it's just that it didn't have the passion and feeling that the older ones had. They seem too 'polished' .

If the new album is just orchestral (no drums 'en that) i totally wouldn't mind. I mean if all the songs will be as good as "A Past And Future Secret" then everything will be fine, just fine!

Well, by "orchestral" I understand that there are no guitars either...it would sound like the LOTR soundtrack. I love that soundtrack, but it would be weird to listen to an orchestral work with the name of Blind Guardian on the cover.

Yea, I agree with Aylee, still, I believe Hansi Mentioned that it will be a metal album now. Whatever they do, I can't wait to hear it!