| 1 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bling_guardian_krefeld_392021_by_dirk_behlau_2883_scaled.jpg]] |
| 2 | [[caption-width-right:350:The Bards. From left to right: Johan van Stratum, Marcus Siepen, Hansi Kürsch, André Olbrich, and Frederik Ehmke.]] |
| 3 | |
| 4 | ->''In my thoughts and in my dreams,''\ |
| 5 | ''They're always in my mind''\ |
| 6 | ''These songs of hobbits, dwarves and men,''\ |
| 7 | ''And elves come close your eyes''\ |
| 8 | ''You can see them, too'' |
| 9 | -->-- "The Bard's Song: In the Forest", [[HeavyMithril summarizing the band perfectly.]] |
| 10 | |
| 11 | %%Accept him as your spiritual liege. You know you want to. |
| 12 | |
| 13 | Blind Guardian is a German PowerMetal band formed in 1987 (or in 1984 if you count its earlier incarnation, "Lucifer's Heritage"). Though their first few albums sounded a lot like Music/{{Helloween}} (Music/KaiHansen, Helloween's guitarist, actually guested on them), they quickly developed their own style and have become one of the most influential power metal bands. The band members are fans of Music/{{Queen}} — one of their albums is actually called ''A Night at the Opera'' after [[Music/ANightAtTheOpera the Queen album]] ([[OlderThanTheyThink itself named for]] [[Film/ANightAtTheOpera a movie]]) — and their sound is strongly influenced by Queen. Their vocalist uses doubletracking in similar ways as Freddie Mercury. They are known for their epic sound, bombastic choruses, and pseudo-medieval/Celtic ballads. Many of their songs are [[HeavyMithril based on fantasy and mythology]]. |
| 14 | |
| 15 | You may know them as the band that did [[VideoGame/RobotUnicornAttackHeavyMetalEdition "Battlefield"]]. Until his collaborator's arrest for insurrection in 2021, Hansi Kürsch also had a side project called [[Music/DemonsAndWizards Demons & Wizards]] with Music/IcedEarth founder Jon Schaffer. He frequently guests on other speed/power/progressive metal bands' albums, including Music/{{Ayreon}}'s 01011001 and The Source, Music/GammaRay's "Land of the Free" and "[[PowerBallad Farewell]]", and Music/{{Edguy}}'s "Vain Glory Opera" and "Out Of Control". |
| 16 | |
| 17 | They now have an iPhone app devoted entirely to themselves. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | ---- |
| 20 | |
| 21 | !!Discography: |
| 22 | * 1988 - ''Battalions of Fear'' |
| 23 | * 1989 - ''Follow the Blind'' |
| 24 | * 1990 - ''Tales from the Twilight World'' |
| 25 | * 1992 - ''Somewhere Far Beyond'' |
| 26 | * 1993 - ''Tokyo Tales'' (live) |
| 27 | * 1995 - ''Imaginations from the Other Side'' |
| 28 | * 1996 - ''The Forgotten Tales'' (covers and alternate versions of songs) |
| 29 | * 1998 - ''Nightfall in Middle-Earth'' |
| 30 | * 2002 - ''A Night at the Opera'' |
| 31 | * 2003 - ''[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Live]]'' (live) |
| 32 | * 2006 - ''A Twist in the Myth'' |
| 33 | * 2010 - ''At the Edge of Time'' |
| 34 | * 2012 - ''Memories of a Time to Come'' (compilation album) |
| 35 | * 2015 - ''Beyond the Red Mirror'' |
| 36 | * 2017 - ''Live Beyond the Spheres'' (live) |
| 37 | * 2019 - ''Legacy of the Dark Lands'' (orchestral album, released under the name "Blind Guardian Twilight Orchestra") |
| 38 | * 2022 - ''The God Machine'' |
| 39 | |
| 40 | ---- |
| 41 | |
| 42 | !!Band Members: |
| 43 | * Hansi Kürsch - lead vocals (1984-), bass (1984-1996) |
| 44 | * André Olbrich - lead guitar (1984-) |
| 45 | * Marcus Siepen - rhythm guitar (1987-) |
| 46 | * Frederik Ehmke - drums, percussion, flute, bagpipes (2005-) |
| 47 | * Johan van Stratum - bass (2021-) |
| 48 | |
| 49 | !!Former Members: |
| 50 | * Thomas Kelleners - lead vocals (1984-1984) |
| 51 | * Markus Dörk - guitars (1984-1985) |
| 52 | * Christof Theißen – rhythm guitar (1986-1986) |
| 53 | * Hans-Peter Frey – drums (1986-1986) |
| 54 | * Thomas "Thomen" Stauch – drums, percussion (1984-1985, 1987-2005) |
| 55 | |
| 56 | ---- |
| 57 | |
| 58 | !!Notable Blind Guardian songs include: |
| 59 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIoqvSP6Uk0 Majesty]] (from ''Battalions of Fear'') |
| 60 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwJYxxP_EzE Valhalla]] (from ''Follow the Blind'') |
| 61 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNS79HE3ZE0 Lost in the Twilight Hall]] (from ''Tales from the Twilight World'') |
| 62 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_tORtmKIjE The Bard's Song (In the Forest)]] (from ''Somewhere Far Beyond'') |
| 63 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8Cxyd3VxbQ Imaginations from the Other Side]] (from ''[[TitleDrop Imaginations from the Other Side]]'') |
| 64 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RBNFPebGoU Nightfall]] (from ''Nightfall in Middle-Earth'') |
| 65 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CP4bzlLXDo Mirror Mirror]] (from ''Nightfall in Middle-Earth'') |
| 66 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snwvpJ7DxyY And Then There Was Silence]] (from ''A Night at the Opera'') |
| 67 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50aHxGI2WkI Under the Ice]] (from ''A Night at the Opera'') |
| 68 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6oNE2lT8R4 Fly]] (from ''A Twist in the Myth'') |
| 69 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv-Nn-yNpAQ Another Stranger Me]] (from ''A Twist in the Myth'') |
| 70 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_ts8cPScXM Wheel of Time]] (from ''At the Edge of Time'') |
| 71 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIZNb96EQJ8 Voice in the Dark]] (from ''At the Edge of Time'') |
| 72 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep1B_aIFPDE Twilight Of The Gods]] ( from ''Beyond the Red Mirror'') |
| 73 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AGAbcTma5w The Throne]] (from ''Beyond the Red Mirror'') |
| 74 | |
| 75 | ---- |
| 76 | |
| 77 | [[folder:An incomplete list of stories, events, and people that they have songs about.]] |
| 78 | * ''Literature/AliceInWonderland'' (referenced in "Imaginations from the Other Side") |
| 79 | * ''Literature/AmericanGods'' ("Secrets of the American Gods") |
| 80 | * Myth/ArthurianLegend ("A Past and Future Secret", "Mordred's Song", "All the King's Horses") |
| 81 | * Franchise/BattlestarGalactica ("Architects of Doom") |
| 82 | * The Battle of Stamford Bridge ("Battlefield") |
| 83 | * ''Literature/TheBible'' ("The Martyr", "Banish From Sanctuary", "Another Holy War", "Precious Jerusalem", "Sadly Sings Destiny", "The Edge") |
| 84 | * ''Film/BladeRunner'' ("Time, What is Time?") |
| 85 | * Myth/CelticMythology / UsefulNotes/{{Wicca}} ("Turn the Page") |
| 86 | * UsefulNotes/TheCrusades ("The Script for My Requiem") |
| 87 | * ''Franchise/TheDarkTower'' and other Stephen King novels ("Somewhere Far Beyond", "Carry the Blessed Home", "Tommyknockers", "Altair 4", "Guardian of the Blind", "Follow the Blind") |
| 88 | * ''Literature/TheDeathGateCycle'' ("I'm Alive") |
| 89 | * Literature/{{Dragonlance}} ("The Last Candle", "The Soulforged", fan-requested topic) |
| 90 | * {{Franchise/Dune}} ("Traveler in Time") |
| 91 | * Literature/TheElricSaga and other Michael Moorcock novels ("Damned for All Time", "Fast to Madness", "Journey through the Dark", "The Quest for Tanelorn", "Tanelorn") |
| 92 | * The UsefulNotes/EnglishCivilWar ("Curse my Name") |
| 93 | * Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial ("Goodbye My Friend") |
| 94 | * Floating Dragon ("Welcome to Dying") |
| 95 | * Creator/FriedrichNietzsche ("Punishment Divine") |
| 96 | * Galileo Galilei ("Age of False Innocence") |
| 97 | * Literature/TheHobbit ("The Bard's Song - The Hobbit") |
| 98 | * Literature/TheIliad ("And Then There Was Silence", "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYFFivxw56A Under The Ice]]") |
| 99 | * ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' ("Majesty", "Lord of the Rings", "By the Gates of Moria," "Gandalf's Rebirth," "Lost in the Twilight Hall") |
| 100 | * Myth/NorseMythology ("Valhalla," "Valkyries") |
| 101 | * ''Literature/TheOdyssey'' ("Lionheart") |
| 102 | * Literature/{{Otherland}} ("Otherland", arguably "Another Stranger Me") |
| 103 | * Literature/ParadiseLost ("Control the Divine") |
| 104 | * Literature/PeterPan ("Fly", referenced in "Born in a Mourning Hall" and "Imaginations from the Other Side") |
| 105 | * Literature/SolomonKane (All of'' Legacy of the Dark Lands'') |
| 106 | * Politics ("Battalions of Fear" is an attack on the Strategic Defense Initiative of Ronald Reagan; "Wait For An Answer" is a fable written by Hansi when he was still in school about an unusual friendship between a hare and a fox who try to stop some sort of holocaust planned by crows. Can be interpreted as being about UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler's rise to power.) |
| 107 | * Music/RichardWagner's [[Theatre/TheRingOfTheNibelung Der Ring des Nibelungen]] ("Skalds and Shadows") |
| 108 | * Literature/TheSilmarillion (all of ''Nightfall in Middle-Earth'' plus "Harvest of Sorrow") |
| 109 | * Song of Hildebrandt ("Battlefield") |
| 110 | * Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire ("A Voice in the Dark", "War of the Thrones") |
| 111 | * Literature/TheStormlightArchive ("Violent Shadows") |
| 112 | * Tristan und Isolde ("The Maiden and the Minstrel Knight") |
| 113 | * A Wild Ride through the Night ("This Will Never End") |
| 114 | * Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz (referenced in "Imaginations from the Other Side") |
| 115 | * Literature/TheWheelOfTime ("Wheel of Time," "Ride into Obsession") |
| 116 | * Literature/TheWitcher ("Blood of the Elves") |
| 117 | [[/folder]] |
| 118 | |
| 119 | ---- |
| 120 | !!Blind Guardian and their music provide examples of: |
| 121 | * AcCENTUponTheWrongSylLABle: Hansi has nearly perfect fluency in English, which sets him heavily apart from many European power metal singers and songwriters. That said, he still has a ''massive'' German accent, which on occasion leads to some...interesting arrangements of syntax and pronunciation. For instance, in "The Quest For Tanelorn": |
| 122 | --> He tries to conQUER it... |
| 123 | ** And famously in "Time Stands Still (At the Iron Hill)": |
| 124 | --> When time stands still at the EYE-ron hill... |
| 125 | * AmbiguousSyntax: A Blind Guardian is apparently someone who guards the blind, not a guardian who is blind. |
| 126 | * AndIMustScream: "Blood Tears." |
| 127 | ** If you know your ''[[Literature/TheSilmarillion Silmarillion]]'', you know the guy'll be saved. It'll cost him a hand, but he'll be okay for the entire First Age. |
| 128 | * AudienceParticipationSong: Most of their songs, but "The Bard's Song" is sung [[https://youtu.be/Zklqr1xj32Q mostly by]] the [[https://youtu.be/i-IcX_bccFc audience]], "Valhalla" and "The Last Candle" involve the audience chanting the chorus (or in "The Last Candle"'s case, the outro) for as long as possible after the song ends, and "And Then There Was Silence" actually has a part that goes "la-la-la", representing thousands of excited, celebratory people. They ''say'' that they don't plan for people to sing along... |
| 129 | ** Ever seen a theater full of people all riled up [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYFFivxw56A to defend Troy against the Greek menace?]] |
| 130 | ** Not to mention that the non-"la la la" lyrics include "Come join in our singing..." |
| 131 | * BraggingThemeTune: ''Time Stands Still at the Iron Hill,'' towards Fingolfin. |
| 132 | * CallBack: A couple: |
| 133 | ** "The Last Candle" from ''Tales from the Twilight World'' begins with the repeated line "[[TitleDrop Guardian, guardian, guardian of the blind]]", which previously appeared in the appropriately-titled "Guardian of the Blind" from ''Battalions of Fear''. |
| 134 | ** ''At the Edge of Time'' is named after a line from "And the Story Ends" from ''Imaginations from the Other Side''. |
| 135 | *** A song called "At the Edge of Time" finally appears on ''Beyond the Red Mirror''. So we now have an album and a song named after a lyric, but the lyric doesn't appear in the song or album named after it[[labelnote:*]]although the song does come close with the line "From the edge of time"[[/labelnote]], and the song does not appear on the album that shares its name. |
| 136 | * ConceptAlbum: Nightfall in Middle-earth is based on Creator/JRRTolkien's ''Literature/TheSilmarillion''. Every later album has common theme (faith in Night at the Opera, fairy-tales and legends in Another Twist in the Myth, control and rebellion in At the Edge of Time) but songs aren't connected. |
| 137 | ** ''Beyond the Red Mirror'' is a sequel to the themes introduced in ''Imaginations From the Other Side''. |
| 138 | * ConceptVideo: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIZNb96EQJ8 ''A Voice In The Dark'']] is about the Mayans. Also qualifies as LyricsVideoMismatch, as the song was based on Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire. |
| 139 | * CoverVersion: [[Music/TheBeachBoys "Barbara Ann", "Surfin' USA"]], "Long Tall Sally," "Mr. Sandman," "[[Music/RonnieJamesDio Don't Talk to Strangers]]," "[[Music/IronButterflyBand In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida]]", "Dream a Little Dream," "[[Music/DeepPurple Hallelujah]]," "[[Music/UriahHeep The Wizard]]," "To France," "[[Music/{{Queen}} Spread Your Wings]]," "Trial by Fire", "Don't Break the Circle", "You're the Voice" and "[[Music/JudasPriest Beyond the Realms of Death]]". |
| 140 | * DoubleEntendre: Non-sexual; in the close of ''And Then There Was Silence'', the lyrics "the nightmare shall be over now, there's nothing more to fear" can refer both to the Trojans' expectation of final victory, and what [[TrojanHorse actually happened]]. |
| 141 | * DownerEnding: "Final Chapter (Thus Ends...)," concluding Morgoth's conquest. |
| 142 | * EpicInstrumentalOpener: "Sacred Worlds" rocks out instrumentally for 2:10 (in a song that's about 9:15 total) before the lyrics start. |
| 143 | * EpicRocking: ''And Then There Was Silence'' is not only 14 minutes long, the full version was released as a single. |
| 144 | * EverythingsLouderWithBagpipes: The track "Piper's Calling" from ''Somewhere Far Beyond'' is an entire track of nothing but bagpipes. The next track, "Somewhere Far Beyond," also features a pipe section, as does their cover of John Farnham's "You're the Voice." |
| 145 | * EvilLaugh: There's a classic one from Morgoth in the ''Nightfall in Middle-Earth'' interlude "Captured", and Hansi has taken to doing an insane-sounding laugh in "Valhalla". |
| 146 | %%* HeavyMithril: Obviously... |
| 147 | * HeWhoFightsMonsters: "Curse of [[Literature/TheSilmarillion Fëanor]]", sung from Curufinwë Fëanáro's perspective. |
| 148 | * IAmSong: ''Wheel of Time,'' which is from the perspective of the hero of [[Literature/TheWheelOfTime the titular series]], Rand al' Thor. |
| 149 | --> ''I'm The Dragon Reborn, and in madness I soon shall prevail!'' |
| 150 | * {{Instrumentals}}: "Lucifer's Heritage", "Trial by the Archon", "By the Gates of Moria", "Gandalf's Rebirth", "Beyond the Ice", "Weird Dreams", "The Piper's Calling". |
| 151 | * LargeHam: Onstage and as a person, Hansi is a very grounded, subtle presence, setting him apart from, say, the thigh-pounding of [[Music/{{Sabaton}} Joakim Brodén]] and the scenery-chewing of [[Music/{{Edguy}} Tobias Sammet]]. This only makes it all the more stunning that the guy's singing voice can best be described as a bombastic, echoing ''roar,'' belting his high-fantasy lyrics pretty much in all caps. |
| 152 | * LeadBassist: Hansi Kürsch was a type B until session bassists took over. |
| 153 | * LongRunnerLineUp: The band boasted the exact same lineup for about 20 years before Thomas Stauch left in 2005. Their next iteration, with Frederik Ehmke taking Stauch's place, held up for just shy of the same amount of time before the band added bassist Johan van Stratum in 2021. |
| 154 | * LongRunners: Among the longest in PowerMetal, Blind Guardian have, as of this writing, been going at the craft for nearly '''''40''''' years. |
| 155 | * LoudnessWar: Everything after ''Nightfall In Middle-Earth'', but ''A Night At The Opera'' is easily the worst offender of them all. |
| 156 | * LustObject: The Silmarils in "Into the Storm". |
| 157 | * LyricalDissonance: "Curse my name" from ''At The Edge Of Time'': an upbeat semi-ballad about bloody rebellion. These lines don't quite fit with the music at first: |
| 158 | --> ''Let him curse my name'' |
| 159 | --> ''On these bloodstained pages of misery.'' |
| 160 | ** The entirety of "A Night at the Opera fits this trope. Despite being the band's lightest album musically, all of the lyrics deal with themes of despair or failure in some shape or form. |
| 161 | * {{Mayincatec}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIZNb96EQJ8 The ''A Voice In The Dark'' video]] has them in one with very Caucasian inhabitants. |
| 162 | * MetalScream: There are usually a few per album. Hansi does them well. |
| 163 | * MyMasterRightOrWrong: In the intro to ''Nightfall'', an unnamed servant (implied to be Sauron) arrives in Morgoth's chambers to implore him to flee, since the War of Wrath is not going in their favor. Morgoth refuses, but tells the servant to flee instead. |
| 164 | * NewSoundAlbum: |
| 165 | ** ''Tales from the Twilight World'' started introducing certain elements, such as multi-layered vocal harmonies and keyboard melodies that were pretty much absent (or at least hardly noticeable) from the band's previous works. |
| 166 | ** ''A Twist in the Myth'' included more progressive metal elements than previous albums and toned down the band's overdubbing somewhat. Its influence can still be heard on ''At the Edge of Time'', though many of the more traditional elements have returned as well. |
| 167 | * OminousLatinChanting: "Quest for Tanelorn" and "The Ninth Wave". |
| 168 | ** Also "Inquisition", though once you recognize the [[Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail source]] it's not so ominous. |
| 169 | * PerspectiveFlip: A lot of their songs are from the villain's point of view. For example, "Under the Ice" is from the viewpoint of [[Literature/TheIliad Clytemnestra]], who was responsible for murdering Agamemnon and Cassandra. And don't get us started on their Sauron tributes. |
| 170 | * ProtestSong: "Battalions of Fear" criticizes UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan. |
| 171 | * RevisitingTheRoots: ''The God Machine'' is a stylistic throwback to their early/mid 1990s output, with a more aggressive and riff-driven sound, less heavily layered vocals, and virtually no symphonic presence. |
| 172 | * RockMeAmadeus: "By the Gates of Moria". |
| 173 | * SelfBackingVocalist: This is Hansi Kürsch's trademark. |
| 174 | * SelfPlagiarism: Listen to the riffs of "This Will Never End" and "Tanelorn (Into the Void)" |
| 175 | * [[SingerNameDrop Band Name Drop]]: A sneaky one in "The Last Candle", with the phrase [[CallBack "Guardian, guardian, guardian of the blind"]] being repeated four times in a row, meaning that you get to hear "blind guardian" three times. |
| 176 | * ShoutOut: Many, both to bands and writers. |
| 177 | ** Possibly a reverse shout out; in the last Wheel of Time novel, A Memory of Light, chapter 23 is called At the Edge of Time, the same name as the Blind Guardian album which featured two songs about the book series. |
| 178 | * SopranoAndGravel: On top of his nearly superhuman vocal range, Hansi also employs a wide array of vocal styles to suit the song at hand, from the higher, angelic tone he uses on "The Bard's Song (In the Forest)" and "Harvest of Sorrow" to the borderline BlackMetal shrieks he occasionally employs during live performances of "Time Stands Still (At the Iron Hill)". Most often, his vocals fall somewhere between the two points; on most of their standard numbers, he uses a rough, growling baritone. |
| 179 | * ShownTheirWork: Their songs based on the many fantasy tales are very accurate. |
| 180 | * SpeedMetal: ''Battalions of Fear'' was still heavily tied to the German speed metal sound, with a sound fairly reminiscent of Helloween's early works, and while ''Follow the Blind'' was a shift to power metal, it still had prominent speed metal elements. |
| 181 | * AStormIsComing: "Mirror Mirror", "Into the Storm", "And Then There Was Silence", several others. |
| 182 | * StepUpToTheMicrophone: Back when they were called Lucifer's Heritage, they had a song called "Symphonies of Doom", parts of which were sung by their then rhythm guitarist Markus Dörk. |
| 183 | * SurprisinglyGentleSong: They tend to have one per album, often based on a medieval folk sound. These include "Lord of the Rings", "The Bard's Song", "A Past And Future Secret," "The Eldar," (except for the MetalScream) "Harvest of Sorrow," "Skalds and Shadows", "War of the Thrones" and "Miracle Machine". |
| 184 | * SympatheticPOV: "Mordred's Song", "Thorn" (about Maeglin), "Under the Ice" (about Clytemnestra), and, to some extent, "The Curse of Fëanor" (about, well, Fëanor), "Curse My Name" (King Charles I), and "The Soulforged" (about Raistlin Majere). Several Demons & Wizards songs also fit this. |
| 185 | * SymphonicMetal: They have more elements of this from ''Nightfall in Middle-Earth'' onward, but "Sacred Worlds" and "Wheel of Time" are definitely this, being performed with a full orchestra. ''Beyond the Red Mirror'' expands the style for almost every song. They almost completely abandoned this on ''The God Machine'' for a RevisitingTheRoots approach reminiscent of their early/mid 1990s output. |
| 186 | * ThenLetMeBeEvil: ''Mordred's Song''. |
| 187 | * TrappedInAnotherWorld: "Imaginations From The Other Side" is about this. |
| 188 | * VillainSong: "Ride Into Obsession" is half this or more, it's hard to tell which lines are from Lews Therin and which are from Moridin. |
| 189 | ** "Into the Storm", "Thorn" and especially "A Dark Passage" on the ''Nightfall in Middle-Earth'' album. |
| 190 | ** Also, "[[Myth/KingArthur Mordred's Song]]" and "[[Literature/ParadiseLost Control the Divine]]", among others. |
| 191 | * WrittenByTheWinners: an attempt to defy it in "Curse my Name." |
| 192 | -->''Let them curse my name''\ |
| 193 | ''But remember the truth!'' |
| 194 | * YouNoTakeCandle: "Welcome to Dying". |
| 195 | %% * ZeroPercentApprovalRating: "Curse My Name". |
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