Line #35 Music/DemonsAndWizards


1	%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
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3	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wizards.jpg]]
4	[floatboxright:
5	Related Acts:
6	+ Music/BlindGuardian, vocalist Hansi Kürsch's main band.
7	+ Music/IcedEarth, guitarist Jon Schaffer's band.
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10	Demons & Wizards was a HeavyMetal supergroup formed in 1997 by Hansi Kürsch of Music/BlindGuardian and Jon Schaffer of Music/IcedEarth, who originally became friends a few years earlier when their bands toured together. The project's name supposedly came about when "Demons and Angels" was suggested by Schaffer's wife as a description of the contrast between Schaffer's demon-like thrashy guitar riffs and Kürsch's angel-like singing[[note]]Also seen as a reference to the darker, theology-inspired subject of most Iced Earth songs as compared to the more [[HeavyMithril swords-and-sorcery]] style of Blind Guardian.[[/note]]. Kürsch corrected her and said it would be more accurate to describe him as a wizard, also referencing the 1972 Music/UriahHeep album of the same name.
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12	In general, the instrumentals were written by Schaffer while Kürsch wrote the lyrics and vocal melodies, though some of the guitar solos were done by producer and collaborator Jim Morris. Their music has been described as a dark and aggressive form of epic PowerMetal with occasional elements of ProgressiveMetal and folk music worked in.
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14	After [[https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2021/01/18/iced-earth-guitarist-jon-schaffer-arrested-fbi-after-capitol-riot/4207250001/ Jon Schaffer's arrest following his involvement in the 2021 Capitol Riots]], Hansi Kürsch immediately left the project and announced that he would never work with Schaffer again, effectively dissolving the band.
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16	Not to be confused with the Music/UriahHeep album of the same name (although, as mentioned above, Schaffer and Kursch have said that the album partially inspired their name).
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18	Albums:
19	* 1999 - Demons & Wizards
20	* 2005 - Touched by the Crimson King
21	* 2020 - III
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23	----
24	!!This band has examples of:
25	* AncientAstronauts: "Spatial Architects" concerns this subject, and alludes to humankind's gods and angels being [[NoSuchThingAsSpaceJesus distorted reflections]] of some kind of eldritch spacefaring precursors.
26	* BalancingDeathsBooks: "Fiddler on the Green" provides a variant on this trope: The song turns out to be about the Grim Reaper taking a young boy "too early" and, feeling remorseful for his error, 'balances it out' by taking a young girl so the boy can gain a companion when he goes to the afterlife.
27	* BSODSong: "Winter of Souls" is about [[BastardBastard Mordred]] on the eve of the final battle with his father Myth/KingArthur. He realizes that he's in the wrong and has used his legitimate grievances against Arthur as an excuse for his cruel ambitions, but it's too late to turn back and the fates of him and Arthur are sealed.
28	* EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench: Or, rather, everything sounds more ominous whispered in German, as Hansi occasionally does for dramatic texture on a few tracks.
29	* GodIsEvil: The trilogy that ends the first album, seemingly written from the point of view of a fallen angel who feels betrayed and mistreated by the Christian God.
30	* HeavyMithril: As one would expect, this is a consistent theme throughout many of the band's songs. Their second album in paraticular is [[FilkSong entirely dedicated to]] Creator/StephenKing's ''Franchise/TheDarkTower''. However, Hansi has stated that many of songs have more than one meaning and are more related allegorically, such as the songs about [[Literature/MobyDick Captain Ahab]] reflecting Roland's quest. Additionally, the bonus track "Lunar Lament" is about a passage from Literature/TheSilmarillion[[note]]and also the last one about Creator/JRRTolkien's universe written by Hansi[[/note]].
31	* MetalScream: Hansi, known for his awe-inspiring Type 4 screams, does this often. One of the most ''[[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic epic]]'' examples is near the end of "Fiddler on the Green".
32	* OminousLatinChanting: "Rites of Passage", "Heaven Denies," "Chant", and "Crimson King" all employ this for dramatic effect.
33	* PerspectiveFlip: "Winter of Souls", which is from Mordred's POV; "Crimson King," which is from the Crimson King's POV; "Terror Train" from Blaine the Mono's POV; and "The Whistler" from the Pied Piper's POV. Though, despite the title, "Crimson King" focuses more on [[TheDragon Flagg]].
34	* PowerBallad: "Wicked Witch" and "Fiddler on the Green" are their two most well-known examples.
35	* ShoutOut: They have songs about:
36	** Myth/ArthurianLegend: "Winter of Souls".
37	** The Crusades: "Poor Man's Crusade".
38	** {{Death}}: "Fiddler on the Green".
39	** Franchise/TheDarkTower: "Crimson King", "Seize the Day", "Terror Train", and "The Gunslinger".
40	** Literature/TheHobbit: "Seize the Day".
41	** Literature/MobyDick: "Beneath These Waves".
42	** Literature/ParadiseLost: "Heaven Denies".
43	** Literature/ThePictureOfDorianGray: "Dorian".
44	** The Pied Piper of Hamelin: "The Whistler".
45	** Theatre/TheRingOfTheNibelung: "Blood on My Hands".
46	** Literature/TheSilmarillion: "Lunar Lament".
47	** Literature/TheStormlightArchive: "Final Warning".
48	** Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz: "Wicked Witch".
49	%% * ShownTheirWork
50	* StockQuotes: The song "Crimson King" contains the line, "I am Legion".
51	* AStormIsComing: "Winter of Souls" is themed around this motif, and starts with the narrator saying he's "facing the storm".
52	* TheseHandsHaveKilled: "Blood On My Hands", about the narrator being haunted by the spirits of those he has killed.

Context Music / DemonsAndWizards