From either a super beginning, Blind Guardian keep around been inspired per fictitious worlds of J. R. R. Tolkien and other fantasy authors, as well as traditional legends and epics. A 1998 album Nightfall in Middle-Earth'', for example, occurs as concept album based on Tolkien's The Silmarillion, while a 2002 album A Night at the Opera features a Xiv-microscopic song all about a Trojan War, titled "And Then There Was Silence." Above a years, a running off theme has developed associating the band members sustaining road bards.

Blind Guardian's music is characterized per classic convenient guitars and double bass drumming of power metal, but is comparatively unique within its utilise of overdubs to create an extremely heavy, "epic" healthy. This system, especially luminary within the guitar & vocal tracks, creates the impression of a huge army of musicians swimming in unison & singing harmonized. Looking for a already anthemic and singsong quality of their choruses, these are unsurprising that a band's 2003 live album, Live, sounded much such as their studio recordings: although a overdubs of vocaliser Hansi Kürsch were lost, a survive audience reproduced them dependably & enthusiastically. In many occasions a audience has been known to sing along potentially to André Olbrich's guitar solos.

Blind Guardian's popularity has continued to develop from either an initial charted inside Europe and Japan to one of the virtually all easily-known power metal bands in the world. A single for "And Then There Was Silence," for instance, reached #1 around Spain and #7 in Canada, despite its length.

Together by owning Jon Schaffer - leader and founder of Iced Earth - Kürsch is part of the side plan known as Demons and Wizards.

It is comparatively unique in this until April of 2005 (a twenty month time period), the band's original lineup did non vary. Nonetheless, imputable differing musical preference, inside April their long period drummer Thomen Stauch exited a band. He was replaced within July 2005 by Frederik Ehmke.

Based on data from their official home page, it should become releasing an album erstwhile around April or even Could of 2006.

Band Members
Hansi Kürsch - Vocals (1985-) & Bass (1985-1997) André Olbrich - Lead & Rhythm Guitar (1985-) Marcus Siepen - Rhythm & Lead Guitar (1987-) Frederik Ehmke - Drums (2005-)

Guest/Other Members
Oliver Holzwarth - Bass [Touring/Studio] (1997-) [See note 1] Mathias Weisner - Keyboards [Studio] (1990-) Michael Schüren - Keyboards [Live] & Grand Piano [Studio] (1998-) Kai Hansen - Vocals & Guitar Solos (1989-1992) [See note 2] Rolf Köhler, Thomas Hackmann, Olaf Senkbeil, Billy King - Backing Vocals (1990-)

Former members
Thomas "Thomen" Stauch - Drums (1986-1987, 1987-2005) Markus Dörk - Rhythm & Lead Guitar [Lucifers Heritage] (1985-1986) Christoph Theissen - Lead & Rhythm Guitar [Lucifers Heritage] (1986-1987) Hans-Peter Frey - Drums [Lucifers Heritage] (1985-1986, 1987)

Discography
As Lucifer's Heritage
Symphony of Doom (Demo, 1985) Battalions of Fear (Demo, 1986)

As Blind Guardian
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)

Singles, compilations and live albums
Banish From Sanctuary (Single, 1989) Tokyo Tales (Live, 1993) Bright Eyes (Single, 1995) A Past and Future Secret (Single, 1995) The Forgotten Tales (Compilation, 1996) Blind Guardian Plays Beach Boys (Single, 1996) Mr. Sandman (Single, 1996) Mirror Mirror (Single, 1998) And Then There Was Silence (Single, 2001) Live (Live, 2003) ''The Bard's Song (In the Forest) (Single, 2003) Imaginations Through the Looking Glass'' (DVD, 2004)

Notes
One - Around 1997, Hansi decided that the different bassist would provide supplementary complex area, & allow himself to more his vocal system two survive & in the studio. Oliver Holzwarth was hired as a bassist for the album & for the tour. He is non a to the full member of the b&, because Hansi will decide to play bass once again, and has said he doesn't use the heart to put Oliver in the position that he can be fired. Two - In Blind Guardian's 2nd & third studio albums, Kai Hansen, formerly of Helloween, performed guest vocals on two or three songs & the guest guitar solo.