Blind Guardian is a power metal (and more recently epic metal) band started in the mid-1980s in Krefeld, Germany. Before calling themselves Blind Guardian, the band released two demos under the name Lucifer's Heritage in 1986 and 1987.
From the beginning, Blind Guardian have been inspired by the fictional worlds of J. R. R. Tolkien and other fantasy authors, like Michael Moorcock, as well as traditional legends and epics. Over the years, a running theme has developed associating the band members with traveling bards.
Blind Guardian's first two albums, Battalions of Fear and Follow the Blind, were much more in the style of speed metal than their following works. Beginning with their third album Tales from the Twilight World, Blind Guardian gradually turned to a more sophisticated sound, including vast use of choirs and sometimes orchestral arrangements.
Blind Guardian's music is characterized by the classic fast guitars and double bass drumming of power metal, but is relatively unique in its use of overdubs to create an extremely dense, "epic" sound. This technique, especially notable in the guitar and vocal tra...
| years active | 1985-present |
| origin | Krefeld, Germany |
| music genre | Power metal Speed Metal (Pre-Somewhere Far Beyond) |
| current members | Hansi Kürsch André Olbrich Marcus Siepen Frederik Ehmke |
