BLIND GUARDIAN - that is Metal in perfection. To define a style of their music is really hard. On the one hand there are heavy speed songs, and then they are great  in fantastic melodies, clear harmonies and bombastic choirs, mostly with a folcloristic touch. In some of their ballads, like "A Past And Future Secret" you really feel like living in the Middle Ages. Because of all this BLIND GUARDIAN became what they are today: Maybe the best Metal band under our sun.

But to that point it was a long and hard road. Everything started in Krefeld in 1985. At that time a young guitarist, André Olbrich, asked Hansi Kürsch (he knew him from school) to join his band. Their name was Lucifer's Heritage and - after a few changes - their lineup was: Hansi Kürsch (voice and bass); André Olbrich (lead guitar); Marcus Siepen (rhythm guitar); Thomas Stauch (drums). That way they have played till today.

They released two demos, "Symphony Of Doom" and "Battalions Of Fear", which get them a contract with "No Remors Records". From then on their name was "BLIND GUARDIAN". In 1988 they released their first official album, Batallions Of Fear. At that time their music was very influenced by other well known bands like Queensryche or Helloween.

In 1989 their released Follow The Blind, which had been recorded in Muenster. It probably was their heaviest album.

In 1990 the realy history of BLIND GUARDIAN starts in way. From then on there were those elements in their music which made this fantastic band: Great choirs, catchy melodies and very much atmosphere with a medieval touch. Tales From The Twilight World was a milestone. Now they also have found their own characteristic style and couldn't be compared with other bands any more. A great album! Also it was the first one for which Andreas Marschall painted the cover. Like on all their former albums Kalle Trapp was the producer.

In 1992 they changed their lable from No Remorse to a very bigger one, Virgin. With them they released Somewhere Far Beyond, which get them worldwide appreciation. This album was a great work. Bombastic speed songs like "Somewhere Far Beyond" and the fantastic ballad "The Bard's Song - In The Forest make this album.

The following tour went to Japan. They took this country by storm. Still the Japanese are maybe the best fans at all. 1993 their first and still only live album was released: Tokyo Tales. Down the line a great disc.

Their next allbum was three years in coming. In the EP A Past And Future Secret it was abvious that the band has made really great progress. In April 1995 the time has come:  Imaginations From The Other Side was ready to be bought. And it was bought. It finally was their real breakthrough. From then on they were - also in the eyes of experts - one of the best metal bands in the world. It was the first album which was produced by Flemming Rasmussen.

After the EP Mr. Sandman (in some countries its name is "Bright Eyes") a rather strange disc was released in 1996: The Forgotten Tales. It was not a "real" album, but a CD full of cover songs and rearranged old songs.

March 4, 1998: The new EP Mirror Mirror was there! "Mirror Mirror" - what a song! BLIND GUARDIAN at their best! Really great!

April 28, 1998: The new album Nightfall In Middle-Earth ist out. It's the absolute top fo their carrier. 22 songs (11 "real" ones) are on the album - and each of them a masterpiece. The reviews were full of superlatives - and this absolutely rightly! This album is based on J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Silmarillion". Just after its release it went up the German charts to place 7 (!), which is very strange fo a metal band.