Blind Guardian

Blind Guardian formed in Krefeld, Germany in 1984, initially under the name Lucifer’s Heritage. With frontman Hansi Kürsch’s distinctive voice and guitarist André Olbrich’s melodic compositions, the band developed a sound that took power metal’s anthemic qualities and enriched them with elaborate vocal harmonies and conceptual depth.

Albums like Imaginations from the Other Side, Nightfall in Middle-Earth (a concept album based on Tolkien’s Silmarillion), and A Night at the Opera are widely considered among the finest achievements in power metal. The band’s 2020 orchestral album A Legacy Dark and Impure fulfilled a decade-long dream of recording with a full orchestra.