INTERVIEW 1

The formation headed by Hansi Kursch will step on Spain for the first time. Always on the second line of the german heavy battalion, Blind Guardian have in Japan their comercial heaven. After ten years, the quartet seeks other markets with "Imaginations from the Other Side", their sixth album. Pedro Giner interviews them in exclusive:

- How did you manage to keep intact the formation of Blind Guardian during almost ten years?

"We had clear since the beggining that the important thing was to keep the same team and to avoid changes in order to assure stability and to progress. In 1985 we started as Lucifer's Heritage and in '87 we met Andre Olbrich and we changed to Blind Guardian. The most important is to put on the table the problems, the opinions and the arguments of the group members. Its stupid to use someone new to take care of a situation. Having everything clear makes it possible for us to keep going year after year. The only way that someone would leave is if he does not feel the need to play live anymore. When we started as Blind Guardian we already had large experience playing rock, but we knew we still had a lot to learn. But we didn't want to be like Iron Maiden or Helloween. Our way of playing had nothing to do with these groups."

- What kind of musical changes has the band suffered during these years?

"In 1990 we started listening to Queen and classical music to gather those influences and to use them. We decided to create a style of our own. The next step was to write some material. We started to use recorders. Each one of us would record something on his own, would take his stuff to the studio and we would work from that base. That is a step we usually give before rehearsing with the whole band. Andre and me, we listen to all the recordings. With this system we learned to arrange the songs. This method was also applied to this last record. This way we learned to see better what we can do, as much in recording as live."

- What novelties has "Imaginations from the Other Side" to offer?

"In songs like "Imaginations..." and "Bright Eyes" we notice an important evolution, specially in the drums. In this record its much more progressive. We added dinamism to the drums, its much more musical. It has classical components. It sounds quite different from the previous records. We used (doblage=doubling?) in the drums. There are also improvements in the solo guitar and in the lyrics. In this record, all is connected, each step with the one before."

- For what reason has the group changed producer?

"Flemming Rasmussen did 'Ride the Lightning' and 'Master of Puppets' with Metallica, and that's already considerable. He also dis 'Future World' with Pretty Maids, which is for me the best Metal album of all times. For these reasons it would have been difficult find anyone better. During the recordings we had an excelent relationship, he's a very calm guy. Regarding mixing, he has enriched us."

- To what is due Blind Guardian's success in Japan?

"We are one of the groups which still play in the tradition of metal. We are not following this or that trend. When someone buys one of our records, he knows what he'll find. That is the reason. In the USA thay are more into Thrash, and maybe that's what stops us from getting there. There they believe it's the evolution of the style. I don't think so. We are one of the few capable to keep playing real heavy metal with enough influences of the 90's to say that we play metal that is not old (shitty translation - sorry)."

- Do you agree that german metal is specially identifiable? With which groups from Germany do you mantain special relations?

"I don't agree 100% with your opinion, I don't know what is _german metal_. Kreator, Blind Guardian, Tankard, Rage... each plays in a different way, some more progressive, some more melodic. Its not easy to group them together. Gamma Ray and Rage, in Germany, are the bands with whom we keep a closer relationship. In the United States we like Iced Earth, they are our favourit band and we keep with them an excelent friendship."

- It is said that Heavy Metal is going through difficult times. Do you agree?

"It's not the best times, that's for sure, but, on the other hand, we are having more success than ever. We are working in another way. I think the problem is that many bands don't grow up, don't evolve, and that does not attract new audiences. If your last record is the same as the two before, the fans don't want to listen always to the same stuff. That causes a lot of problems. Maybe the reason that we are growing is that we try to give something new each record we put out."

- There are many german Hard Rock bands coming to Spain. Why did it take so long for Blind Guardian to visit us?

"Our first record to be distributed here was our first with Virgin. It worked allright, but we didn't come then because we were told there was not enough interest. The next sold a little better, but we were still told that it was too soon. 'Imaginations from the Other Side' showed up in Germany last Spring, and we did a presentation tour. During the fall, we did Japan, and now is time for Europe. After this, we'll be in studio recording our next work."

INTERVIEW 2

At last! After five studio albums, one live and an unprecedent fame, the four germans aproached our land in the end of February to present their last record 'Imaginations from the Other Side'. Because of their imminent arrival, we put ourselves on the telephone with Hansi Kursch himself, who told us details about the hard recordings on studio.

- Well Hansi: it was about time we heard from you here in Spain. What can you tell us about your last album?

"For me, 'Imaginations from the Other Side' is the best album we have done. I know every musician says that about his last work, but... because of the production, because of our technique, because of the technical characteristics of the studio and, maybe, because of the emotion that we have put into it, I really think its our best work. Until now it has been the one with more success. It was very well received in most of the European countries and in Asia. Nevertheless, it turned out to be the most problematic recording, because in the middle we had to make a large interruption: Andre Olbrich, our guitarrist, had an accident and was hurt badly in the arm. He couldn't play. We had to slow the recordings for two months, because he was in the hospital. We waited because he had been in all our previous records. The surgery was problematic, and we didn't know if he would be able to play guitar again, but, in the end, he was. After one and a half month he was practicing with his guitar again. Beteween recordings we composed 'Bright Eyes', which is for me one of the best songs of the album. It was one of the harder to record in studio. We wrote it when Andre returned from the hospital, when he started to play the guitar again. It has a very firm basis. We normaly dedicate about six weeks to do one song, but this one took us only a little more than two."

- Why a single like 'A Past and Future Secret'? Why a balad?

"I suppose there are people who would discuss our option, but it was one of the few songs that was finished before we had problems with Andre. Then we had only finished 'A Past and Future Secret', 'Imaginations from the Other Side' and 'The Wizard'. We choose 'A Past and Future Secret because it was shorter than 'Imaginations...', and it sounds very well on the radio. That was what we thought, and I still think it was a good song for a preview, don't you think?"

- In most of your songs fantasy is present. Why is this?

"Most of the songs nowadays speak of problems. It's something we all live, but our music is full of illusions, dreams, of good vibes. Full of fantasy. It has nothing to do with reality. It's not only the musical background; when we add the lyrics, it becomes a perfect combination. Sometimes we mention reality. In songs like 'A Past and Future Secret' there is a historic part, and also a mystic part."

- Kai Hansen participated in some of your records. How did this collaboration came up?

"With him it's always fun. We do the arrangements in studio. It was like that in 'Valhalla' and 'Hall of the King'. He's one of the best musicians in my opinion. In those times he was (???????) of us. He was on the top of the mountain, and we had just come out. He had been with Helloween. We managed in the first recordings a very good relationship. Since then we've been doing stuff together. One of the best was 'Quest for Tanelorn'. We never argued. We simply said wether it was good or not."

- In Spain there are many Blind Guardian fans. What have you heard about them?

"I think they are crazy, and I heard they always try to get backstage. Many guys who had come to Spain, like Gamma Ray, really had a good time."

- Well, we hope you'll do a good concert.

"I promess we'll do a great concert. We'll see each other!"

INTERVIEW 3

In our country, very few know Blind Guardian. Except for a small tribe living in the mountains, most seem to ignore the pleasure this group may bring for the lovers of symphonic hard. HARD FORCE will not tell you more to make you get to know this talented group, who already released seven albums.

- The compilation "The Forgotten Tales" is the first Blind Guardian album to be distributed in France. We missed a great part of your career.

"We already have 7 records, including 'The Forgotten Tales'. [Forgotten Tales] is an interesting selection of another musical genre that we are able to play [orchestral versions, cover of pop themes...] but it does not really reflect what is Blind Guardian. To understand us, you should get our last studio album to date, 'Imaginations from the Other Side' that corresponds better to our musical direction (...)."

- Isn't it bad that France should discover a group with an album that does not corresponds truly to the band?

"We were surprised... We are the best hidden secret of Virgin International after many years! We sold well in Germany and some other european countries, did relatively well in south-east Asia, but we have been almost completely ignored elsewhere. Virgin is not a Heavy Metal label, and that is the greatest problem."

- For discovering your previous work, which albums should we search for?

"Without hesitation, 'Imaginations from the Other Side', followed by 'Tales from the Twilight World'. The latter is full of energy, and even if we didn't play very well then, the ideas of composition that were present, as well as the choirs, are very good. 'Imaginations...' is the most (?????) that we have recorded until now. We like all our albums, but these two are the most interesting and representative."

- Your influences are not limited to Heavy Metal.

"That's right. Groups like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden marked us on the beggining, but classical music and, in a more general way, the melody, have a preponderant place in our compositions. Our fans like rock and classic, a bit like Queen's. That group is a good model, since most they have done, they have done it with talent. Everyone who really likes to listen to an album will surely find something in Blind Guardian"

- You belong to a true line of german groups. Which one among those do you prefer?

"Without hesitating, Gamma Ray and Rage. It's a question of taste and those guys have an excelent mentality. In what concerns Helloween, I know the music, which is not bad, but the members of the group..."

- What next after 'The Forgotten Tales'?

"We will start working on a new album, which shouldn't be out before one year from now. It sacred, the composition part. We'll be back from tour, and we'll be able to give our maximum. We are always very serious in studio. We'll be in studio for about six months, and then we'll have to take time to listen to our work before making some changes that should make it better."

- The complexity and diversity of your music makes it particullary hard to compose and to interpret?

"Perharps, but we like it that way. It would be harder to compose simple parts in the song structures. The song 'Imaginations from the Other Side' took us more than six months (at least we were working on other songs meanwhile) to be finished. It's a bit like building a puzzle, we must make sure all the parts sound good together, and our music is a huge puzzle with lots of pieces to build."

- Your music is not depressed nor depressing.

"That's exact! We consider music to be an amusement, and that means it should never create bad vibes."