Tales from the Twilight World is the third studio album by the German power metal band Blind Guardian, released on 16 July 1990.
| Tales from the Twilight World | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 16 July 1990 | |||
| Recorded | March – May 1990 at Karo Studios | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:52 | |||
| Label | No Remorse, Virgin, Century Media | |||
| Producer | Kalle Trapp | |||
| Blind Guardian chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Rock Hard | (9.5/10)[2] |
Track listing
editAll lyrics are written by Hansi Kürsch, except for "To France"
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Traveler in Time" | Hansi Kürsch and André Olbrich | 6:02 |
| 2. | "Welcome to Dying" | Kürsch, Olbrich | 4:50 |
| 3. | "Weird Dreams" (instrumental) | Olbrich | 1:22 |
| 4. | "Lord of the Rings" | Kürsch, Marcus Siepen | 3:18 |
| 5. | "Goodbye My Friend" | Kürsch, Olbrich, Thomas "Thomen" Stauch | 5:36 |
| 6. | "Lost in the Twilight Hall" | Kürsch, Olbrich, Siepen, Stauch | 6:02 |
| 7. | "Tommyknockers" | Kürsch, Olbrich | 5:13 |
| 8. | "Altair 4" | Kürsch, Olbrich | 2:27 |
| 9. | "The Last Candle" | Kürsch, Olbrich | 6:02 |
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Run for the Night" (Live) | Kürsch, Olbrich, Siepen, Stauch | 3:42 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Lords of the Rings" (Demo) | Kürsch, Siepen | 3:57 |
| 12. | "To France" (Mike Oldfield cover) | Mike Oldfield | 4:39 |
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Lost in the Twilight Hall" (Demo) | Kürsch, Olbrich, Siepen, Stauch | 5:58 |
| 12. | "Tommyknockers" (Demo) | Kürsch, Olbrich | 5:09 |
- a. ^ Recorded live in Braunschweig in 1989.
Lyrical references
edit- "Traveler in Time" is based on Frank Herbert's Dune
- "Welcome to Dying" is based on Peter Straub's Floating Dragon
- "Lord of the Rings" is based on J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings
- "Tommyknockers" and "Altair 4" are based on Stephen King's The Tommyknockers
- "Goodbye My Friend" is inspired by the film E.T.
- "Lost in the Twilight Hall" is about the time spent "between worlds" by the wizard Gandalf the Grey after defeating the Balrog of Moria before his reincarnation as Gandalf the White.
- "The Last Candle" talks about places and events of Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Dragonlance universe, specially from the "Chronicles" and "Legends" trilogies.
Personnel
editBlind Guardian
- Hansi Kürsch – vocals, bass
- André Olbrich – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Marcus Siepen – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Thomas "Thomen" Stauch – drums
Guest appearances
- Kai Hansen (Iron Savior, Helloween, Gamma Ray) – backing vocals, vocals on "Lost in the Twilight Hall", guitar solo on "The Last Candle"
- Piet Sielck (Iron Savior, Savage Circus) – backing vocals, effects
- Mathias Wiesner – effects, keyboards
- Rolf Köhler, "Hacky" Hackmann and Kalle Trapp – backing vocals
Production
- Kalle Trapp – production, mixing, recording
- Piet Sielck – second engineer
- Charley Rinne – executive producer
- Andreas Marshall – cover paintings and idea
- Buffo/Charley Rinne – pictures
Charts
edit| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[3] | 40 |
| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[4] | 43 |
References
edit- ^ a b Tales from the Twilight World at AllMusic. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
- ^ Trojan, Frank. "Tales from the Twilight World review". issue 42. Rock Hard.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Blind Guardian – Tales from the Twilight World" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 20, 2024.