Battalions of Fear

Battalions of Fear
Studio album by Blind Guardian
Released	May 18, 1988
Recorded	October-November 1987 at Karo Studios, Münster, West Germany
Genre	Speed metal
Length	39:20
Label	No Remorse, Virgin, Century Media
Producer	Kalle Trapp
Blind Guardian chronology
Battalions of Fear (1988) Follow the Blind (1989)

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Battalions of Fear is the debut album by German metal band Blind Guardian. It was released in 1988 and is a straightforward metal album. The album is a raw and unpolished speed metal effort that touches on thrash metal. This album lacks many of the stylistic flourishes that would mark the band's music in later years. It was remastered, remixed and re-released on 15 June 2007, with the whole first demo tape, Symphonies of Doom, of the band (at the time called Lucifer's Heritage) as part of the bonus tracks. It is a significant power metal album along with Stratovarius's Fright Night and Helloween's first albums.

Contents 1 Track listing 2 Personnel 2.1 Other 3 Lyrical references 4 References

Track listing

All songs written by André Olbrich and Hansi Kürsch, except where noted.

1. "Majesty" – 7:28
2. "Guardian of the Blind" – 5:09 (André Olbrich, Hansi Kürsch, Marcus Siepen, Thomas Stauch)
3. "Trial by the Archon" – 1:41
4. "Wizard's Crown" – 3:48
5. "Run for the Night" – 3:33
6. "The Martyr" – 6:14
7. "Battalions of Fear" – 6:06
8. "By the Gates of Moria" – 2:52

Bonus Track

9. "Gandalf's Rebirth" – 2:10

2007 Re-release Bonus Tracks

10. "Brian" (Demo Version) – 2:41
11. "Halloween (The Wizard's Crown)" (Demo Version) – 3:22
12. "Lucifer's Heritage" (Demo Version) – 4:36
13. "Symphonies of Doom" (Demo Version) – 4:08
14. "Dead of the Night" (Demo Version) – 3:33

Note: the 2007 re-release has "Gandalf's Rebirth" bonus tracks, although it is not listed as such.

Personnel

• Hansi Kürsch – vocals and bass
• André Olbrich – lead guitar and backing vocals
• Marcus Siepen – rhythm guitar and backing vocals
• Thomas "Thomen" Stauch – drums

Other

• van Waay Design – cover painting
• Kalle Trapp – Recording, mixing and producing

Lyrical references

• "Majesty" is based on J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. One can also find references to The Lord of the Rings from the songs "Wizard's Crown" and "Run For the Night"
• "By the Gates of Moria" and "Gandalf's Rebirth" are instrumentals and thus contain no lyrics but are also based on the same work. "By the Gates of Moria" is derived from Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9, "From the New World".
• "Guardian of the Blind" is based on Stephen King's It.
• "The Martyr" is about Jesus Christ.
• "Battalions of Fear" is criticism against Ronald Reagan and his politics as the President of the United States of America.
• "Wizard's Crown" is about Aleister Crowley. Was also originally titled "Halloween" on the album Symphonies of Doom(1985) while the band was still Lucifer's Heritage.

References

Blind Guardian Hansi Kürsch · André Olbrich  · Marcus Siepen · Frederik Ehmke Thomen Stauch · Markus Dörk · Christof Theißen · Hans-Peter Frey session/touring member: Oliver Holzwarth Studio albums Battalions of Fear (1988) · Follow the Blind (1989) · Tales from the Twilight World (1990) · Somewhere Far Beyond (1992) · Imaginations from the Other Side (1995) · Nightfall in Middle-Earth (1998) · A Night at the Opera (2002) · A Twist in the Myth (2006) · At the Edge of Time (2010) Live albums Tokyo Tales (1993) · Live (2003) Compilations The Forgotten Tales (1996) · Memories of a Time to Come (2012) Singles "A Past and Future Secret" (1995) · "Bright Eyes" (1995) · "Mr. Sandman" (1996) · "Mirror Mirror" (1998) · "And Then There Was Silence" (2001) · "The Bard's Song (In the Forest)" (2003) · "Fly" (2006) · "Another Stranger Me" (2007) · "A Voice in the Dark" (2010) DVDs Imaginations Through the Looking Glass (2004) · TBA (2012/2013) Other Discography · Demons and Wizards