A distant mechanical sound is getting louder from afar and heralds the arrival of exciting happenings – throwing their shadows on this fateful day of September 2nd. It’s the day that the metal legend BLIND GUARDIAN will release their eleventh studio album “The God Machine” via Nuclear Blast and erects a new monument of their outstanding career.
Hansi Kürsch about it: “We didn’t want to rehash our qualities from 1995, but didn’t want to continue down this complex path forever either. ‘The God Machine’ is a new beginning for us. We’ve set a new course and gone back to certain things that we’ve neglected a bit on the last few albums.”
“The God Machine” marks another pinnacle in BLIND GUARDIAN’s impressive discography by not attempting to pretend it is still the nineties yet instead successfully relying on the muscle memory of this period. It is a gripping, addictive and brilliantly arranged album in the tradition of records with which BLIND GUARDIAN reached for the stars in the ’90s; yet, by no means, is it a throwback. “The God Machine” represents the heart and soul of BLIND GUARDIAN’s timeless metal in the here and now, unifying the bards’ past, present and future secrets in one consistent, well-thought-out masterpiece.
Pre-order the album here:
https://nblast.de/BG-TheGodMachine
Together with the announcement, the band shares a video for their new raging single “Blood Of The Elves”, a galloping anthem that is destined to become a live staple.
Watch the video here:
Singer Hansi Kürsch comments:
“’Blood Of The Elves’ features a pretty heavy side what the avid fan of BLIND GUARDIAN hopefully enjoys well. More than well, I’d guess. Instrumentally, the tracks has some kind of an early Nineties appeal that blends well into the vocal parts of the opera/twist era and catapults both epochs into a new era for the band. A perfect hybrid. The chorus has some very strong sing along vibes, despite its complexity. What else do you need? Inspired by the ‘The Witcher’ computer game series, the lyrics even reinforce the power of this banger and the clip by Dirk Behlau fits perfectly to the whole setting. Let me tell you: ‘’The God Machine’ has even more to offer. And that’s no promise – that’s the ultimate truth. Stay tuned.”
BLIND GUARDIAN live:
04.06. DE Gelsenkirchen – Rockhard Festival
11.06. ES Zamora – Z! Live Rock Fest 2022
23.06. CZ Spálené Poříčí – Basinfire Festival
24.06. IT Verona – Rock the Castle
25.06. FR Clisson – Hellfest
01.07. ES Barcelona – Rock Fest Barcelona
14.07. AT Leoben – AREA 53 Open Air 2022
15.07. DE Neukirchen-Vluyn – Dong Open Air
16.07. LX Esch-sur-Alzette – Rockhal
21.07. GR Athens – Release Athens 2022
31.07. UK Durham – Dominion Festival
05.08. ES Villena (Alicante) – Leyendas del Rock XV
07.08. RO Râșnov – Rockstadt Extreme Fest
19.08. DE Giessen – Giessener Kultursommer
20.08. DE Dinkelsbühl – Summer Breeze Festival
02.09. DE Saarbrücken – Garage
03.09. DE Memmingen – Kaminwerk
04.09. CH Pratteln – Z7
05.09. DE Frankfurt am Main – Batschkapp
06.09. DE Stuttgart – KA
08.09. DE München – Backstage
09.09. DE Dresden – Alter Schlachthof
10.09. DE Neuruppin – Kulturhaus
11.09. DE Berlin – Huxleys Neue Welt
13.09. DE Oberhausen – Turbinenhalle
14.09. DE Köln – E-Werk
16.09. DE Osnabrück – Hyde Park
17.09. DE Osnabrück – Hyde Park
10.-17.10. ES Barca Trencada – Full Metal Holiday @ Iberostar Club Cala Barca
12.10. NL Sittard – Poppodium Volt
13.10. DE Hamburg – edel-optics.de-Arena
About BLIND GUARDIAN
In 1992, BLIND GUARDIAN released “Somewhere Far Beyond,” a legendary milestone of German speed metal. Three decades later, their latest offering, “The God Machine,” shows how to awaken the fury of youth to magical newlife. As if they had paid a long overdue visit to the numerous highlights of their career, BLIND GUARDIAN appear to be in touch with the ghosts of their own past more than ever. “We’ve picked up a lot from our own history andbuilt a new era upon this foundation,” vocalist Hansi Kürsch explains.This new era begins right now. Seven years after “Beyond The Red Mirror” and almost three after the orchestralopus “Blind Guardian Twilight Orchestra: Legacy of the Dark Lands,” Hansi Kürsch (vocals), André Olbrich (leadguitar, acoustic guitar, rhythm guitar), Marcus Siepen (rhythm guitar and acoustic guitar), and Frederik Ehmke (drums) invite you to their personal twilight of the gods. “After ‘Beyond The Red Mirror’ and ‘Legacy Of The DarkLands’, we knew we couldn’t push the orchestral side of BlindGuardian any further,” Kürsch says. The new directive while creating “The God Machine” was fairly straight-forward but ever so welcome: “Less orchestration,more punch.” In 2022, the opulent arrangements and powerful choirs still exist; yet they are used in a muchmore selective, focussed and resonant manner.
This link is overtly present on the stunning, apocalyptic cover art by American fantasy icon Peter Mohrbacher, which teases a panopticon of fantastic tales and rather bleak prospects.“You have to look with a magnifying glass to find some hope on the album. But it’s there,” smiles Hansi Kürsch. “My lyrics have several levels. Some of them even I can only explore much later.” Perhaps “The God Machine” is his most personal album since “Somewhere Far Beyond.”
BLIND GUARDIAN online:
www.blind-guardian.com
www.facebook.com/blindguardian
www.nuclearblast.de/blindguardian-
