With an incredible career and impressive discography, Blind Guardian is well known to all metal fans around the world. Whether you like power metal or not, you can at least respect the talent and hard work these guys put into every album. From the beginning, Blind Guardian was characterized as a groundbreaking group that sets the standards for this genre and with each release takes it to another level. Their latest masterpiece, “A Night at the Opera”, sports remarkable orchestral harmonies, fantastic melodies, and unlimited musicianship that only strengthens their position as a leader in power/epic metal world. How do they remain true to themselves and stay on top enjoying worldwide success? Recently I spoke with famed Blind Guardian vocalist Hansi Kürsch (vocals/bass) and here’s what he had to say...

Chris


One of Blind Guardian’s goals was to record a metal opera. Did this album fulfill your aspirations?

No. [laughs] People are maybe mislead because of the title but that’s not the opera. I wouldn’t even say that we envisioned writing a straight opera I mean, we work on the stuff that we don’t usually do but that’s not the stuff on the album. This album because of the orchestration of the songs and the vocal harmonies is somehow related to the classical music but it’s more of a raw, energetic and aggressive metal album.

Since one of the main components of the opera is orchestra did you think of using one during the recording of this album?

At one point we did, especially during the recording of ‘And Then There Was Silence’ because there is so much orchestration there but we used a program to record those parts. During the production we really considered having that part played by a real orchestra and we already started writing tabs but at the end we didn’t feel too comfortable with it. And you really need a proper orchestra to work out that shit and that would be too expensive.

Then I won’t be mistaken if I say that there are plans to use a real orchestra on albums in the future?

Yeah, but not with the metal band. That would be something for our musical, operatic stuff we are working on because there would be nothing else but vocals and orchestra.

What is it? Are we talking about your new side project?

We’re not even sure if that’s a side project or we’re willing to record it under the Blind Guardian name because it’s Blind Guardian music but it doesn’t contain the metal part. Vocals are kind of story telling, very characteristic and the music is kind of classical but it’s very entertaining and very melodic. We started working on it years back during the “Nightfall in Middle-Earth” and we’ve composed 8 songs so far but that has been a second priority because we always consider Blind Guardian as more important. We feel that it’s almost the right time to release it but we need at least 4 more songs and then we have to record it and that will take a hell of a lot of time.

If ‘And Then There Was Silence’ took you four months to record how much time did you spend on this album all together and can you give us a glimpse of how Blind Guardian works in the studio?

We spent a whole year producing and mixing this album. How does that work? Well, we’ve started with a production in October of 2000 but haven’t done anything but pre-production up until January, that’s when we finally started with real production. The whole drumming session took about 4 weeks and then we’ve worked on single pieces where each piece usually has 60 to 150 tracks and that takes a lot of time. For example, I’ve done 32 tracks of vocals with almost each song including choir and each single voice that can be heard on the album and then afterwards on top of it we brought to the studio 3 or 4 good backing vocalist and they do this same shit as well. We spent 3 or 4 months just on the vocals!

When you enter the studio do you have at least skeletons of the tracks or everything is developed in the studio?

Theoretically they’re done. You would be surprised how much is done already. [laughs]

So, let me get this straight. You’re done with composing the songs and then you spend a year in the studio recording them?

Yeah, exactly. I mean there is a bunch of stuff, bunch of problems that you are not aware of before you enter the studio. Let’s say you have 60 guitars, 8 vocals, 3 counter vocals and counter melodies... when they all get together you don’t have a chance to figure out what is going on before you actually enter the studio.

Writing so complex and multi-layered songs raises a question; how do you prepare for live shows? How close are your live reproductions of your material? Do you prepare different arrangements for them?

They are really close. We focus on main key elements first and then we check what other elements we can bring or we have to bring to make it as close as original track. That strategy usually works extremely well but of course there are differences on few songs between studio and live version but you’ll still listen to this same song and you’ll feel it this same way because we have the talent not only to present the song but we also have the talent to present them slightly different and still with this same way of attraction.

Can you tell us the story behind the “Night at the Opera”? Is it based on some real events or is it complete fiction?

It is complete fiction and it’s not a concept like “Nightfall in Middle-Earth” has been. The title is more connected to the album cover that presents an orchestra pit occupied with fantasy creatures playing in a band and trying to get through a song. There is kind of an autobiographical aspect in the cover as well [laughs] because it reminds me of Blind Guardian.

The cover looks like bunch of guys playing pretty chaotic music and you don’t sound like it...

No, we don’t sound like it [laughs] but at the beginning we looked exactly like those guys. Everyone writes something then we start picking up pieces, collecting pieces, trying to match those pieces... [laughs] and final result is great but from certain point of view we can be seen as those guys. That’s how the title got in; we had the cover and we thought if there’s an album cover looking like that and we have so many orchestral and operatic elements in the music why not use something with orchestra or opera in the title. First thing that came to my mind was Queen’s album the “Night at the Opera” and because there is relation between Blind Guardian and Queen ‘cause we are big fans of their music, why not use that title again. So, we took it as a title. The songs itself deal with several topics like religion, mythology, history and pure fantasy.

Compared to your single track ‘And Then There Was Silence’ the rest of the album surprised me because I was prepared for those long epic tracks and instead you delivered tracks half the length where everything is more condensed. How did that happen? ‘And Then There Was Silence’ really stands out from the rest of the album...

That’s true. If you leave out ‘Battlefield’ that probably goes into this same direction but it’s a shorter one, that’s absolutely true. We wrote ‘And Then There Was Silence’ somewhere in between of the songwriting so, it wasn’t the first or last track we did. With the whole album we tried to make a jump away from the “Nightfall in Middle-Earth” because we felt that it was our pick point with regards to such kind of music and we didn’t see too much sense following that root again. But in certain point during the songwriting we had those ideas for ‘And Than There Was Silence’ and that was connected more to “Nightfall...” than any other song for the album. It grew naturally and after a while it was 4-5 minutes long and it didn’t have a chorus at that point so it became obvious that it would be a long song. We of course paid a lot of attention to this song during songwriting and production because we knew if we do a song connected to the “Nightfall...” music wise it must to be better. Just because of that this song got a little more attention than the rest of them. I think it simply blows away the whole “Nightfall in Middle-Earth” record.

Over the years Blind Guardian evolved from power/speed metal to a more epic style band. Was it a natural evolution or did too many clones on the music market have an influence on the direction of your compositions?

No, I would say that everything out of Blind Guardian is a natural development but we always have in our minds to create different albums compared to our previous ones. We’ve done that from album one and as you’ve said we started as more of a melodic power metal band and we just discovered new fields and there was no chance to stick to the old staff and just improving that. Every time after we finished an album we felt that we’ve accomplished something and now it’s time to go into different direction and we really work on it especially on the latest one. We really worked hard to get away from “Nightfall...”.

As a big fan of Tolkien and “Lord of The Rings” what were your reactions to the movie? Did it meet your expectations?

Honestly, it did. I was blown away. I’m a big fan and of course I was well aware of most of the changes happening there and to be honest I don’t care about the changes and I don’t care about changes in characters or how the story was developed. I think that the way he did it was made just perfect for a theater. Some things were featured exactly how I saw them in my mind and I spoke to several people and most of them agreed on it. He did do a great job and I’m anxious to see how he did the second part because from my point of view that’s the most interesting one.

You wrote some material for that movie, is it ever going to be released and how different it is compared to the movie’s soundtrack?

It is completely different from the soundtrack but it would definitely fit in, there’s no doubt about that. That’s the stuff I’ve talked about. That’s the music we’ve done over the last 5-6 years. It’s really interesting, very melodic and entertaining and story telling stuff.

Haven’t you contacted them about doing the music for the movie, what happened?

Yes, at some point after we’ve heard that we’ve won the contest on their web site we did try to contact them but at that time we weren’t able to provide them with a proper version of our ideas and we decided not to send it at all. It would not have been the quality we usually provide people with. That thing is too big just to send out a cheesy demo.

“A Night at the Opera” marks the first time that someone really took care of promotion of your band on this side of the ocean. Did you plan this move or did Century Media pick you up thinking that the American public is finally ready for that type of music?

That’s true. To be honest it was more from the Century Media’s side. We’ve been in contact with them since the beginning of 1998 and they are doing a great job on our back program especially “Nightfall in Middle-Earth” and motivated by that we both figured out that there’s a strong interest in Blind Guardian in North America. They know that we are really successful here and I guess they feel that American underground is drastically growing each year and if they’ll have right bands at the right moment they could be the upcoming company as well.

Did you at any time think of promoting your new album with Iced Earth and at this same time with Demons And Wizards?

Yeah, Jon and I have spoken about it several times but the problem is that their album was released quite some time ago and they’re about to complete their tour activities already. It would be very difficult to put those two bands together on one tour...

Is there a plan for a follow up to Demons and Wizards?

Yes, we had a discussion about it and Jon is already work on the new material and if everything goes as planned the next Demons And Wizards album should be sometime in 2003.

Thank you for this interview Hansi, and since you’re very successful in Europe and Asia I wish you the same success in North America. I hope to see you on a full tour on this side of the ocean.

Thank you, I appreciate that. It was great doing an interview with you and I hope to see you on our tour.

Over the years, I was lucky to have met a lot of young and passionate black metal musicians from all over the globe who share similar views on music, and in fact I still do come across some more amazing people as time goes by. One of the people which I met last year in person, and have been in contact ever since, is a musician who hails from Würzburg, Germany, by the name of Michael Schneider, aka Sarto. Sarto is a member of various bands such as Fantasma, Morgenröthe and Tristețe, and he is also a live/session guitarist for Totensucht, Wehmut and even Bethlehem as of 2023. No matter whether he is involved as a full-time member or a session member, one can't deny the fact that he constantly remains active and his dedication is something that I highly admire about him. Join me on this journey as I exchange words with Sarto regarding his upbringing in the German black metal scene, the latest demo of his project Fantasma, him joining Bethlehem as a session musician, and many other things along the way.

Vladimir

Greetings Sarto! The MetalBite crew wishes you a warm welcome. How are you doing brother?

Хвала, брате. Can't complain, hope everything's good at your end as well.

Before we start discussing some of your works, we'd like to know a bit about you and your overall musical background. What can you tell us about yourself and your upbringing in the German black metal scene, including the black metal genre itself?

Well, I have been listening to black metal since I was eight years old or so. So, after eight, nine, ten years or so, when I grabbed up guitar and bass seriously for the first time, it had to be black metal. The thing is that I never really had a lot of contact with people who listen to this type of music or even play it because they just didn't exist in my place. That made it a bit difficult in the beginning, but it changed positively with age and places. Music-wise I have to admit that I never really listened a lot to German black metal. I grew up rather listening to French black metal bands especially but of course also to others from Scandinavia and where not. By this I mean I was not necessarily focused or influenced by German black metal in a special way.

Your musical reputation consists of various bands, including your involvement as a live/session guitarist in bands such as Totensucht, Wehmut and even in the well-known band Bethlehem as of 2023. What is it like to actively work in so many bands as either a full-time member or as a session musician? How do you manage to balance out everything in order to work both ways?

It's the same like with everything else. You only have 24 hours per day, and you must set priorities. For me, making music et cetera apart from just being a fan developed into a great priority, if not even a necessity. To be honest, it's not that simple because you still need time for your university in my case, part-time job, family et cetera but here's the thing: none of my bands or projects are like those that are on big tours all the time. If that'd be the case, it wouldn't be manageable. So, we have a few concerts here and there with some, with others it's now only studio work. Somehow it works out but to be completely honest, I couldn't do more and thought often enough of reducing the responsibilities. But somehow you still stick to it because it's passion. As long as a project or a band doesn't suffer from me not being able to take my responsibility, I'm trying to stick to it.

Can you also tell us a bit about how you became a live guitarist of Bethlehem and how did you feel when you became a part of such a big and respected name in the German black metal scene?

Me and Jürgen met in 2019 at a festival. We stayed in contact since and once he told me that he needed another guitarist for Bethlehem, we decided that I could help out. Of course, I feel very good about it, especially because Bethlehem is also one of my all-time favorites. In the end it's all about the music and I'm happy to be part of this and to be able to help out a friend's band.

So far, what has been your most positive and engaging experience, either as a full-time member or a session musician? Have there been any things that you managed to pick up along the way?

I think it's an experience that (hopefully) comes back with every songwriting process. It's the freedom of creating music and lyrics without limitations, maybe only with those you set by yourself. Without this freedom in my head, I couldn't make music at all. Maybe that's also the reason why I have so many different projects and ideas for upcoming projects and releases. Maybe there will be projects with only one release. But it's good for trying out stuff and dealing with different moods and so on. But I get your question, I'd say so far it was our first festival show with Totensucht at Boarstream Festival last year. That was neat.

One of your recent works includes your project Fantasma and I noticed that the debut EP "Benevento Black Metal" has song titles and a couple of lyrics in Italian language. What is the story behind the project and the use of Italian language? Are there any influences in particular?

I have a close connection to Italy, have been there many times and have some very good friends there, for which I'm very grateful. I remember that I was visiting friends in Campania in 2021, and I still didn't have any lyrics or a band name in mind, only the images in my head when I was writing the music. So, I came up with "Benevento Black Metal" as a title while being in the city and the surrounding area. For the lyrics and everything else I have my imagination which I mix up with historical facts, places where I've been and the general themes. All in all, I see it as a tribute. The band name was an idea of my dear friend Leonardo, who also did the spoken word part on the song 'Benevento Black Metal'.

As of recently, Fantasma released the new demo "Abomination Of Human Pestilence", released on limited edition cassettes with a total of 66 copies via Narbentage Produktionen. How was the overall process for making this demo, including your experience on working with Agathodaimon drummer Oliver Kraus?

The reason why I wanted to start with demos instead of a full album right away was to give myself time to develop the style of Fantasma. The second demo is a bit different, so I needed some time. In general, I can say that it took quite a while but last but not least thanks to the good work of the others it went pretty well. When it comes to the drums, I'm happy that Mortos recorded and improved them once again. I worked with him already before with Morgenröthe's live shows and Fantasma's first demo. He's a talented and responsible musician, I'm grateful to be able to work with him.

Another change to Fantasma alongside the new demo is that the project managed to expand and become a two-piece when Martyris joined as the second guitarist, and so the "Abomination Of Human Pestilence" also marks her official "baptism by fire" from a musical standpoint. Has this change affected Fantasma in a way to help the project work more effectively, faster and better than before?

That's a very interesting idea. In my experience, the more members, the more opinions, and problems, the slower the process. That's why I like solo projects. No but in this case it was worthwhile. It was good to have a second opinion on the music by someone who really knows the genre and add some ideas to it.

Now that you have released your new demo, were there any plans that you and Martyris envisioned to do with Fantasma in the near future?

The plan is to work on new material this year and to find a split partner to release a third cassette tape as part of the 'demo trinity'. Afterwards it's finally time for a full-length. Apart from that there aren't many plans. There might be a one-time only gig this year if we're in the mood for it. But in general, there won't be many gigs with Fantasma.

Since I met you in person last year, we had the opportunity to exchange our opinions regarding black metal bands and even the genre itself. Along the way we also spoke about the importance of good and creative songwriting in black metal, the necessity of analyzing your work from different standpoints and we also talked about some of your past experiences. I don't recall asking you this before, but what do you personally regard as good black metal and what would you consider to be an important ingredient for achieving such?

That's a very difficult question. There are many good subgenres of black metal, talking about the music itself. When it comes to black metal without considering the subgenres, I prefer the old-school sounding bands over the modern, polished ones that pop up everywhere today. Also including the subgenres, I could drop many names now, but I think that wouldn't answer your question. I think the core of 'classic' black metal, if we want to call it like that, is a certain 'fuck y'all' attitude of disappointment which arises from looking at ourselves and the people around us. That doesn't mean that good black metal must contain hate, most likely it does to a certain degree, but it's more about reflection of reality. The music helps to deal with the emotions about this reality (while or even by creating other emotions) while the lyrics describe more or less the reality itself (or should I say the 'realities' since this is all very subjective). There are 'good' bands in my personal opinion that do one of these things, only a very few can do both. Luckily, I can listen to music without bothering about the lyrics as well. Otherwise listening to many bands would seem just too stupid. To sum up, if you make great black metal music, you're a good artist. If you're even able to make it mean something, to have a special thought within it, you're a great artist. This is all very subjective, one must add, and it feels a bit bad to reply here because actually one could (maybe even should to a certain degree) do his own research on this and really think a lot about it. Maybe one could come up with ideas about it, you've never thought about before. I would like to recommend that to many 'good artists'. Especially those mindless who think black metal must necessarily be evil, hateful or satanic, just for the sake of 'being black metal'. If you think of the genre like that, you're not better than the religion you say you are disgusted by, because it's both a faith in a set of rules that you didn't create but (mindlessly) hollow.

A last question I'd like to ask you is where do you usually look for inspiration when working on your music? What do you consider as reliable sources that will always help your creativity no matter what?

I turn on the news or I leave my apartment. There's much inspiration for writing skeptical and critical music. But seriously like I said before, Italy is always a great inspiration, history and general, stories about the church and some mystical things. And then there's always the music you listen to. You are never free from this influence. If your creativity feels non-existent sometimes, take a step back, reflect and try again after a few weeks or so. Something I had to learn myself.

Thank you so much for doing this interview, Sarto! I am really looking forward to hearing more great stuff from you in the near future. Are there any final words you'd like to leave before we wrap this up?

Thanks a lot for the interview. See you soon!