Somewhere Far Beyond
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Somewhere Far Beyond is the fourth studio album by German power metal act Blind Guardian. It was released in 1992 and produced by Kalle Trapp. The cover artwork was created by Andreas Marschall, who has also drawn the artwork for some more of Blind Guardian's releases (Tales from the Twilight World, Nightfall in Middle-Earth, etc.). The album saw the band creating its own original sound, while still employing most of their speed/power metal techniques. The strong songwriting of the album (including fan favorite The Bard's Song) made the album a power metal staple. The image of the cover and the two Bard's Songs gave the band its nickname "The Bards". The use of the nickname has been also extended to the fans of the group, Circle of the Bards being the now defunct fan club and Hansi frequently calling the fans Bards.
The album was acclaimed by power metal fans all across Europe and especially Japan, allowing them to tour for the first time outside Germany. The tour in the Far East led to the first live album of the band, Tokyo Tales.
It was remastered and re-released on 15 June 2007, with bonus tracks.
Track listing
- "Time What Is Time" – 5:42
- "Journey Through the Dark" – 4:45
- "Black Chamber" – 0:56
- "Theatre of Pain" – 4:15
- "The Quest for Tanelorn" – 5:53
- "Ashes to Ashes" – 5:58
- "The Bard's Song (In the Forest)" – 3:09
- "The Bard's Song (The Hobbit)" – 3:52
- "The Piper's Calling" – 0:58
- "Somewhere Far Beyond" – 7:28
- Bonus Tracks
- 11. "Spread Your Wings" (Queen cover) – 4:13
- 12. "Trial by Fire" (Satan cover) – 3:42
- 13. "Theatre of Pain" (Classic version) – 4:13
- 2007 Re-release Bonus Tracks
- 14. "Ashes to Ashes" (Demo Version) – 5.51
- 15. "Time What is Time" (Demo Version)
Note: the 2007 re-release has all the previous bonus tracks, although they are not listed as such.
Lineup
- Hansi Kürsch – vocals and bass
- André Olbrich – lead, rhythm, acoustic guitars and backing vocals
- Marcus Siepen – rhythm, acoustic guitars and backing vocals
- Thomas "Thomen" Stauch – drums
Guest musicians
- Piet Sielck –effects and guitars
- Mathias Wiesner – effects and bass on "Spread Your Wings"
- Rolf Köhler, Billy King and Kalle Trapp – backing vocals
- Stefan Will – piano
- Peter Rübsam – Scottish and Irish bagpipes
- Kai Hansen – lead guitar on "The Quest for Tanelorn"
Personnel
- Kalle Trapp – producing, mixing and recording
- Piet Sielck – second engineer
- Andreas Marschall/Becker — Derouet Hamburg – cover paintings
- Tom Nagy – photo
- a•r•t•p•o•o•l – graphics
Cover versions
- "The bards song (In the forest)" has been covered by German A-Capella Metal band Van Canto
Lyrical references
- "Time What is Time" lyrics are inspired by the film Blade Runner.
- "Journey Through the Dark" is about Jhary a-Conel, bard and companion of the Eternal Champion, from the books by Michael Moorcock.
- "Theatre of Pain" is based on fantasy novel The Merman's Children by Poul Anderson
- "Quest for Tanelorn" is based on the works of Michael Moorcock (Tanelorn being a fictional city in The Multiverse of Moorcock's stories).
- "Ashes to Ashes" has several notes to the story of Dr. Faustus, referencing to Faustus's remorse in the final scenes of the play.
- "The Bard's Song (In the Forest)" also contains a short reference to the Middle-earth legendarium, though probably more as a lead in to the next song.
- "The Bard's Song (The Hobbit)" is based on J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit.
- "Somewhere Far Beyond" is a retelling of Stephen King's The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger and The Drawing of the Three.