Edguy

Background information
Origin	Fulda, Germany
Genre(s)	Power metal
Years active	1992–present
Label(s)	AFM Records The End Records Nuclear Blast
Website	edguy.nu
Members
Felix Bohnke Tobias Exxel Jens Ludwig Tobias Sammet Dirk Sauer
Former members
Dominik Storch Frank Lindenthal (session musician)

Edguy is a power metal band from Fulda, Germany.

Biography

Edguy was founded in 1992 by 14-year-old students Tobias Sammet, Jens Ludwig, Dirk Sauer, and Dominik Storch. The name "Edguy" was an affectionate epithet for Mr. Edgar Zimmerer, their math teacher at the time. Until 1998, when Tobias Exxel joined the band, they had no bassist; Sammet played the bass lines on a keyboard.

After two demos the band received a contract with AFM Records in 1995. Its first two albums were not very successful, but with Vain Glory Opera in 1998 it achieved a breakthrough. After another two albums it received a contract with the German label Nuclear Blast in 2004.

In 2001/2002 Tobias Sammet released the first album of his side project Avantasia, a wide-scope metal opera including the participation of many famous musicians and achieving a fair amount of success.

Edguy toured with the well known power metal band DragonForce in early 2006 after the release of the latter's Inhuman Rampage album.

In July 2006, Edguy played at the Metalcamp festival in Slovenia, where they played a joke on fellow Germans Kreator, who followed. Sammet asked the audience to do him a favor: Once Kreator came on stage and played one song, the crowd was to start singing "Olé, olé, olé, olé". Not only did the crowd do this, but they continued to sing this following almost every song played by Kreator, prompting Mille Petrozza to stop and ask, "Is this still about the Edguy thing?"

Style

Edguy's lyrics are often metaphorical, alluding to metaphysical or social themes: conformity ("The Headless Game", "Mysteria", "King of Fools"), dictation by the church ("The Kingdom", "Theater of Salvation"), and dangers of modern civilization ("Navigator", "The Devil and the Savant"). To express such themes, Edguy sometimes use esoteric and hermetic expressions. Yet some of their songs are light-hearted or comedic ("Das Reh", "Save Us Now", "Lavatory Love Machine", "Life and Times of a Bonus Track", "Trinidad"). Edguy does not claim to represent any ideology; Tobias Sammet claimed "[the band is] not political and we are not religious; at least there is no key message in our songs telling you what to think in terms of anything". Edguy also employs lengthy and epic sections in almost every album.

Hellfire Club revealed Edguy's interest in experimenting within music by integrating an orchestra into the production. The album featured a variation on Edguy's style, with a less grandiose, more traditional heavy metal approach being embraced. The band's latest album, Rocket Ride, features even less symphonic and power metal elements, and is arguably more oriented towards hard rock.

Line-up

Current members

• Tobias Sammet - vocals
• Jens Ludwig - lead guitar
• Dirk Sauer - rhythm guitar
• Tobias Exxel - bass guitar
• Felix Bohnke - drums

Former members

• Dominik Storch - drums (1992-98)
• Frank Lindenthal - drums (session musician, 1998)

Guest perfomers

Vain Glory Opera

• Andy Allendorfer – Backing Vocals
• Ralf Zdiarstek - backing vocals
• Hansi Kürsch - Blind Guardian (Vocals tracks 5&6)
• Timo Tolkki – Guitar on track 6

The Metal Opera

• Gabriel Laymann - Tobias Sammet (Edguy) - tracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12 & 13
• Lugaid Vandroiy - Michael Kiske (ex-Helloween) - tracks 2, 5, 6, 9, & 13
• Friar Jakob - David DeFeis (Virgin Steele) - tracks 3 & 13
• Bailiff Falk von Kronberg - Ralf Zdiarstek - tracks 4 & 7
• Anna Held - Sharon den Adel (Within Temptation) - track 6
• Bishop Johann von Bicken - Rob Rock (ex-Impellitteri) - track 7
• Pope Clement VIII - Oliver Hartmann (ex-At Vance) - tracks 7, 12 & 13
• Elderane the Elf - André Matos (ex-Shaaman, ex-Angra, ex-Viper) - tracks 11, 12 & 13
• Regrin the Dwarf - Kai Hansen (Gamma Ray) - tracks 11 & 12
• Voice of the Tower - Timo Tolkki (Stratovarius) - track 13

Discography

Demos

• Evil Minded (1994)
• Children of Steel (1994)

Studio albums

• Savage Poetry (1995)
• Kingdom of Madness (1997)
• Vain Glory Opera (1998)
• Theater of Salvation (1999)
• The Savage Poetry (2000) (re-recorded Savage Poetry)
• Mandrake (2001)
• Hellfire Club (2004)
• Rocket Ride (2006)

Live albums

• Burning Down the Opera (2003)

Singles

• La Marche Des Gendarmes (Enhanced Cardsleeve, 2001)
• Painting on the Wall (2001)
• Lavatory Love Machine (2004)

EPs

• King of Fools (2004)
• Superheroes (2005)

Compilation albums

• Hall of Flames (2004)

Videos

• "All the Clowns" (2001)
• "King of Fools" (live) (2004)
• "Lavatory Love Machine" (2004)
• "Superheroes" (2005)

DVDs

• "Superheroes DVD" (2005)

External links

• Edguy's Official Site
• Edguy at Metal Storm
• Edguy's Argentinian Official Site

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