Biography
Demos, AFM years (1992-2003)
Edguy was founded in 1992 by 14-year-old students Tobias Sammet, Jens Ludwig, Dominik Storch and Dirk Sauer. The name "Edguy" was an affectionate epithet for their math teacher at the time. In 1994, the band released two demos, Evil Minded and Children of Steel. These tapes were sent to many record labels, all of whom rejected the band, believing they would be unsuccessful in the music business. Undeterred, they self released their ‘unofficial' debut album, Savage Poetry, in 1995. They signed with AFM Records shortly after, who offered to re-release Savage Poetry with more widespread distribution. The band rejected this proposal in favour of recording a new album, Kingdom of Madness, which was released in 1997, but drummer Dominik Storch left the band shortly after. 1998 saw the release of their second album, Vain Glory Opera, with friend Frank Lindenthal filling in on drums. This album helped expose Edguy to a wider audience, thanks in part to guest appearances from Timo Tolkki (Stratovarius) and Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian). The band was joined by new drummer Felix Bohnke and bassist Tobias ‘Eggi' Exxel later that year, allowing Tobias Sammet to solely focus on vocals (he had previously played bass as well handling vocal duties).
In 1999, Theater of Salvation was released. That same year frontman Tobias Sammet conceived the idea for the Avantasia project, a metal opera featuring well known vocalists and musicians from the rock and metal scene. Whilst Tobias focused on Avantasia, the band took the opportunity to re-record Savage Poetry, to make it widely available to newer fans, as the original had become a much sought after rarity.
Following The Savage Poetry re-recording was the band's fifth album, Mandrake, in 2001. The album was accompanied by their first promo video, for the track “All the Clowns”, as well as the Painting on the Wall single. The Mandrake album also led to the band's first headlining tour. Three shows were recorded in Europe and were the basis for Edguy's first live album, Burning Down the Opera. The band's contract with AFM had expired by this point, which led to them signing with Nuclear Blast Records in late 2003.
Nuclear Blast years (2004-present)
Edguy's first release for Nuclear Blast was the King of Fools EP in 2004. This preceded the Hellfire Club album, released shortly after. The song "Lavatory Love Machine" was also released as a single. The band's productivity continued into 2005 with the Superheroes EP and DVD, the latter featuring footage of the band live and in the studio, as well as a making of documentary for the video of the title track. This was followed by the full-length album Rocket Ride in January 2006.
Sammet spent much of 2007 relaunching the Avantasia project. Edguy returned to the studio in 2008 and recorded Tinnitus Sanctus, with a video being shot for the track “Ministry of Saints” in Belgrade, Serbia. After a contract renewal with Nuclear Blast in late 2008, the band released their first live DVD, Fucking with F***, in 2009. This featured live footage of the band shot in São Paulo, Brazil, on their Rocket Ride world tour in 2006. The band supported Scorpions on the German dates of their farewell tour in 2010.
Edguy released their ninth studio album, Age of the Joker, in August 2011. The band toured Europe and South America in support of the record, including dates with Slash and Deep Purple, as well as an appearance on the 70000 Tons of Metal cruise. In a recent interview promoting the latest release from his Avantasia project, Sammet revealed that a new Edguy album will be worked on in the summer of 2013, with a release tentatively scheduled for mid-2014.
On January 28, 2014 Edguy revealed that the album would be titled Space Police - Defenders of the Crown and released on April 18.
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", "The Pride of Creation", "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 progressive metal approach being embraced. The band's album Rocket Ride features even less power metal elements, and is arguably more oriented towards hard rock. Their next album, Tinnitus Sanctus, contains even more hard rock oriented songs; a large reduction of double bass drumming is evident, in contrast to Edguy's older albums such as Vain Glory Opera where there is very fast double bass which is common in the power metal genre.
When asked if the term "happy heavy metal band" applies to the band, Tobias rejected it and added:
We are a heavy metal band. We play angry, powerful, sometimes tongue-in-cheek metal. We are flamboyant and we don't take ourselves too seriously, but that goes for Van Halen too, right? Are they happy rock? No, they have a sense of humor and kick ass! Just like we do...
Studio albums
Savage Poetry (1995)
Kingdom of Madness (1997)
Vain Glory Opera (1998)
Theater of Salvation (1999)
The Savage Poetry (2000)
Mandrake (2001)
Hellfire Club (2004)
Rocket Ride (2006)
Tinnitus Sanctus (2008)
Age of the Joker (2011)
Space Police - Defenders of the Crown (2014)
Mysteria
Edguy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh yeah
The world around is killing me
No thunder wind and rain
Eels are crawling everywhere
Compounding with the game
Grind the army, the living dead, without destination
You're trying to trample down my dreams
A shot in the dark
Mysteria - the spirit arising
Eldrich cries from the hill
Mysteria - fires are blazing
Their wicked feast is shattering the still oh
Seven days and nights a week
Spinning like a wheel
You try to buckle, band and break
And polish stainless steel
Raging fury in the sky burning with desire
Self-determination rising from the fire
You're trying to trample down my dreams
My disdained ideals
Beware of the difference
We're savage and mean - we're a
Mysteria
Evil is the dreamer to pit himself
Against the forces of the tide
You pay the see to portray
What you want to hear what he has seen that night
Oh - unholy is the feast
Watch us dance around the the blazing hellfire
And Lucifer arises he appears at my desire
Mysteria
At the beginning of the song, "Ladies and Gentleman - Welcome to the Freakshow" is announced, implying that the world we are about to experience is a world of freaks or unusual people who differ from the norms of society. The singer expresses how the world is killing him and everything around is crawling and abysmal. There is no hope and the faceless crowd wants to destroy all differences or variations. However, the spirit of Mysteria arises, and the eldritch cries from the hill signal the emergence of an unknown force. Fires burn and wicked feasts shatter the still, representing chaos and destruction. The singer sings about how self-determination is rising and how he is persevering against those who want to trample his dreams and disdained ideals. Finally, the song represents itself as the Mysteria- evil, yet mystical, revealing itself to the world.
The song represents a world of freaks, where differences are celebrated, and the freaks rise in protest against societal norms. Mysteria is the essence of the world they live in - mystical, full of fires, and filled with ancient cries. It is also a protest song against those who want to stifle the dreams and aspirations of people who are considered different. The singer asserts that people should beware of the differences they have and should accept them because they constitute what makes them unique. The song also praises the idea of self-determination and the power of the human spirit.
Line by Line Meaning
Ladies And Gentleman - Welcome To The Freakshow
The audience is welcome to the bizarre spectacle that is about to unfold.
The world around is killing me
The state of the world is making the singer feel oppressed and overwhelmed.
No thunder wind and rain
The natural elements are not causing this negative state of the world.
Eels are crawling everywhere
Symbolic of danger or malevolence, there are threats and pitfalls all around.
Compounding with the game
The challenges and obstacles are continually increasing.
Grind the army, the living dead, without destination
People are trapped in a monotonous, meaningless existence, as if they were part of a soulless army of drones.
The faceless crowd is out to kill all kinds of variations
Society seeks to suppress or eliminate anyone who diverges from the norm.
You're trying to trample down my dreams
The oppressive forces of society are attempting to quash the singer's aspirations and ideals.
A shot in the dark
Perhaps the singer is attempting to resist hopeless odds or circumstances.
Mysteria - the spirit arising
Despite the difficulties, there is a sense of a mystical energy coming into being.
Eldrich cries from the hill
A wailing or moaning sound, suggesting either lamentation or supernatural activity.
Mysteria - fires are blazing
Again, the idea of a powerful and transformative energy is present.
Their wicked feast is shattering the still oh
An ominous and potentially violent or chaotic event is occurring.
Seven days and nights a week
Endless or relentless activity that shows no sign of slowing down.
Spinning like a wheel
A sense of repetition, monotony, or being caught up in a cycle.
You try to buckle, band and break
The forces of oppression and conformity are attempting to force the singer to give in or conform.
And polish stainless steel
Perhaps symbolizing a superficial or sterile perfection that society demands.
Raging fury in the sky burning with desire
A passion or rage building up, with a suggestion of cosmic or mythological forces.
Self-determination rising from the fire
The singer is finding the strength to assert themselves and pursue their own path.
You're trying to trample down my dreams
Again, the forces of oppression are opposing the singer's aspirations.
My disdained ideals
The things that the singer values and believes in are seen as worthless or contemptible by others.
Beware of the difference
The singer warns that those who are different or do not conform risk being targeted by society.
We're savage and mean - we're a Mysteria
Embracing their otherness and defiance, the singer identifies with the strange and mysterious energy that is animating them.
Evil is the dreamer to pit himself
Those who dream of change or revolution are often seen as troublemakers or even villains.
Against the forces of the tide
Those who seek to swim against the current of society are in for a difficult struggle.
You pay the see to portray
The media or entertainment industry feeds people what they want to hear or see.
What you want to hear what he has seen that night
The truth of what is happening is distorted or filtered to fit people's expectations and desires.
Oh - unholy is the feast
A potentially dangerous or malevolent situation is occurring.
Watch us dance around the the blazing hellfire
Perhaps a literal dance or more figurative sense of enjoying or reveling in chaos or destruction.
And Lucifer arises he appears at my desire
A mythic or symbolic image of rebellion or opposition to established authority.
Mysteria
The singer reminds listeners of the powerful, transformative energy that has been present throughout the song.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JENS LUDWIG, TOBIAS SAMMET
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@NeverendingAbyss
Powerful intro, powerful bridge, powerful chorus, powerful EVERYTHING!
@ruffusgoodman4137
Powerful Metal
@moejartin3258
This song just pisses power.
@LiraelRyelle
Edguy are one of the best bands ever along with Sonata Arctica, Kamelot, Avantasia, Rhapsody, Epica and Hammerfall! Long live REAL metal! \m/
@MichaelHolmgaard
Tobias had a fantastic voice back then! He had a range that could match legends like Dickinson, Halford and Kiske.
It is very sad, that Edguy has kid stepped away from what made them famous in the first place. They used to be a true power metal-band, but after the first six albums, Tobias changed his vocal-style, and Edguy became a hard rock-band.
Rocked Ride was a fine album, that balanced between both hard rock and power metal. But Tinnitus Sanctus and Age Of The Joker was the worst shit i´d ever heard! However, Space Police - Defenders Of The Crown is definitely a change to the better, and it is a lot better than their two previous releases. But i still think they´v become too much of a hard rock-band :/
But no matter what, Edguy will always be awesome! :)
@Crawmerax69
/watch?v=geR079TNr-Q <-- u just copy/pasted the same comment.. And what's wrong with hard rock btw?
@MichaelHolmgaard
There is nothing wrong with hard rock. But Edguy got famous for their epic power metal-songs/themes, and Tobi´s voice was iconic back then.
When Edguy makes hard rock, it is a mixed pleasure, some songs are good enough, but most of their hard rock is pretty boring.
But you can mix hard rock into power metal a little bit, as they did on "Rocket Ride", but then they made albums like "Tinnitus Sanctus" and "Age Of The Joker".
Becoming a hard rock-band is the wrong direction for Edguy, in my opinion :/
@fancyandmetallic
I do agree that they've changed their music style a lot, and Rocket Ride was definitely a hard rock album. Tinnitus Sanctus and Age of the Joker were pretty bad IMO, but Space Police seems like a pretty solid album. It has mainly heavy, power and glam metal influences. Sabre and Torch, Space Police, Defenders of the Crown, Realms of Baba Yaga, Love Tyger, Do me like a caveman and England are all awesome songs.
@MichaelHolmgaard
fancyandmetallic Yes, Space Police is definitely a change to the better, after Tinnitus & Joker. But It is still miles behind their first seven albums. There are some good songs on it, but that´s it.
I don´t know why they have totally abandoned power metal, maybe it is because hard rock suites Tobi´s newer chest voice better -But I´d love if they would some day make a new album like Hellfire Club, or at leas like Rocked Ride :/
@ManosApple
I must be weird then, because Theatre Of Salvation and Vain Glory Opera are my least favorite Edguy albums(though I still really like listening to them). Hellfire Club and Space Police are tied as my absolute favorites.