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)
Painting on the Wall
Edguy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Building up a towar on shaking ground
Once in a world full of colors
Back to see just ruins there to be found
And now you're falling, crawling
Diggin' in the broken remains
Of what had to be taken for strong
Come into the painting on the wall
So the joker smiles
Come into the painting on the wall
No more crying
Illusions let you in from the rain
Follow Mr. Hopkins, get insane
Stories are told, want to hear him?
Talking from the picture to your head
Follow the call of a puppet
Led into a black room painted red
Where life is painless, brainless
You don't think of broken remains
Of what had to be taken for strong
Slowly it's been fading away
Come into the painting on the wall
So the joker smiles
Come into the painting on the wall
No more crying
Illusions let you in from the rain
Follow Mr. Hopkins, get insane
Look at the picture
Point at the child there on the floor
Oh realize that it's a looking glass
Come into the painting on the wall
So the joker smiles
Come into the painting on the wall
No more crying
Illusions let you in from the rain
Follow Mr. Hopkins, get insane
Come into the painting on the wall
So the joker smiles
Come into the painting on the wall
No more crying
The song "Painting on the Wall" by Edguy talks about the dangers of living a life full of illusionary happiness and how it can lead to one's downfall. The first verse describes someone who was once strong and sure of themselves, but was blinded by the illusion of a perfect world full of colors. They built their life on shaking ground and when reality struck, they were left with ruins. The chorus then invites the listener to come into the painting on the wall, where the joker, a representation of the deceptive force behind the illusions, smiles and promises freedom from pain and sadness.
The second verse talks about how a puppet, representing the person who falls for the illusions, is led into a black room painted red, which symbolizes the danger of the illusionary world. In this room, life is painless and brainless, and the person is not aware of the broken remains of their once strong self. The song ends with another invitation to enter the painting on the wall and follow Mr. Hopkins, presumably another representation of an illusionary force.
Overall, "Painting on the Wall" is a cautionary tale about the allure of the illusionary world and how it can lead to one's downfall.
Line by Line Meaning
Strong on your feet, you were blinded
You were confident and secure, but you were unable to see the truth
Building up a tower on shaking ground
You built something important on an unstable foundation
Once in a world full of colors
In the past, everything was bright and vibrant
Back to see just ruins there to be found
But now, all you can see are desolate ruins
And now you're falling, crawling
You have lost your footing and are struggling
Diggin' in the broken remains
You are searching among the wreckage
Of what had to be taken for strong
What once seemed powerful has now crumbled
Slowly it's been fading away
Everything is slipping away gradually
Come into the painting on the wall
Enter the illusion and forget reality
So the joker smiles
And be entertained by the trickster's merriment
No more crying
Stop being sad and miserable
Illusions let you in from the rain
The fantasy provides shelter from the harsh reality
Follow Mr. Hopkins, get insane
Emulate the madman and lose your mind
Stories are told, want to hear him?
Tales are recounted, do you wish to listen?
Talking from the picture to your head
The image speaks to your mind
Follow the call of a puppet
Obey the commands of a marionette
Led into a black room painted red
Guided into a dark chamber colored crimson
Where life is painless, brainless
Where existence is effortless and mindless
You don't think of broken remains
You ignore the shattered pieces of your past
Look at the picture
Observe the artwork
Point at the child there on the floor
Indicate the youth lying on the ground
Oh realize that it's a looking glass
Oh, understand that it is a mirror
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Tobias Sammet, Jens Ludwig
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@franciscojaviermendoza4519
"Painting On The Wall"
Strong on your feet, you were blinded
Building up a tower on shaking ground
Once in a world full of colors
Back to see just ruins there to be found
And now you're falling, crawling
Digging in the broken remains
Of what had to be taken for strong
Slowly it's been fading away
Come into the painting on the wall
So the joker smiles
Come into the painting on the wall
No more crying
Illusions let you in from the rain
Follow Mr. Hopkins, get insane
Stories are told - wanna hear him
Talking from the picture to your head
Follow the call of a puppet
Led into a black room painted red
Where life is painless, brainless
You don't think of broken remains
Of what had to be taken for strong
Slowly it's been fading away
[Repeat chorus]
Look at the picture
Point at the child there on the floor
Realize that it's a looking glass
@TengryLethos
Strong on your feet, you were blinded
Building up a towar on shaking ground
Once in a world full of colors
Back to see just ruins there to be found
And now you're falling, crawling
Diggin in the broken remains
Of what had to be taken for strong
Slowly it's been fading away
Come into the painting on the wall
So the joker smiles
Come into the painting on the wall
No more crying
Illusions let you in from the rain
Follow Mr. Hopkins, get insane
Stories are told - wanna hear him
Talking from the picture to your head
Follow the call of a puppet
Led into a black room painted red
Where life is painless, brainless
You don't think of broken remains
Of what had to be taken for strong
Slowly it's been fading away
[repeat chorus]
[solo: Jens]
Look at the picture
Point at the child there on the floor
Realize that it's a looking glass
[repeat chorus]
@jchartcarver5795
This song means a lot when you're an actual painter, like a theme song or something LOL. God, I love painting! XD
@lukkyseven2877
I would like to hear Dickinson sing this
@rengarsanger9016
Edguy best band in the fucking world!
@franciscojaviermendoza4519
"Painting On The Wall"
Strong on your feet, you were blinded
Building up a tower on shaking ground
Once in a world full of colors
Back to see just ruins there to be found
And now you're falling, crawling
Digging in the broken remains
Of what had to be taken for strong
Slowly it's been fading away
Come into the painting on the wall
So the joker smiles
Come into the painting on the wall
No more crying
Illusions let you in from the rain
Follow Mr. Hopkins, get insane
Stories are told - wanna hear him
Talking from the picture to your head
Follow the call of a puppet
Led into a black room painted red
Where life is painless, brainless
You don't think of broken remains
Of what had to be taken for strong
Slowly it's been fading away
[Repeat chorus]
Look at the picture
Point at the child there on the floor
Realize that it's a looking glass
@jandroparedesarguello7876
Heavy Metal aleman .Son grandes yeaaa....Edguy
@TengryLethos
Strong on your feet, you were blinded
Building up a towar on shaking ground
Once in a world full of colors
Back to see just ruins there to be found
And now you're falling, crawling
Diggin in the broken remains
Of what had to be taken for strong
Slowly it's been fading away
Come into the painting on the wall
So the joker smiles
Come into the painting on the wall
No more crying
Illusions let you in from the rain
Follow Mr. Hopkins, get insane
Stories are told - wanna hear him
Talking from the picture to your head
Follow the call of a puppet
Led into a black room painted red
Where life is painless, brainless
You don't think of broken remains
Of what had to be taken for strong
Slowly it's been fading away
[repeat chorus]
[solo: Jens]
Look at the picture
Point at the child there on the floor
Realize that it's a looking glass
[repeat chorus]
@diegoribeiro7327
Muito top esse som, curto demais
@Godofwar822
Bela canção.
@Valentin_841
hermosa canción
@lindaramos2707
Para a missa é boa música