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)
Tomorrow
Edguy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A new day has begun
An eagle is rising slowly to the skies of no return
Disappearing in the growing sun
So proud and so beautiful
Thinking about tomorrow with tears in his eyes
Once a lot of brothers spread their wings to join his way
Now he's left alone in a world of lies
Cry for tomorrow
Why don't we hear the eagles cries
Living in sorrow
Why don't we help him to survive
Once a dignity, a mighty sign of pride
Strong and proud and free
A symbol of eternity, why don't we see
We can't survive, if we don't realize
Our world is a place that can't be created twice
The lyrics of Edguy's song "Tomorrow" convey a profound message about the value of the natural world and the need for humans to take responsibility for preserving it. The song begins by evoking the image of a majestic eagle, rising towards the sky as the sun rises, but also suggests an ominous sense of menace, as the eagle disappears into the "skies of no return" - a metaphor for the dangers that face the natural world. The eagle is described as "so proud and so beautiful", but the singer also notes that he is "thinking about tomorrow with tears in his eyes", suggesting a sense of sadness or sorrow at the prospect of an uncertain future.
The song's chorus calls out to listeners to "cry for tomorrow" and to "help [the eagle] survive", emphasizing the urgent need to address the environmental crisis facing the planet. The lyrics also touch on the theme of human responsibility, noting that the eagle was once surrounded by "brothers" - a reference to the bonds of solidarity that exist among all living things - but is now "left alone in a world of lies". The final stanza of the song makes a powerful statement about the fragility of the natural world and the imperative to protect it: "our world is a place that can't be created twice".
Line by Line Meaning
Another day is coming
A new day is on its way
A new day has begun
The day has started anew
An eagle is rising slowly to the skies of no return
An eagle is taking off and flying away, never to return
Disappearing in the growing sun
Slowly fading into the brightness of the sun
So proud and so beautiful
The eagle looks majestic and stunning
Thinking about tomorrow with tears in his eyes
The eagle looks towards the future with sadness in its eyes
Once a lot of brothers spread their wings to join his way
The eagle used to have many comrades flying beside him
Now he's left alone in a world of lies
The eagle is now alone in a world of deception
Cry for tomorrow
We should grieve for the future
Why don't we hear the eagles cries
Why are we not listening to the eagle's call for help
Living in sorrow
We are dwelling in misery
Why don't we help him to survive
Why do we not offer aid to protect the eagle's existence
Once a dignity, a mighty sign of pride
The eagle was once a symbol of respect, a source of great honor
Strong and proud and free
The eagle was a powerful, confident and independent animal
A symbol of eternity, why don't we see
An emblem of infinity, why are we not recognizing it
We can't survive, if we don't realize
Our survival is impossible unless we understand
Our world is a place that can't be created twice
Our planet is unique, it cannot be replicated
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
Written by: MITCHELL ALLAN SCHERR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind