Edguy is a power metal band from Fulda, Germany that was formed in 1992. Read Full Bio ↴Edguy is a power metal band from Fulda, Germany that was formed in 1992.

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)

Vain Glory Opera
Edguy Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The prayers have been spoken
May the gods be on my side
May they join my way to bring me victory
Seven at one stroke
My triumph and my pride
They will be history
But behind my enemy's eyes
Sending disguise

Not only lies
We live to fight the hand of doom
We got the pride to strike a fool
Vain glory be my wicked guide
We live to fight the hand of doom
We got the pride to strike a fool
Vain glory be my wicked guide
What's hell without a paradise
What's the night without a day
We would think it's bright
What's a fall if we can't rise
What's a hero at a play
Without a fool to fight
But behind my enemy's eyes
Sending disguise
Not only lies
We live to fight the hand of doom
We got the pride to strike a fool
Vain glory be my wicked guide
We live to fight the hand of doom
We got the pride to strike a fool
Vain glory be my wicked guide

But behind my enemy's eyes
Sending disguise
Not only lies
We live to fight the hand of doom
We got the pride to strike a fool
Vain glory be my wicked guide
We live to fight the hand of doom

We got the pride to strike a fool
Vain glory be my wicked guide

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Vain Glory Opera" by Edguy tell the story of a warrior going into battle, asking the gods for their favor and declaring his intent to strike down his enemies with pride and triumph. He acknowledges that his enemies may be sending only lies and disguises, but he is determined to face them and emerge victorious. The chorus emphasizes the theme of pride and the desire to fight, even in the face of certain doom. The song continues to explore the idea of a hero needing a villain to fight, and how without the struggle, the hero would lose their purpose.

The lyrics are packed with metaphors and references to myths and legends, as well as the band's own unique brand of storytelling. The use of the term "vain glory" is particularly striking, as it connotes a sense of selfishness and egotism. The line "What's hell without a paradise, what's the night without a day" also adds a philosophical layer to the song, suggesting that without contrast, we cannot fully appreciate the good things in life.

Overall, "Vain Glory Opera" is a powerful and intense song, showcasing the band's talent for creating vivid and imaginative lyrics that transport the listener to another world.

Line by Line Meaning

The prayers have been spoken
I have prayed and put my faith in the gods

May the gods be on my side
I hope the gods will support me in my endeavors

May they join my way to bring me victory
May the gods help me achieve victory in my quest

Seven at one stroke
I have defeated seven enemies with a single strike

My triumph and my pride
My victory is a source of great pride for me

They will be history
My defeated enemies will be a thing of the past

But behind my enemy's eyes
My enemies are still plotting against me

Sending disguise
They are sending someone in disguise to attack me

Not only lies
Their deception goes beyond just telling lies

We live to fight the hand of doom
We are constantly battling against our inevitable fate

We got the pride to strike a fool
We take pride in defeating those who oppose us