Imaginations from the Other Side is the fifth studio album by Blind Guardian that was released in 1995. The atmosphere of this album is darker in comparison to their earlier works, such as Battalions of Fear, which had a relatively light tone. This album also marks the first since Battalions of Fear in which Kai Hansen (Gamma Ray) did not guest on vocals or guitar, and the last album to feature vocalist Hansi Kürsch as bassist. It was also their first album to spawn off any singles, in the form of "A Past and Future Secret" and "Bright Eyes". It was remastered and re-released on 15 June 2007, with bonus tracks and videos.
Having experienced much success from their previous releases, Somewhere Far Beyond and Tokyo Tales (their first live album), the band was optimistic as they began writing for a new album once again. They soon noted how slow the process was advancing in comparison to previous writing sessions. For these new songs, personal standards were raised for which parts should make the cut, and ideas that weren't satisfactory were therefore scrapped. However, after the first two songs, "Imaginations from the Other Side" and "The Script for my Requiem", were demoed, the bandmembers were pleased by their exceptional quality, and once the next two songs, "I'm Alive" and "A Past and Future Secret", were written and added to the demo tape, they were confident in moving forward. Having not been satisfied with the production on their last two releases, Somewhere Far Beyond and Tokyo Tales (both produced by Kalle Trapp), Kürsch and Olbrich soon began searching for a new producer whilst traveling around Europe.
At their first stop, Denmark, they met producer Flemming Rasmussen, who had previously worked with bands Rainbow, Pretty Maids, and Metallica (a predominant influence on the band's style). After visiting other studios throughout the summer, even ones in which albums of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones were recorded, the two felt that Rasmussen, who had been noticeably impressed by the demo tape, was the obvious choice. Despite him expecting more out of the band than they were previously accustomed to with Trapp (specifically in rhythm guitar and vocal performances), there was a noticeable chemistry between Rasmussen and the band. Rhythm guitarist Marcus Siepen would later reflect that he "took [them] to a completely different level, in any aspect."
Following the footsteps of the band's previous albums, Imaginations continued to stray from purely speed metal tendencies. In addition to fast guitar riffing, high-pitch distorted singing and extreme drumming (signature of speed metal) came catchy chord progressions and clean singing - components reminiscent of classic European folk music. Two tracks, "A Past and Future Secret" and "Mordred's Song" (comparable to their previous album's "The Bard's Song (In the Forest)" by similar use of acoustic guitar), could even be considered to be a "ballad" and "power ballad", respectively.
In 2005, Imaginations from the Other Side was ranked number 373 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.
Loudwire named the album at second in their list "Top 25 Power Metal Albums of All Time" and Metal Hammer ranked it at third in a similar list.
Track listing
All songs written by Hansi Kürsch and André Olbrich, except for where noted.
- Imaginations from the Other Side 07:19
- I'm Alive 05:31
- A Past and Future Secret 03:48
- The Script for My Requiem 06:09
- Mordred's Song 05:28
- Born in a Mourning Hall 05:14
- Bright Eyes 05:16
- Another Holy War 04:32
- And the Story Ends 06:00
- The Wizard (Uriah Heep cover) 03:17
- The Script For My Requiem (Extended Demo Version) 07:01
Time: 59:35
The lyrics are mostly based on Arthurian legends and general Camelot folklore, a subject Hansi Kürsch had been reading extensively about just prior to the writing sessions for the album.
A video was made for "Bright Eyes". The band had wanted to make a video for "A Past and Future Secret" instead, but Virgin Records chose the former.
Another, mostly live, video for the song "Born in a Mourning Hall", was included on the "Imaginations Through the Looking Glass" DVD.
The title track references the works of L. Frank Baum, Lewis Carroll, J M Barrie, JRR Tolkien, Michael Moorcock and, like the rest of the album, Arthurian legends.
Recording information:
Recorded, mixed and mastered at Sweet Silence Studios, Copenhagen, Denmark, from August to November 1994 and January to March 1995.
Backing vocals recorded at Karo Studio, Brackel, Germany in December 1994.
Andreas Marschall – cover paintings
Ulf Thürmann – photos
Flemming Rasmussen – producing and mixing
Flemming Rasmussen and Piet Sielck – engineering
Henrik Vindeby – assistant engineer
Flemming Rasmussen and Cuni – drum tech
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