Tracklist front / back album covers
Side one
1. "Majesty" 7:28
2. "Guardian of the Blind" 5:09
3. "Trial by the Archon" (instrumental) 1:41
4. "Wizard's Crown" 3:48
Side two
5. "Run for the Night" 3:33
6. "The Martyr" 6:14
7. "Battalions of Fear" 6:06
8. "By the Gates of Moria" (instrumental) 2:52
Cassette and CD edition bonus track
9. "Gandalf's Rebirth" (instrumental) 2:10
2007 re-release bonus tracks
10. "Brian" (demo version) 2:41
11. "Halloween (The Wizard's Crown)" (demo version) 3:22
12. "Lucifer's Heritage" (demo version) 4:36
13. "Symphonies of Doom" (demo version) 4:08
14. "Dead of the Night" (demo version) 3:33
Blind Guardian Band Members / Musicians
Hansi Kürsch – vocals and bass, producer on "Gandalf's Rebirth"
André Olbrich – lead guitar and backing vocals, producer on "Gandalf's Rebirth"
Marcus Siepen – rhythm guitar and backing vocals
Thomas "Thomen" Stauch – drums
Hans-Peter Frey – drums on "Gandalf's Rebirth"
Christof Theisen – rhythm guitar on "Gandalf's Rebirth"
Rolf Köhler, Michael Voss – backing vocals
Kalle Trapp – production, engineering, mixing
Holger Schreiber – engineering on "Gandalf's Rebirth"
van Waay Design – cover art
Lucifer's Heritage (tracks 10–14)
Hansi Kürsch – vocals and bass
André Olbrich – lead guitar
Markus Dörk – rhythm guitar, additional vocals on "Symphonies of Doom"
Thomas "Thomen" Stauch – drums
Battalions of Fear is the debut album by German power metal band Blind Guardian, released in 1988. The album is a raw and unpolished speed metal effort that touches on thrash metal. It lacks many of the stylistic flourishes that would mark the band's music in later years, focusing more on speed and aggression. The opening track "Majesty" remains a fan favorite and is often featured in the band's live performances. This album was remastered, remixed and re-released on 15 June 2007, with the whole first demo tape, Symphonies of Doom, of the band (at the time called Lucifer's Heritage) as part of the bonus tracks. The album was again re-released as part of the A Traveler's Guide to Space and Time boxset with minor adjustments to the mixing and with new mastering.
Blind Guardian is a German power metal band formed in 1984 in Krefeld, West Germany. They are often credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in the power metal and speed metal subgenres. Nine musicians have been a part of the band's line-up in its history, which has consisted of singer Hansi Kürsch, guitarists André Olbrich and Marcus Siepen, drummer Frederik Ehmke since 2005, and bassist Johan Van Stratum since 2021.
Blind Guardian Band Members / Musicians
Hansi Kürsch – lead vocals (1984, 1984–present), bass (1984–1996)
André Olbrich – lead guitar, backing vocals (1984–present)
Marcus Siepen – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1987–present)
Frederik Ehmke – drums, percussion, flute, bagpipes (2005–present)
Johan van Stratum – bass (2021-present)
Thomas Kelleners – lead vocals (1984)
Markus Dörk – rhythm guitar (1984–1986)
Christoph Theissen – rhythm guitar (1986)
Hans-Peter Frey – drums, percussion (1986)
Thomas "Thomen" Stauch – drums, percussion (1984–1986, 1987–2005)
Thomas Hackmann – backing vocals (1990–present)
Billy King – backing vocals (1992–present)
Olaf Senkbeil – backing vocals (1997–present)
Michael "Mi" Schüren – keyboards (1997–present)
Matthias Ulmer – keyboards, piano (2007–present)
Mathias Wiesner – keyboards (1989–2002), bass (1992-1993)
Rolf Köhler – backing vocals (1990–2007; died 2007)
Marc Zee – keyboards, backing vocals (1993)
Oliver Holzwarth – bass (1997–2011)
Alex Holzwarth – drums (2002–2003)
Pat Bender - keyboards, sound effects (2002–2006)
Barend Courbois – bass, backing vocals (2015–2020)
Blind Guardian Discography Full
1988 Battalions of Fear
1989 Follow the Blind
1990 Tales from the Twilight World
1992 Somewhere Far Beyond
1995 Imaginations from the Other Side
1998 Nightfall in Middle-Earth
2002 A Night at the Opera
2006 A Twist in the Myth
2010 At the Edge of Time
2015 Beyond the Red Mirror
2019 Legacy of the Dark Lands
