At the Edge of Time

For the song "At the Edge of Time", see Beyond the Red Mirror.

At the Edge of Time
Studio album by
Blind Guardian
Released29 July 2010
Recorded2009–2010
Genre
Length63:54
LabelNuclear Blast
ProducerCharlie Bauerfeind
Blind Guardian chronology
A Twist in the Myth
(2006) 		At the Edge of Time
(2010) 		Beyond the Red Mirror
(2015)
Singles from At the Edge of Time
  1. "A Voice in the Dark"
    Released: 25 June 2010

At the Edge of Time is the ninth studio album by the German power metal band Blind Guardian. A two-CD version of the album was released, with the second disc containing eight tracks. The artwork for the album was created by Colombian artist Felipe Machado Franco.[2] The album was released in Europe on 30 July 2010. A music video for "A Voice in the Dark" was released on 3 August 2010.[3]

Track listing

All music is composed by André Olbrich and Hansi Kürsch, except "You're the Voice" on the bonus CD, which was written by Andy Qunta, Keith Reid, Maggie Ryder and Chris Thompson

No.TitleLength
1."Sacred Worlds"9:19
2."Tanelorn (Into the Void)"5:58
3."Road of No Release"6:30
4."Ride into Obsession"4:47
5."Curse My Name"5:49
6."Valkyries"6:34
7."Control the Divine"5:25
8."War of the Thrones"4:55
9."A Voice in the Dark"5:41
10."Wheel of Time"8:56
Total length:63:54
Japanese edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
11."Curse My Name (Original)"5:13
12."Valkyries (Extended)"6:51
Total length:75:58
Digipack bonus CD
No.TitleLength
1."Sacred Worlds (Pre-production Version)"6:49
2."Wheel of Time (Orchestral Version)"8:55
3."You're the Voice (Radio Edit)" (John Farnham cover)3:35
4."Tanelorn (Into the Void) (Demo Version)"5:58
5."Curse My Name (Demo Version)"4:41
6."A Voice in the Dark (Demo Version)"5:40
7."Sacred (Video Clip)" 
8."A Journey to the Edge of Time (Studio Documentary)" 
Total length:35:38

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Metal19.5/10[4]
Lords of Metal93/100[5]
Danger Dog[6]
Metal Express Radio8/10[7]
Metal Hammer (GER)6/7[8]
Rock Hard9/10[9]

The album was named as "Album of the Month" in the August 2010 issue of Germany's Metal Hammer magazine.[8]

At the Edge of Time was the first album in the band's history to climb to second place in the German Media Control Charts. It kept its place among the Top 10 for three straight weeks.

The album was particularly successful in the United States. Not only did it debut in the 108th position of the Billboard Top 200 chart but also became the No. 1 song on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. This marks the highest position that a Blind Guardian album had reached until then in the United States.

The album debuted at No. 18 on the Top Hard Music Albums chart and No. 108 on the Top 200 chart in Canada.[10]

Song information

  • Sacred Worlds

An edited version of the original song "Sacred", which has a new orchestral intro and outro. It was written by Blind Guardian for the 2008 video game Sacred 2: Fallen Angel.[11]

  • Tanelorn (Into the Void)

Based on Michael Moorcock's The Eternal Champion series.[12]

  • Road of No Release

Based on Peter S. Beagle's The Innkeeper's Song.

  • Ride into Obsession

Based on Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series.
(Hansi Kürsch: "An introduction to the main characters, the Dragon Reborn and the Dark Lord Ba'alzamon.")

  • Curse My Name

Based on The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates, a political writing by John Milton where he legitimizes the killing of a king who didn't carry out his duties.

  • Valkyries

Inspired by Norse mythology, especially Valkyries, as well as the perception of time.

  • Control the Divine

Based on John Milton's Paradise Lost.

  • War of the Thrones

Based on George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series.

  • A Voice in the Dark

Based on George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. It tells the story of Bran Stark, a key character in the series. This track was the first single from the album, and it is a small comeback to the band's original speed metal style.

  • Wheel of Time

Based on Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series, focusing on (and through the viewpoint of) Rand al'Thor, the protagonist of the series.

Personnel

Blind Guardian
Guest musicians
  • Oliver Holzwarth – bass guitar
Additional personnel
  • Felipe Machado Franco – cover artwork

Charts

Chart (2010) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[13] 9
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[14] 67
Croatian International Albums (HDU)[15] 7
European Albums[16] 7
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[17] 18
French Albums (SNEP)[18] 48
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[19] 2
Greek Albums (IFPI)[20] 4
Italian Albums (FIMI)[21] 19
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[22] 29
Slovenian Albums[23] 25
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[24] 47
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[25] 22
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[26] 14
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[27] 22
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[28] 18
US Billboard 200[29] 108

Release history

Country Release date
Russia 29 July 2010 (2010-07-29)
Europe 30 July 2010 (2010-07-30)
United States 24 August 2010 (2010-08-24)
Japan 28 August 2010 (2010-08-28)

References

  1. ^ a b https://www.allmusic.com/album/r1948366
  2. ^ "Blind Guardian Reveals "At The Edge of Time" Release Date and More". www.metalunderground.com. Archived from the original on 3 June 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
  3. ^ "BLIND GUARDIAN: 'A Voice In The Dark' Video Released". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  4. ^ "Blind Guardian - At The Edge Of Time - CD Review" (in German). Metal1.info. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  5. ^ "Blind Guardian - At The Edge Of Time | Review | Lords Of Metal metal E-zine - issue 105". Lordsofmetal.nl. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  6. ^ "Music Review : Blind Guardian At the Edge of Time : Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, CD Album Music Review : Craig Hartranft". Dangerdog.com. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  7. ^ "Metal Express Radio". Metal Express Radio. 13 December 2011. Archived from the original on 10 March 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  8. ^ a b "Review zu: Blind Guardian - At The Edge Of Time - METAL HAMMER". Metal-hammer.de. 30 July 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  9. ^ Rensen, Michael. "At the Edge of Time". Rock Hark. No. 279.
  10. ^ "Band « Blind Guardian Official Website". www.blind-guardian.com. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  11. ^ "Interview with Marcus Siepen". Metal Sound. Archived from the original on 21 June 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
  12. ^ "Belgrade and Tanelorn". Metal Sound. Archived from the original on 22 July 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
  13. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Blind Guardian – At the Edge of Time" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  14. ^ "Ultratop.be – Blind Guardian – At the Edge of Time" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  15. ^ "Top Stranih [Top Foreign]" (in Croatian). Top Foreign Albums. Hrvatska diskografska udruga. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  16. ^ "Chart positions part 2 « Blind Guardian Official Website". Blind-guardian.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  17. ^ "Blind Guardian: At the Edge of Time" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  18. ^ "Lescharts.com – Blind Guardian – At the Edge of Time". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  19. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Blind Guardian – At the Edge of Time" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  20. ^ "Greekcharts.com – Blind Guardian – At the Edge of Time". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  21. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Blind Guardian – At the Edge of Time". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  22. ^ "アット・ジ・エッジ・オブ・タイム". Oricon.co.jp. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  23. ^ "Slo Top 30" (in Slovenian). Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  24. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Blind Guardian – At the Edge of Time". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  25. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Blind Guardian – At the Edge of Time". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  26. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Blind Guardian – At the Edge of Time". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  27. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  28. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  29. ^ "Blind Guardian Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2024.