Demons & Wizards

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR HEADBANGERS BALL WINNERS!
Brad Vukadin
Vanessa Decampos
Michael Siciliano
Daniel Schad
David Hunter
Billy Carnes
Dan Beshai
The video for "Terror Train" is also available in the MySpace video library. To view it on your computer click HERE Then search videos by SONG NAME and type in TERROR TRAIN.
Request "Terror Train" on Headbangers Ball and Metal Asylum !
BUY DEMONS & WIZARDS "Touched By The Crimson King" at AMAZON.COM
Thanks to everyone who participated in our trivia contest! Stay posted for our next contest! The answers are as follows.
1. The name Demons and Wizards comes from an album title by Uriah Heep.
2. Hansi's favorite Iced Earth song is 'A Question of Heaven'.
3. Jon's favorite Blind Guardian song is 'Welcome to Dying'.
Check out the interview with Jon Schaffer on RebelX.org
Very cool interview with both Jon and Hansi at Hard Rock Magazine Interview
Archive interview from 2000 with the boys. See where it all began at Hard Rock Magazine 2000 Interview
CHECK OUT THE DEMONS & WIZARDS E-CARD!
DEMONS & WIZARDS
TOUCHED BY THE CRIMSON KING
In stores June 28, 2005
Can you think of a line that describes the emotional microcosm of a fan better than the initial words of ‘Terror Train’, one of the most impressive tracks on the new Demons & Wizards album, Touched By The Crimson King? “I´m awake, you better feed me now”, sings vocalist Hansi Kürsch, hitting the nail on the head. Mind you, the international metal community has been wide awake ever since the self-titled Demons & Wizards debut arrived at the stores in 2000, waiting impatiently to be fed with more songs. The fact that they had to wait another five years is in the nature of things; after all, Hansi Kürsch’s chief occupation is his band, Blind Guardian, while guitarist Jon Schaffer has launched several major projects with his main group, Iced Earth. Last winter, these two finally found an opportunity to record some new material. “Naturally, Iced Earth and Blind Guardian’s tight schedules are Demons & Wizards’ biggest problem,” Kürsch points out. “Jon and I have known for years that we’re on the same artistic wavelength. The only question was when we’d find the time for a joint studio session.”
The ideas for Touched By The Crimson King took over two years to mature. “Jon sent me a tape with instrumental versions of eight or nine tracks, and by and by I developed vocal lines to suit them. As soon as these were ready, I went into a kind of pre-production with Charlie Bauerfeind, before returning them to America, where Jon had another six months to develop more ideas. Last autumn we met up, wrote three more songs together and went to the studio in December 2004.” They chose the Morrisound studios in Tampa, Florida, birthplace of many historic rock recordings.
Studio owner Jim Morris not only collaborated with Kürsch and Schaffer as a producer, but also recorded the guitar solos on Touched By The Crimson King. “We were very happy with Jim’s solos on the debut. His Pink Floyd-like style complements the songs perfectly, so of course we wanted Jim on board again this time around.” When it came to choosing a drummer, Kürsch and Schaffer decided on Bobby Jarzombek, tried and tested in many an Iced Earth battle, whose powerful, accented drumming makes up the basic framework of the new album. When it came to the bass parts, Demons & Wizards delved deep into their bag of tricks: “Of course, Jon or I could have recorded all the bass parts ourselves, but we wanted somebody with an old-school style to give the songs a touch of colour. Jim Morris suggested Rubin Drake, a very experienced bassist from Florida. I must admit that Rubin was the perfect choice.”
The result justifies the thorough preparation. One the one hand, Touched By The Crimson King continues the artistic tradition of its two protagonists, Kürsch and Schaffer, and on the other it seems directly connected to the Demons & Wizards debut. “The common denominator that links the two albums lies in the fact that the tracks are constructed in a simpler style than the regular Blind Guardian and Iced Earth material”, Kürsch describes his new album. “At the same time, the music has more of an acoustic focus. You can tell that we approached the song-writing without any preconceptions. The term ‘mellow’ springs to mind whenever somebody asks me to describe the mood on the album. Even when the Demons & Wizards debut came out, fans told us that the music is a symbiosis of its two creative forces. Some even said that parts of it sounded like early Blind Guardian and early Iced Earth. I think this description also applies to Touched By The Crimson King. The overall impression of the album is marked by a certain rawness, together with many atmospheric moods.“
The original idea behind Demons & Wizards dates back to spring 1997. Kürsch and Schaffer, who have been friends for years since joint tours by Blind Guardian and Iced Earth, composed their first song together (which can be found on the debut under the title ´My Last Sunrise`) and went on to look for a period when both musicians would have the time to write and record a whole album. They agreed on autumn 1998, when Blind Guardian had finished their Nightfall In Middle Earth tour and Schaffer was ready to present the first song fragments to his friend and partner, Kürsch. The production commenced in America in June 1999. Following the release of their debut in spring 2000, Demons & Wizards played a number of celebrated shows in Europe, responding to the demand for additional shows.
If and when there will be a Touched By The Crimson King tour is still written in the stars. Fact is: their busy schedule allowing, Demons & Wizards will be only too happy to play a handful of gigs this year. “We’re thinking of the coming winter, roughly, but it depends on how the shows fit in with Blind Guardian’s studio dates. We’re determined to play Europe again, but first of all there will be shows in the States, where we also performed the debut.” Not to worry: the enthusiasm of the European fans for Touched By The Crimson King won’t let the Demons & Wizards masterminds rest until a number of dates have been confirmed on these shores.
TRACKS Crimson King * Beneath These Waves * Terror Train * Seize The Day * The Gunslinger * Love´s Tragedy Asunder * Wicked Witch * Dorian * Down Where I Am * Immigrant Song
DISCOGRAPHY
DEMONS & WIZARDS (2000)
New: TOUCHED BY THE CRIMSON KING (2005)
This profile was edited with Thomas' myspace editor™ V2.5