Blind Guardian was originally formed in 1984 as Lucifer's Heritage. They released two demos entitled Symphonies of Doom (1985) and Battalions of Fear (1986) Their first studio album, Battalions of Fear, was released in 1988. The band's first tour took place shortly after its release. At this point the band had between 150 and 300 fans at their shows, which was a display of their early success in the realms of power metal.When the international chart-topper Somewhere Far Beyond was released, Blind Guardian achieved comparatively great success. For the first time, the band played in Japan to a crowd of 4000 fans.In 1997, Hansi decided that a different bassist would allow for more complex parts, and allow himself to further his vocal technique. Oliver Holzwarth was hired as a bassist for the album and for the tour. He is not a full member of the band, because Hansi may decide to play bass again, and has said he does not have the heart to put Oliver in the position that he may be fired.Blind Guardian is relatively unique in that until April of 2005 (a twenty year period), the band's original line-up had not changed. However, due to differing musical preference, in April their long time drummer Thomen Stauch left the band.
