Tales from the Twilight World

Tales from the Twilight World
Studio album by Blind Guardian
Released	2 October 1990
Recorded	Early 1990 at Karo Studios
Length	40:45
Label	No Remorse Records, Virgin Records, Century Media
Producer	Kalle Trapp
Blind Guardian chronology
Follow the Blind (1989) Tales from the Twilight World (1990) Somewhere Far Beyond (1992)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
Rock Hard	(9.5/10)[1]

Tales from the Twilight World is the third studio album that was released in 1990 by Blind Guardian.

Track listing

All lyrics written by Hansi Kürsch (except for To France). 

No.	Title	Music	Length
1.	"Traveler in Time"	Hansi Kürsch and André Olbrich	5:59
2.	"Welcome to Dying"	Kürsch, Olbrich	4:47
3.	"Weird Dreams"	Olbrich	1:19
4.	"Lord of the Rings"	Kürsch, Marcus Siepen	3:18
5.	"Goodbye My Friend"	Kürsch, Olbrich, Thomas "Thomen" Stauch	5:33
6.	"Lost in the Twilight Hall"	Kürsch, Olbrich, Siepen, Stauch	5:58
7.	"Tommyknockers"	Kürsch, Olbrich	5:09
8.	"Altair 4"	Kürsch, Olbrich	2:26
9.	"The Last Candle"	Kürsch, Olbrich	5:59

Bonus track^[a]
No.	Title	Music	Length
10.	"Run for the Night" (Live)	Kürsch, Olbrich, Siepen, Stauch	3:42

2003 re-release bonus tracks
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
11.	"Lords of the Rings" (Demo)	Kürsch, Siepen	3:57
12.	"To France" (Mike Oldfield cover)	Mike Oldfield	4:39

2007 re-release bonus tracks
No.	Title	Music	Length
11.	"Lost in the Twilight Hall" (Demo)	Kürsch, Olbrich, Siepen, Stauch	5:58
12.	"TommyKnockers" (Demo)	Kürsch, Olbrich	5:09

a. ^ "Run for the Night" (Live) is featured on the Japanese LP release and all the CD releases. It was recorded in Braunschweig in 1989.

Lineup

• Hansi Kürsch – vocals and bass
• André Olbrich – lead guitar & backing vocals
• Marcus Siepen – rhythm guitar & backing vocals
• Thomas "Thomen" Stauch – drums

Guest appearances

• Kai Hansen (Iron Savior, Helloween, Gamma Ray) - backing vocals, vocals on "Lost in the Twilight Hall" and guitar solo on "The Last Candle".
• Piet Sielck (Iron Savior, Savage Circus) - backing vocals & effects
• Mathias Wiesner - effects and keyboards
• Rolf Köhler, "Hacky" Hackmann and Kalle Trapp - backing vocals

Personnel

• Kalle Trapp - producing, mixing and recording
• Piet Sielck - second engineer
• Charley Rinne - executive producer
• Andreas Marshall - cover paintings and idea
• Buffo/Charley Rinne - pictures

Lyrical references

• "Traveler in Time" is based on Frank Herbert's Dune
• "Welcome to Dying" is based on Peter Straub's Floating Dragon
• "Lord of the Rings" is based on J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings
• "Tommyknockers" and "Altair 4" are based on Stephen King's The Tommyknockers
• "Goodbye My Friend" is inspired by the film E.T.
• "Lost in the Twilight Hall" is about the time spent "between worlds" by the wizard Gandalf the Grey after defeating the Balrog of Moria before his reincarnation as Gandalf the White.
• "The Last Candle" talks about places and events of Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Dragonlance universe, specially from the "Chronicles" and "Legends" trilogies.

References

1. Trojan, Frank. "Rock Hard". issue 42.