07/20/2005 13:08

Blind Guardian

Blind Guardian announce new drummer

German power metallers Blind Guardian have found replacement for drummer Thomen Stauch. Vocalist Hani Kürsch sent the following message:

"The seemingly endless time of waiting for a new drummer and speculations who could possibly be the new one has finally come to an end. We have found what we have been searching for...

A few weeks ago an unknown guy who introduced himelf as Frederik Ehmke applied for the job as a drummer in a fairly firm manner. His vital, expressive and skillful performances of some B.G. classics ('Journey Through the Dark', 'Time Stands Still' and 'And then There Was Silence') blew us away completely. Pretending not to be convinced we invited him to do a shoot out recording session under real production terms to check out if the creative chemistry would also work out fine. After finishing these recordings it was obvious to us: Frederik is going to be our new drummer!

It was essential for us to find a musician, who on one side would be able to integrate old Guardian trademarks in his play, but on the other side would also be confident enough to bring in his own vision of the Blind Guardian drums in a tasteful and, for the music, suitable way. Frederik is a calm and handsome fellow, who's aware of his abilities and who also knows what he wants. For us he is the lucky draw.

We are convinced you will be as impressed by his drum performance as we are. Now we are looking forward to starting the next album production. There is a good amount of work ahead of us but we are absolutely ready to go. You can expect a very interesting album with strong songs on it. We will keep you informed."

(source: the official Blind Guardian website)