Biography
Edguy, a neo-classical metal outfit, came together in Fulda, Germany during 1992 when students Tobias Sammet, Jens Ludwig, Dominik Storch, and Dirk Sauer were still teenagers of fourteen years old. At that young age they began crafting their own songs, resulting in a pair of demo tapes by 1994. Despite sending these recordings to multiple labels without any positive response, the group persisted and issued their first album, Savage Poetry, independently in 1995.
Interest from a label soon followed, leading to a deal with AFM. Although the company expressed a desire to handle distribution of the debut, the musicians opted to prioritize their next effort instead. Kingdom of Madness appeared in 1997, after which Storch exited the lineup. Frank Lindenthal stepped in on drums for the 1998 release Vain Glory Opera, which gained more attention due to contributions from Hansi Kürsch of Blind Guardian and Timo Tolkki from Stratovarius. With the arrival of Felix Bohnke on drums and bassist Tobias Exxel, Sammet could concentrate solely on singing duties.
Maintaining their pace of annual releases, Theater of Salvation emerged in 1999 as Sammet simultaneously developed his metal-opera endeavor known as Avantasia. During his focus on that project, the remaining members revisited and re-recorded their scarce original debut album. Mandrake marked their final studio album for AFM in 2001, succeeded by the concert recording Burning Down the Opera Live. Moving to Nuclear Blast, they issued the King of Fools EP in 2004. Subsequent outputs included Hellfire Club later that same year, the Superheroes EP in 2005, and Rocket Ride in 2006.
Sammet revisited Avantasia in 2007, yet the band soon returned to recording and produced Tinnitus Sanctus. Their initial DVD, Fucking with Fire: Live, came out in 2009, followed by the ninth studio album Age of the Joker in 2011. Critics responded positively to Space Police: Defenders of the Crown in 2014, which the band presented as their most intense work up to that point. Another live package arrived in 2017 in the form of the two-disc Monuments set on CD and DVD, blending fresh tracks with earlier material.
Interest from a label soon followed, leading to a deal with AFM. Although the company expressed a desire to handle distribution of the debut, the musicians opted to prioritize their next effort instead. Kingdom of Madness appeared in 1997, after which Storch exited the lineup. Frank Lindenthal stepped in on drums for the 1998 release Vain Glory Opera, which gained more attention due to contributions from Hansi Kürsch of Blind Guardian and Timo Tolkki from Stratovarius. With the arrival of Felix Bohnke on drums and bassist Tobias Exxel, Sammet could concentrate solely on singing duties.
Maintaining their pace of annual releases, Theater of Salvation emerged in 1999 as Sammet simultaneously developed his metal-opera endeavor known as Avantasia. During his focus on that project, the remaining members revisited and re-recorded their scarce original debut album. Mandrake marked their final studio album for AFM in 2001, succeeded by the concert recording Burning Down the Opera Live. Moving to Nuclear Blast, they issued the King of Fools EP in 2004. Subsequent outputs included Hellfire Club later that same year, the Superheroes EP in 2005, and Rocket Ride in 2006.
Sammet revisited Avantasia in 2007, yet the band soon returned to recording and produced Tinnitus Sanctus. Their initial DVD, Fucking with Fire: Live, came out in 2009, followed by the ninth studio album Age of the Joker in 2011. Critics responded positively to Space Police: Defenders of the Crown in 2014, which the band presented as their most intense work up to that point. Another live package arrived in 2017 in the form of the two-disc Monuments set on CD and DVD, blending fresh tracks with earlier material.
Live
