''A Twist in the Myth'' is the eighth studio album by German

power metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...

band Blind Guardian. It was originally set to be released on 5 September 2006 in Europe (which became the North American release date), but

Nuclear Blast Nuclear Blast is a record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label mov ...

changed the release date to 1 September 2006. The album was released in several different formats: a normal version, a

digipak Optical disc packaging is the packaging that accompanies CDs, DVDs, and other formats of optical discs. Most packaging is rigid or semi-rigid and designed to protect the media from scratches and other types of exposure damage. Jewel case A ...

version with a bonus track and bonus CD, and a limited edition book-version. The book contains the digipak, along with a

guitar pick A guitar pick (American English) is a plectrum used for guitars. Picks are generally made of one uniform material—such as some kind of plastic (nylon, Delrin, celluloid), rubber, felt, tortoiseshell, wood, metal, glass, tagua, or stone. They ...

, booklet and certificate of

authenticity Authenticity or authentic may refer to: * Authentication, the act of confirming the truth of an attribute Arts and entertainment * Authenticity in art, ways in which a work of art or an artistic performance may be considered authentic Music * A ...

and autographs, as well as a dragon-shaped seal and a bar of red sealing wax.

Track listing

All music written by

André Olbrich André Olbrich (born 3 May 1967) is a German musician, best known as the co-founder and lead guitarist of power metal band Blind Guardian, in which he serves as one of the main composers with other founder Hansi Kürsch. Olbrich was ranked num ...

and

Hansi Kürsch Hans Jürgen "Hansi" Kürsch (born 10 August 1966) is a German singer, songwriter and former bass guitarist, best known as a member of the power metal band Blind Guardian. One of the founders of the band, he has been its lead vocalist since its ...

. All lyrics written by Kürsch. * "All the King's Horses" is also available on the single "Another Stranger Me". * "Market Square" is the demo version of "Straight Through the Mirror" and is only available on the Double LP and Limited Book versions of the album.

Lyrical references

* "This Will Never End" is inspired by

Walter Moers Walter Moers (; born 24 May 1957 in Mönchengladbach) is a German comic creator and author. Life and work Moers held odd jobs after leaving school before starting a commercial apprenticeship. He taught himself how to draw, and has been publis ...

' ''

A Wild Ride Through the Night ''A Wild Ride Through the Night'' is a novel by the German author/cartoonist Walter Moers. It was first published in German in 2001 and is the story of Gustave Doré, a young boy who goes on a fantastical adventure to defy Death. The story is bas ...

'' and tells of a meeting between the young illustrator Gustave Doré and the Grim Reaper who begins to doubt the existence of a divine masterplan and thus his own purpose. * "Otherland" is based on

Tad Williams Robert Paul "Tad" Williams (born March 14, 1957) is an American fantasy and science fiction writer. He is the author of the multivolume ''Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn'' series, ''Otherland'' series, and ''Shadowmarch'' series as well as the standal ...

' ''

Otherland ''Otherland'' is a science fiction tetralogy by American writer Tad Williams, published between 1996 and 2001. The story is set on Earth near the end of the 21st century, probably between 2082 and 2089, in a world where technology has advanced ...

'' series of novels. * "Turn the Page" is about the

Wiccan Wicca () is a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religion categorise it as both a new religious movement and as part of the occultist stream of Western esotericism. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and was ...

ritual of renewal and change of seasons, dealing with the Horned God and also contains references to the historical shift from Paganism to Christianity. * "Fly" contains references to Peter Pan and was inspired by the film '' Finding Neverland''. * "Carry the Blessed Home" is about Roland the Gunslinger and Jake Chambers at the end of

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

's '' Dark Tower'' series. * "Another Stranger Me" is about a person with dissociative identity disorder who discovers his multiple personalities and tries to find a way out of his situation. * "Straight through the Mirror" tells how dreams can change very quickly – it's about the importance of dreams in general too. Some claim it's about a person describing the experience and process of dying while in reality this person is just dreaming it all. * "Lionheart" is about

Ulysses Ulysses is one form of the Roman name for Odysseus, a hero in ancient Greek literature. Ulysses may also refer to: People * Ulysses (given name), including a list of people with this name Places in the United States * Ulysses, Kansas * Ulysse ...

and how he travels through

Hades Hades (; grc-gre, ᾍδης, Háidēs; ), in the ancient Greek religion and myth, is the god of the dead and the king of the underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea, although this also ...

, but in this song he doesn't find the way out. Hansi took inspiration from French artist Gustave Dore and his illustrations of '' Dante's Inferno,'' whose main character, Dante the Pilgrim, meets Ulysses during his tour of Hell. * "Skalds and Shadows" is sung from the point of view of an Old Norse

Skald A skald, or skáld (Old Norse: , later ; , meaning "poet"), is one of the often named poets who composed skaldic poetry, one of the two kinds of Old Norse poetry, the other being Eddic poetry, which is anonymous. Skaldic poems were traditionally ...

with an allusion towards the Saga of the Volsungs (specifically the story of

Sigurd Sigurd ( non, Sigurðr ) or Siegfried (Middle High German: ''Sîvrit'') is a legendary hero of Germanic heroic legend, who killed a dragon and was later murdered. It is possible he was inspired by one or more figures from the Frankish Meroving ...

and Brunhilde) at the end. * "The Edge" is about St. Paul and his faith in

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

as the incarnation of God and his belief in the imminent ending of the world ("This is the Edge now/It's all we're living for...") * "The New Order" deals with the necessity of changes. * "All the King's Horses" is based on Welsh folklore and the Arthurian cycle and features references to

Taliesin Taliesin ( , ; 6th century AD) was an early Brittonic poet of Sub-Roman Britain whose work has possibly survived in a Middle Welsh manuscript, the '' Book of Taliesin''. Taliesin was a renowned bard who is believed to have sung at the courts ...

and the

Holy Grail The Holy Grail (french: Saint Graal, br, Graal Santel, cy, Greal Sanctaidd, kw, Gral) is a treasure that serves as an important motif in Arthurian literature. Various traditions describe the Holy Grail as a cup, dish, or stone with miracul ...

. * "Dead Sound of Misery" is a darker version of "Fly" in a different key with alternate lyrics and vocal melodies portraying a mythological vision of the Apocalypse.

Personnel

;Band members *

– vocals *

– lead guitar *

Marcus Siepen Marcus Siepen (born 8 September 1968) is a German guitarist, best known as the rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist of power metal band Blind Guardian. For the biggest percentage of Blind Guardian's songs, particularly in more recent years, he ...

– rhythm guitar *Frederik Ehmke – drums, percussion, flute and bagpipes ;Guest Musicians *

Oliver Holzwarth Blind Guardian is a German power metal band formed in 1984 in Krefeld, West Germany. They are often credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in the power metal and speed metal subgenres.Rolf Köhler Rolf Köhler (24 May 1951 – 16 September 2007) was a German singer, musician, and record producer. Career Köhler initially achieved commercial success performing under the pseudonym Marc de Ville in the late 1970s. As Marc de Ville, he recor ...

, Thomas Hackmann *Martin G. Meyer and Pat Benzner – keyboards ;Production *

Charlie Bauerfeind Karl Rudolf "Charlie" Bauerfeind (born 30 May 1963) is a German sound engineer and producer who has worked mostly with power metal bands such as Angra, Blind Guardian, Helloween, Primal Fear, Rage, HammerFall and Saxon. Works Production ...

– producing, mastering, mixing and engineering * Blind Guardian – producing *Jan Rubach – engineering *Marc Schettler – assistant engineering *Anthony Clarkson – artwork *Axel Jusseit – photos *Nikolay S. Simkin – booklet design

Chart positions

* Germany: #4 * Sweden: #10 * Austria: #19 * Japan: #21 * USA ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Top Independent Albums: #21 * USA Billboard

Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers are "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new an ...

: #13 * Switzerland: #27 * Finland: #30 * Norway: #38 * Spain: #15 * UK: #33 (independent chart)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Twist in the Myth, A 2006 albums Blind Guardian albums Nuclear Blast albums Albums produced by Charlie Bauerfeind