André Olbrich (born 3 May 1967) is a German musician, best known as the co-founder and lead guitarist of

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 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.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 ...

. Olbrich was ranked number 76 out of 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time by

Guitar World ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists – and fans of guitar-based music and trends – that has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original art ...

. He is also ranked number 64 in

Joel McIver Joel McIver (born 10 February 1971) is a British author. His best-known work is ''Justice for All: The Truth About Metallica'', first published in 2004 and appearing in nine languages since then. McIver's other works include biographies of Bl ...

's The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists. Olbrich's guitar work often reflects vocalist Hansi Kürsch's singing. Olbrich's style is influenced by his favourite bands, which include

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

Judas Priest Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in th ...

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

and

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...

. Additionally, Olbrich relies heavily on

staccato Staccato (; Italian for "detached") is a form of musical articulation. In modern notation, it signifies a note of shortened duration, separated from the note that may follow by silence. It has been described by theorists and has appeared in music ...

technique.

Equipment

Olbrich's gear *

ESP Guitars is a Japanese guitar manufacturer, primarily focused on the production of electric guitars and Bass guitar, basses. They are based in both Tokyo and Los Angeles, with distinct product lines for each market. ESP Company manufactures instruments ...

Original Series Horizon Custom #Body: Alder #Neck: Maple (Neck-thru) #Pickups: 2x EMG 81 #Floyd Rose Tremolo System #24 Jumbo Frets #Original Jackson-style pointed headstock *

Original Series M-II Neck Thru #Body: Alder with Maple Top #Neck: Maple (Neck-thru) #Pickups: 1x EMG 81 (bridge) 1x EMG SA (neck) #Floyd Rose Tremolo System #24 Jumbo Frets *

Original Series Explorer Custom #Body: Mahogany #Neck: Maple (Neck-thru) #Pickups: 2x EMG 81 #Floyd Rose Tremolo System #24 Jumbo Frets *

Ovation Guitar The Ovation Guitar Company is a manufacturer of string instruments. Ovation primarily manufactures steel-string acoustic guitars (both 6 and 12-string versions) and nylon-string guitars, often with pickups for electric amplification. In 2015, ...

Legend #Strings: D'Addario .010 - .046 #Picks: Jim Dunlop Nylon 1 MM #Amp: Engl Straight #Cabinets: 2x Marshall 1960 ( A & B ) * Amplification He is believed to use Marshall amps for his distortion/lead riffs: #Marshall JCM 900 Dual Reverb #Marshall TSL 60 (Triple Super Lead) #Marshall cabinets 4x12 (with Celestion V30 speakers) * Rack #ENGL savage #Furman Powerconditioner #Shure LX Wireless System #Rocktron Patchmate #Yamaha SPX 990 #Ibanez Tubescreamer #Hughes & Kettner "Red Box" Pro #Morley Power Wah #Dunlop crybaby 535q (used during A Twist In The Myth tour) #Boss AC2 Acoustic Simulator

Trivia

In 2020, Russian malacologist Alexander Fedosov named four new species of

Clavus canalicularis ''Clavus canalicularis'', common name the ear turrid, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Drilliidae. Description The shell grows to a length of 27 mm. The white shell shows a broad chestnut band below t ...

mollusk in honour of four rock guitarists. One of them, Clavus andreolbrichi, was named in honour of Andre Olbrich.Post of A.Fedoseev about new species's taxonomy
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References

External links

Blind Guardian official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olbrich, Andre Living people German heavy metal guitarists German male guitarists Blind Guardian members Lead guitarists Musicians from Düsseldorf 1967 births