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 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

Iced Earth Iced Earth is an American heavy metal band formed in Tampa, Florida and currently based in Columbus, Indiana. They were formed in 1984 under the name the Rose, then Purgatory, by guitarist and main songwriter Jon Schaffer and original drummer ...

guitarist

Jon Schaffer Jon Ryan Schaffer (born March 15, 1968) is an American heavy metal musician. He is the rhythm guitarist and principal songwriter of the Indiana-based heavy metal band Iced Earth, which he formed in 1985 under the name Purgatory. He is also the ...

until his departure from the project in 2021. Additionally, he has worked prominently as a guest with other artists, including Angra,

Edguy Edguy is a heavy metal band formed in Fulda, Germany in 1992. History Demos, AFM years (1992–2003) Edguy was founded in 1992 by 14-year-old students Tobias Sammet, Jens Ludwig, Dominik Storch and Dirk Sauer. The name "Edguy" was an affecti ...

, Iced Earth, and Therion; he notably played characters in the

Ayreon Ayreon is a musical project by Dutch songwriter, singer, musician and record producer Arjen Anthony Lucassen. Ayreon's music is described as progressive rock, progressive metal and power metal sometimes combined with genres such as folk, electro ...

albums ''

01011001 ''01011001'' is the seventh studio album by Arjen Anthony Lucassen's long-running Ayreon project. "01011001" is the binary representation of the ASCII value of the letter '' Y''. ''01011001'' is a concept album that tells the story of aliens ca ...

'' and ''

The Source ''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the ma ...

''.

Early life

Hansi Kürsch was born on 10 August 1966 in Lank-Latum, near

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...

, to a working-class family in

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

. He is the youngest of four siblings. Kürsch was raised in the suburb of Lank-Latum, near a castle called Burg Linn. Having spent his childhood playing football near the castle nurtured his love and passion both for football, as well as fantasy and fairytales, which later became the main source for his lyrics. By the time he was ten, Kürsch discovered his love for music, specifically Classic Rock bands, such as

the Electric Light Orchestra The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood with drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of pop, classical a ...

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

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 ...

. However, the turning point for him was coming across

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...

’s 24 Carat Purple for the first time, which not only started his love for Hard Rock music, but also introduced him to bands like

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

, and others. He lists

Ian Gillan Ian Gillan (born 19 August 1945) is a British singer who is best known as the lead singer and lyricist for the rock band Deep Purple. He is known for his powerful and wide-ranging singing voice. Initially influenced by Elvis Presley, Gillan ...

Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. Regarded as one of the greatest singers in the ...

, and

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...

as his favorite singers, and the ones who influenced him the most.

Personal life

In 1984, while being a Commerce School student, and on the same day Kürsch met his current bandmate and

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.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 ...

, he became aware of a female student called Andrea, whom he later married in 1991. Their son, Jonas, was born in 2001. Together with his wife and son, Kürsch still now resides in Krefeld.

History

A signature of Kürsch's songwriting is his practice of

overdubbing Overdubbing (also known as layering) is a technique used in audio recording in which audio tracks that have been pre-recorded are then played back and monitored, while simultaneously recording new, doubled, or augmented tracks onto one or more av ...

his own voice multiple times in complex, overlapping harmonies on his recordings, creating the atmosphere of a huge choir. The track "Chant" on the first Demons & Wizards album is vocal only, in the style of a traditional

Gregorian chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed mainly in western and central Europe durin ...

; Kürsch's is the only voice on the song. Kürsch's lyrics revolve around various themes prevalent in the power metal genre, including medieval fantasy,

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlins ...

, religious/mythological tales, and legends/stories, both his own and from the literary world. His lyrics in the first Demons & Wizards album tackle even various themes, whereas "Touched by the Crimson King" was based primarily off different fantasy novels. Kürsch had also recorded three albums for his side project with

, Demons & Wizards until his departure in 2021. * Demons & Wizards – '' Demons & Wizards'' (2000) *Demons & Wizards – ''

Touched by the Crimson King ''Touched by the Crimson King'' is the second album by the power metal supergroup Demons and Wizards, released in June 2005. The album contains a cover of Led Zeppelin's " Immigrant Song." It was also released as a limited edition digipak in ...

'' (2005) *Demons & Wizards – ''III'' (2020) Although mostly known for being a clean singer nowadays, Kürsch's early technique made use of a harsher, "screaming" technique. He can be heard using similar, more aggressive, technique while singing guest vocals for

Heaven Shall Burn Heaven Shall Burn are a German extreme metal band from Saalfeld, formed in 1995. The band consists of vocalist Marcus Bischoff, guitarists Maik Weichert and Alexander Dietz, bassist Eric Bischoff and drummer Christian Bass. They are currently si ...

's cover of "Valhalla".

Guest appearances

''Provided lead vocals, unless stated otherwise.'' *

Gamma Ray A gamma ray, also known as gamma radiation (symbol γ or \gamma), is a penetrating form of electromagnetic radiation arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. It consists of the shortest wavelength electromagnetic waves, typically ...

: ''Land of the Free'' – "Farewell" (1995) *

Grave Digger A gravedigger is a cemetery worker who is responsible for digging a grave prior to a funeral service. Description If the grave is in a cemetery on the property of a church or other religious organization (part of, or called, a churchyard), ...

: '' Tunes of War'' – backing vocals on all tracks (1996) *

Iron Savior Iron Savior is a German power metal band that was formed in Hamburg in 1996. Following a period of several years working behind the scenes in music production, multi-instrumentalist and producer/engineer Piet Sielck joined with former Helloween ...

: ''Iron Savior'' – "For the World" (1997) *

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

: ''Manifiesto'' – "Besando La Tierra", "Estadio Chico" (1997) *

: ''

Vain Glory Opera ''Vain Glory Opera'' is the third (or second "official") studio album by the German power metal band Edguy, released in 1998. It was mixed by Stratovarius' Timo Tolkki, who also played additional lead guitar on "Out Of Control", and featured a ...

'' – "Out of Control", "Vain Glory Opera" (1998) *

: ''Excalibur'' – backing vocals on all tracks (1999) * Therion:

Deggial ''Deggial'' is the ninth studio album by Swedish symphonic metal band Therion in 2000. As with many of Therion's other albums, ''Deggial'' features a choir and orchestra. In 2021, it was elected by '' Metal Hammer'' as the 8th best symphonic m ...

'' (2000) – "Flesh of the Gods" (2000) * Rage: ''Unity'' – backing vocals on all tracks (2002) * Angra: ''

Temple of Shadows ''Temple of Shadows'' is the fifth studio and a concept album by the power metal band Angra and was released in 2004 by Paradoxx Music in Brazil and SPV label Steamhammer in the rest of the world. SPV also released a limited edition containing ...

'' – "Winds of Destination" (2004) *

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 ...

: '' Nuclear Blast All-Stars: Into the Light'' – "Slaves to the Desert" (2007) *

Aneurysm An aneurysm is an outward bulging, likened to a bubble or balloon, caused by a localized, abnormal, weak spot on a blood vessel wall. Aneurysms may be a result of a hereditary condition or an acquired disease. Aneurysms can also be a nidus (s ...

: ''Shades'' – "Reflection" (2007) *

'' – portrayed as Forever (represented by a

Celtic cross The Celtic cross is a form of Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring that emerged in Ireland, France and Great Britain in the Early Middle Ages. A type of ringed cross, it became widespread through its use in the stone high crosses er ...

symbol) in "Age of Shadows", "Beneath the Waves", "Newborn Race", "The Fifth Extinction", "Unnatural Selection", "River of Time", "The Sixth Extinction" (2008) * Dreamtone & Iris Mavraki's Neverland: '' Reversing Time'' – "To Lose the Sun" (2008) *

Van Canto Van Canto (sometimes stylized as van Canto) is a German a cappella metal band, founded in 2006 and composed of six singers and a drummer. Although the group is often classified as an a cappella ensemble, they use real drums in their music, inst ...

: ''Hero'' – "Take to the Sky" (2008) * The Arrow: ''Lady Nite'' – "Never Say Never" (2009) * Rage: ''Strings to a Web'' Bonus DVD (Live at Wacken Open Air 2009) – "Set This World on Fire", "All I Want", "Invisible Horizons" (2010) *

: ''The Ballad of Mary'' – Rebellion 2010 (2011, EP) *

: '' The Clans Are Still Marching'' (2011) – "Rebellion (The Clans Are Marching)" (2011, live album) *Solar Fragment: ''In Our Hands'' – Inside the Circle (2011) *Maegi: ''Skies Fall'' – "Those We've Left Behind" (2013) *

: ''Veto'' – "Valhalla" (2013) *

: ''

Plagues of Babylon ''Plagues of Babylon'' is the eleventh studio album by American heavy metal band Iced Earth. Released in January 2014, the album is the group's first studio release with bassist Luke Appleton and the only with drummer Raphael Saini, who was a gue ...

'' – "Among the Living Dead" (2014) *

The Unguided The Unguided is a Swedish melodic death metal band, founded by Richard Sjunnesson, Roger Sjunnesson, Roland Johansson and John Bengtsson, all of whom are former members of Sonic Syndicate. Later, they were joined by Cipher System bassist Henric ...

: ''

Fragile Immortality The Unguided is a Swedish melodic death metal band, founded by Richard Sjunnesson, Roger Sjunnesson, Roland Johansson and John Bengtsson, all of whom are former members of Sonic Syndicate. Later, they were joined by Cipher System bassist Henric ...

'' – "Deathwalker" (2014) *Disforia: ''The Age of Ether'' – "The Dying Firmament" (2014) *

Vexillum The ''vexillum'' (; plural ''vexilla'') was a flag-like object used as a military standard by units in the Ancient Roman army. Use in Roman army The word ''vexillum'' is a derivative of the Latin word, ''velum'', meaning a sail, which con ...

: ''Unum'' – "The Sentenced: Fire and Blood" (2015) *

Doro Doro may refer to: * Doro (musician), rock singer, former vocalist of the German heavy metal band Warlock ** ''Doro'' (album), a 1990 album by Doro * AKA (rapper) (born 1988), South African hip hop recording artist * Dorothy Bush Koch, often call ...

: ''Strong and Proud: 30 Years of Rock and Metal'' – "Rock Till Death" (2016, live album) *

In Extremo In Extremo (Latin for ''At the Edge''; abbreviated InEx or IE) is a German Medieval metal band originating from Berlin. The band's musical style combines metal with Medieval traditional songs, blending the sound of the standard rock/metal instr ...

: ''Quid Pro Quo'' – "Roter Stern" (2016) * Hansen & Friends: ''XXX - Three Decades in Metal'' – "Follow the Sun" (2016) * ''The Dwarves'' OST: "Children of the Smith" (2016) *

: ''The Source'' – portrayed The Astronomer in "The Day That the World Breaks Down", "Everybody Dies", "Star of Sirrah", "Run! Apocalypse! Run!", "Aquatic Race", "Into the Ocean", "Planet Y Is Alive!", "Journey to Forever", "The Human Compulsion" (2017) * Tarja: ''Feliz Navidad –'' "Feliz Navidad (Barbuda Relief and Recovery Charity version)" (2017, single) *

Orphaned Land Orphaned Land is an Israeli heavy metal band, formed in 1991 under the name Resurrection (changing their name in 1992 to the current name), that combines Israeli Jewish, Mizrahi, and other West Asian influences. They are considered the pioneer ...

: '' Unsung Prophets & Dead Messiahs'' – "Like Orpheus" (2018) *

: ''

Ayreon Universe – The Best of Ayreon Live ''Ayreon Universe – The Best of Ayreon Live'', alternatively known as ''Ayreon Universe – Best of Ayreon Live'' or simply ''Ayreon Universe'', is a live album and DVD/Blu-ray by Arjen Anthony Lucassen's progressive rock/metal rock opera projec ...

'' – "River of Time", "Star of Sirrah", "Age of Shadows", "Everybody Dies", "The Eye of Ra" (2018, live album) * Judicator: ''The Last Emperor'' – "Spiritual Treason" (2018) *ZiX: ''Rise from your Ashes your Grave'' – "Rise from your Ashes your Grave" (2018) *

Avantasia Avantasia is a German supergroup metal opera project created by Tobias Sammet, vocalist of the band Edguy. It has been characterized as a rock opera, as it features the contributions of various vocalists and musicians and it consists of concept ...

: ''Moonglow'' – "Book of Shallows", "The Raven Child" (2019) * Hämatom: "I Want It All" (2019, single) *Diamond Kobra: ''The Arrival'' – narrator of Intro & Outro (2019) *Númenor: ''Draconian Age'' – "Make the Stand (At the Gates of Erebor)" (2021) *

Corvus Corax The common raven (''Corvus corax'') is a large all-black passerine bird. It is the most widely distributed of all corvids, found across the Northern Hemisphere. It is a raven known by many names at the subspecies level; there are at least e ...

: ''Era Metallum'' – "Lá í mbealtaine" (2022) *

Powerwolf Powerwolf, often stylized as POWERWOLF, is a German power metal band founded in 2003 in Saarbrücken by members of Red Aim. The band consists of vocalist Karsten Brill as "Attila Dorn", lead guitarist Benjamin Buss as "Matthew Greywolf", bassist/ ...

: "Call of the Wild" (2022, single) *Stranger Vision: ''Wasteland – "''Wasteland" (2022)

References

External links

Interview with Hansi at Nocturnal Horde
(16 July 2005)
Blind Guardian websiteDemons & Wizards website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kursch, Hansi 1966 births Living people People from Rhein-Kreis Neuss Blind Guardian members German heavy metal bass guitarists Male bass guitarists German heavy metal singers German male singers English-language singers from Germany Demons & Wizards (band) members German male guitarists