At the Edge of Time

At the Edge of Time is the ninth studio album by German power metal band Blind Guardian. A two-CD version of the album was released, with the second disc containing eight tracks. The artwork for the album was created by Colombian artist Felipe Machado Franco.[2] The album was released in Europe on 30 July 2010. A music video for "A Voice in the Dark" was released on 3 August 2010.[3]

For the song, see Beyond the Red Mirror.

At the Edge of Time
Studio album by
Blind Guardian
Released29 July 2010
Recorded2009–2010
Genre
Length63:54
LabelNuclear Blast
ProducerCharlie Bauerfeind
Blind Guardian chronology
A Twist in the Myth
(2006)		 At the Edge of Time
(2010)		 Beyond the Red Mirror
(2015)
Singles from At the Edge of Time
  1. "A Voice in the Dark"
    Released: 25 June 2010

Track listing

All music is composed by André Olbrich and Hansi Kürsch, except "You're the Voice" on the bonus CD, which was written by Andy Qunta, Keith Reid, Maggie Ryder and Chris Thompson

No.TitleLength
1."Sacred Worlds"9:19
2."Tanelorn (Into the Void)"5:58
3."Road of No Release"6:30
4."Ride into Obsession"4:47
5."Curse My Name"5:49
6."Valkyries"6:34
7."Control the Divine"5:25
8."War of the Thrones"4:55
9."A Voice in the Dark"5:41
10."Wheel of Time"8:56
Japanese edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
11."Curse My Name (Original)"5:13
12."Valkyries (Extended)"6:51
Digipack bonus CD
No.TitleLength
1."Sacred Worlds (Pre-production Version)"6:49
2."Wheel of Time (Orchestral Version)"8:55
3."You're the Voice (Radio Edit)" (John Farnham cover)3:36
4."Tanelorn (Into the Void) (Demo Version)"5:58
5."Curse My Name (Demo Version)"4:42
6."A Voice in the Dark (Demo Version)"5:40
7."Sacred (Video Clip)" 
8."A Journey to the Edge of Time (Studio Documentary)" 

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Metal19.5/10[4]
Lords of Metal93/100[5]
Danger Dog[6]
Metal Express Radio8/10[7]
Metal Hammer (GER)6/7[8]
Rock Hard9/10[9]

The album was named as "Album of the Month" in the August 2010 issue of Germany's Metal Hammer magazine.[8]

At the Edge of Time was the first album in the band's history to climb to second place in the German Media Control Charts. It kept its place among the Top 10 for three straight weeks.

The album was particularly successful in the United States. Not only did it debut in the 108th position of the Billboard Top 200 chart but also became the No. 1 song on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. This marks the highest position that a Blind Guardian album had reached until then in the United States.

The album debuted at No. 18 on the Top Hard Music Albums chart and No. 108 on the Top 200 chart in Canada.[10]

Song information
  • Sacred Worlds

An edited version of the original song "Sacred", which has a new orchestral intro and outro. It was written by Blind Guardian for the 2008 video game Sacred 2: Fallen Angel.[11]

  • Tanelorn (Into the Void)

Based on Michael Moorcock's The Eternal Champion series.[12]

  • Road of No Release

Based on Peter S. Beagle's The Innkeeper's Song.

  • Ride into Obsession

Based on Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series.
(Hansi Kürsch: "An introduction to the main characters, the Dragon Reborn and the Dark Lord Ba'alzamon.")

  • Curse My Name

Based on The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates, a political writing by John Milton where he legitimizes the killing of a king who didn't carry out his duties.

  • Valkyries

Inspired by Norse mythology, especially Valkyries, as well as the perception of time.

  • Control the Divine

Based on John Milton's Paradise Lost.

  • War of the Thrones

Based on George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series.

  • A Voice in the Dark

Based on George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. It tells the story of Bran Stark, a key character in the series. This track was the first single from the album, and it is a small comeback to the band's original speed metal style.

  • Wheel of Time

Based on Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series, focusing on (and through the viewpoint of) Rand al'Thor, the protagonist of the series.

Personnel
Blind Guardian
Guest musicians
Additional personnel
  • Felipe Machado Franco – cover artwork

Charts
Chart (2010) Peak
position		 Certification Sales/
shipments[13]
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[14] 2 - -
Greek Albums (IFPI)[15] 4 - -
Croatian Albums (HDU)[16] 7 - -
European Albums Chart[17] 7 - -
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[18] 7 - -
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[19] 14 - -
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[20] 18 - -
Italian Albums (FIMI)[21] 19 - -
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[22] 22 - -
Slovenian Albums Chart[23] 25 - -
Japanese Albums Chart[24] 29 - -
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[25] 47 - -
French Albums (SNEP)[26] 48 - -
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[27] 67 - -
Canadian Albums Chart[28] 108 - -
US Billboard 200[29] 108 - 14,000 (December 2010)
UK Albums Chart[17] 197 - -

Release history
Country Release date
Russia 29 July 2010 (2010-07-29)
Europe 30 July 2010 (2010-07-30)
United States 24 August 2010 (2010-08-24)
Japan 28 August 2010 (2010-08-28)

References
  1. https://www.allmusic.com/album/r1948366
  2. "Blind Guardian Reveals "At The Edge of Time" Release Date and More". www.metalunderground.com. Archived from the original on 3 June 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
  3. "BLIND GUARDIAN: 'A Voice In The Dark' Video Released". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  4. "Blind Guardian - At The Edge Of Time - CD Review" (in German). Metal1.info. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  5. "Blind Guardian - At The Edge Of Time | Review | Lords Of Metal metal E-zine - issue 105". Lordsofmetal.nl. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  6. "Music Review : Blind Guardian At the Edge of Time : Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, CD Album Music Review : Craig Hartranft". Dangerdog.com. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  7. "Metal Express Radio". Metal Express Radio. 13 December 2011. Archived from the original on 10 March 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  8. "Review zu: Blind Guardian - At The Edge Of Time - METAL HAMMER". Metal-hammer.de. 30 July 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  9. Rensen, Michael. "Rock Hard". issue 279. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  10. "Band « Blind Guardian Official Website". www.blind-guardian.com. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  11. "Interview with Marcus Siepen". Metal Sound. Archived from the original on 21 June 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
  12. "Belgrade and Tanelorn". Metal Sound. Archived from the original on 22 July 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
  13. Certification award levels Archived July 26, 2011, at the Wayback Machine IFPI. Retrieved August, 2009.
  14. "Offiziellecharts.de – Blind Guardian – At the Edge of Time" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  15. "Greekcharts.com – Blind Guardian – At the Edge of Time". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  16. "Top Kombiniranih [Top Combined]" (in Croatian). Top Combined Albums. Hrvatska diskografska udruga. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  17. "Chart positions part 2 « Blind Guardian Official Website". Blind-guardian.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  18. "Austriancharts.at – Blind Guardian – At the Edge of Time" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  19. "Swisscharts.com – Blind Guardian – At the Edge of Time". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  20. "Blind Guardian: At the Edge of Time" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  21. "Italiancharts.com – Blind Guardian – At the Edge of Time". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  22. "Swedishcharts.com – Blind Guardian – At the Edge of Time". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  23. "Slo Top 30" (in Slovenian). Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  24. "アット・ジ・エッジ・オブ・タイム ブラインド・ガーディアンのプロフィールならオリコン芸能人事典-ORICON STYLE". Oricon.co.jp. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  25. "Spanishcharts.com – Blind Guardian – At the Edge of Time". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  26. "Lescharts.com – Blind Guardian – At the Edge of Time". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  27. "Ultratop.be – Blind Guardian – At the Edge of Time" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  28. "Highest Billboard chart debut ever! « Blind Guardian Official Website". Blind-guardian.com. 3 September 2010. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  29. "Blind Guardian Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
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