| At the Edge of Time | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 29 July 2010 | |||
| Recorded | 2009–2010 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 63:54 | |||
| Label | Nuclear Blast | |||
| Producer | Charlie Bauerfeind | |||
| Blind Guardian chronology | ||||
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| Singles from At the Edge of Time | ||||
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At the Edge of Time is the ninth studio album by the Germanpower metal bandBlind 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]
All music is composed byAndré Olbrich andHansi Kürsch, except "You're the Voice" on the bonus CD, which was written byAndy Qunta, Keith Reid, Maggie Ryder and Chris Thompson.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Total length: | 63:54 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Curse My Name (Original)" | 5:13 |
| 12. | "Valkyries (Extended)" | 6:51 |
| Total length: | 75:58 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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) | 3:35 |
| 4. | "Tanelorn (Into the Void) (Demo Version)" | 5:58 |
| 5. | "Curse My Name (Demo Version)" | 4:41 |
| 6. | "A Voice in the Dark (Demo Version)" | 5:40 |
| 7. | "Sacred (Video Clip)" | |
| 8. | "A Journey to the Edge of Time (Studio Documentary)" | |
| Total length: | 35:38 | |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Metal1 | 9.5/10[4] |
| Lords of Metal | 93/100[5] |
| Danger Dog | [6] |
| Metal Express Radio | 8/10[7] |
| Metal Hammer (GER) | 6/7[8] |
| Rock Hard | 9/10[9] |
The album was named as "Album of the Month" in the August 2010 issue of Germany'sMetal Hammer magazine.[8]
At the Edge of Time was the first album in the band's history to climb to second place in theGerman 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 theBillboard Top 200 chart but also became the No. 1 song on theBillboard 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]
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 gameSacred 2: Fallen Angel.[11]
Based onMichael Moorcock'sThe Eternal Champion series.[12]
Based onPeter S. Beagle'sThe Innkeeper's Song.
Based onRobert Jordan'sThe Wheel of Time series.
(Hansi Kürsch: "An introduction to the main characters, the Dragon Reborn and the Dark Lord Ba'alzamon.")
Based onThe Tenure of Kings and Magistrates, a political writing byJohn Milton where he legitimizes the killing ofa king who didn't carry out his duties.
Inspired by Norse mythology, especiallyValkyries, as well as the perception of time.
Based onJohn Milton'sParadise Lost.
Based onGeorge R. R. Martin'sA Song of Ice and Fire series.
Based on George R. R. Martin'sA Song of Ice and Fire series. It tells the story ofBran 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 originalspeed metal style.
Based on Robert Jordan'sThe Wheel of Time series, focusing on (and through the viewpoint of)Rand al'Thor, the protagonist of the series.
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[13] | 9 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[14] | 67 |
| Croatian International Albums (HDU)[15] | 7 |
| European Albums[16] | 7 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[17] | 18 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[18] | 48 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[19] | 2 |
| Greek Albums (IFPI)[20] | 4 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[21] | 19 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[22] | 29 |
| Slovenian Albums[23] | 25 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[24] | 47 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[25] | 22 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[26] | 14 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[27] | 22 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[28] | 18 |
| USBillboard 200[29] | 108 |
| 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) |
