Imaginations from the Other Side

Imaginations from the Other Side is the fifth studio album by Blind Guardian that was released in 1995. The atmosphere of this album is darker in comparison to their earlier works, such as Battalions of Fear, which had a relatively light tone. This album also marks the first since Battalions of Fear in which Kai Hansen (Gamma Ray) did not guest on vocals or guitar, and the last album to feature vocalist Hansi Kürsch as bassist. It was also their first album to spawn off any singles, in the form of "A Past and Future Secret" and "Bright Eyes". It was remastered and re-released on 15 June 2007, with bonus tracks and videos.

Imaginations from the Other Side
Studio album by
Blind Guardian
Released4 April 1995
RecordedAugust 1994 - March 1995
StudioSweet Silence Studios, Copenhagen, Denmark
Genre
Length49:18
LabelVirgin, Century Media
ProducerFlemming Rasmussen
Blind Guardian chronology
Somewhere Far Beyond
(1992)		 Imaginations from the Other Side
(1995)		 Nightfall in Middle-Earth
(1998)
Singles from Imaginations from the Other Side
  1. "A Past and Future Secret"
    Released: February 6, 1995
  2. "Bright Eyes"
    Released: June 21, 1995

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Rock Hard9.5/10[3]

In 2005, Imaginations from the Other Side was ranked number 373 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.[4]

Loudwire named the album at second in their list "Top 25 Power Metal Albums of All Time."[5]

Track listing

All songs written by Hansi Kürsch and André Olbrich, except for where noted.

No.TitleLength
1."Imaginations from the Other Side"7:19
2."I'm Alive"5:31
3."A Past and Future Secret"3:48
4."The Script for My Requiem"6:09
5."Mordred's Song"5:29
6."Born in a Mourning Hall"5:14
7."Bright Eyes"5:16
8."Another Holy War"4:32
9."And the Story Ends"6:00
Japanese Bonus Tracks
No.TitleLength
10."The Wizard" (Uriah Heep Cover)3:17
Japanese Limited Edition Bonus Tracks
No.TitleLength
10."The Wizard" (Uriah Heep Cover)3:17
11."I'm Alive" (Demo Version)5:20
12."Imaginations from the Other Side" (Demo Version)7:03
13."A Past and Future Secret" (Demo Version)3:38
14."The Script for My Requiem" (Demo Version)7:01
2007 Re-release Bonus Tracks
No.TitleLength
10."A Past and Future Secret" (Demo Version)3:38
11."Imaginations from the Other Side" (Demo Version)7:03
12."The Script for My Requiem" (Demo Version)7:01
13."Bright Eyes" (Video) 
14."Born in a Mourning Hall" (Video) 
2018 Re-release Bonus Tracks
No.TitleLength
10."The Wizard"3:21
11."System's Failing"4:24

Lineup

Guest musicians
  • Mathias Wiesner - effects
  • Jacob Moth - acoustic guitar on "A Past and Future Secret"
  • Billy King, "Hacky" Hackmann, Rolf Köhler, Piet Sielck, Ronnie Atkins - backing vocals

Personnel

Lyrical references
  • "Imaginations from the Other Side" contains references to The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, The Lord of the Rings, Alice in Wonderland, The Sword in the Stone, Chronicles of Narnia and the Corum novels.
  • "I'm Alive" is about "The Sunset Warrior" by "Eric Van Lustbader"..
  • "A Past and Future Secret" is about T.H. White's The Once and Future King.
  • "Mordred's Song" is about the character Mordred from Arthurian Legend.
  • "Bright Eyes" according to an interview with Hansi is loosely connected to the second part of the book The NeverEnding Story from Michael Ende.

References
  1. Bowar, Chad. "1995's Best Heavy Metal Albums". LiveAbout. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  2. Huey, Steve. "Imaginations from the Other Side - Blind Guardian | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  3. Albrecht, Frank. "Blind Guardian - Imaginations From The Other Side". Rock Hard (in German). Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  4. [...], Rock Hard (Hrsg.). [Red.: Michael Rensen. Mitarb.: Götz Kühnemund] (2005). Best of Rock & Metal die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten. Königswinter: Heel. p. 59. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. DiVita, Joe (July 5, 2017). "Top 25 Power Metal Albums of All Time". Loudwire. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
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