Somewhere Far Beyond

Somewhere Far Beyond
Studio album by Blind Guardian
Released	29 June 1992
Recorded	February–May 1992
Studio	Karo Studios
Genre	Power metal speed metal
Length	43:20 55:28 (remastered version)
Label	Virgin/Century Media
Producer	Kalle Trapp
Blind Guardian chronology
Tales from the Twilight World (1990) Somewhere Far Beyond (1992) Imaginations from the Other Side (1995)
Singles from Somewhere Far Beyond
"The Bard's Song (In the Forest)" Released: 5 May 2003

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Rock Hard	(9.5/10)[2]

Somewhere Far Beyond is the fourth studio album by the German power metal band Blind Guardian. It was released in 1992 and produced by Kalle Trapp. The cover artwork was created by Andreas Marschall, who also drew the artwork for other Blind Guardian's releases (Tales from the Twilight World, Nightfall in Middle-Earth, etc.). The album saw the band creating its own original sound, while still employing most of their speed/power metal techniques.

The cover art and the two "Bard's Songs" gave the band its nickname "The Bards". The use of the nickname has been also extended to the fans of the group, Circle of the Bards being the now defunct fan club, and Hansi Kürsch frequently calling the fans "Bards".

"The Piper's Calling" contains the first three parts of the Great Highland Bagpipe 2/4 March, "The 79th's Farewell to Gibraltar", written by Pipe Major John MacDonald of the 79th Regiment of Foot (Cameronian Volunteers). Part of this composition also appears as a section of the title track, this time played on a different type of bagpipe.

The album was acclaimed by power metal fans all across Europe and especially Japan, allowing them to tour for the first time outside Germany. The tour in the Far East led to the band's first live album, Tokyo Tales.

Somewhere Far Beyond was remastered and re-released, with bonus tracks, on 15 June 2007. The album was again re-released and also remixed and remastered as part of A Traveler's Guide to Space and Time boxset.