And Then There Was Silence
Encyclopedia
"And Then There Was Silence" is a single by the German power metal
band Blind Guardian
, released in 2001, as well as the final track off of their A Night at the Opera
album. The song is based on The Iliad by Homer and on the Aeneid
by Virgil, and narrates the final days of Troy, as foreseen by Cassandra
, daughter of the king of the destroyed city.
The song is so intricate and features so many tracks that it alone required as much production time as the rest of the A Night at the Opera
album.
Power metal
Power metal is a style of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. The term refers to two different but related styles: the first pioneered and largely practiced in North America with a harder sound similar to speed metal, and a...
band Blind Guardian
Blind Guardian
Blind Guardian is a German power metal band formed in the mid-1980s 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...
, released in 2001, as well as the final track off of their A Night at the Opera
A Night at the Opera (Blind Guardian album)
- Chart positions :Album – Billboard - Band :* Hansi Kürsch – lead and backing vocals* André Olbrich – lead, rhythm and acoustic guitars* Marcus Siepen – rhythm guitar* Thomas "Thomen" Stauch – drums & percussion...
album. The song is based on The Iliad by Homer and on the Aeneid
Aeneid
The Aeneid is a Latin epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. It is composed of roughly 10,000 lines in dactylic hexameter...
by Virgil, and narrates the final days of Troy, as foreseen by Cassandra
Cassandra
In Greek mythology, Cassandra was the daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. Her beauty caused Apollo to grant her the gift of prophecy...
, daughter of the king of the destroyed city.
The song is so intricate and features so many tracks that it alone required as much production time as the rest of the A Night at the Opera
A Night at the Opera (Blind Guardian album)
- Chart positions :Album – Billboard - Band :* Hansi Kürsch – lead and backing vocals* André Olbrich – lead, rhythm and acoustic guitars* Marcus Siepen – rhythm guitar* Thomas "Thomen" Stauch – drums & percussion...
album.
Track listing
- "And Then There Was Silence" – 14:08
- "Harvest of Sorrow" – 3:40
- "Born in a Mourning Hall" (multimedia track) – 5:17
Lineup
- Hansi KürschHansi KürschHans Jürgen Kürsch, better known as Hansi Kürsch is a German musician, the lead vocalist and lyricist of power metal band Blind Guardian. Together with André Olbrich, he is also the principal songwriter for the band. He was also the bassist in Blind Guardian until the 1998 album Nightfall in...
– vocals and backing vocals - André OlbrichAndré OlbrichAndré Olbrich is the lead guitarist of the German power metal band Blind Guardian. He is one of the band's founders together with vocalist Hansi Kürsch, and serves as one of its main songwriters....
– lead, rhythm and acoustic guitar - Marcus SiepenMarcus SiepenMarcus Siepen is one of two guitarists in the power metal band Blind Guardian. For the biggest percentage of Blind Guardian's songs, particularly in more recent years, he has almost strictly played rhythm guitar, with most lead and solo work being performed by André Olbrich.-Personal:Siepen is...
– rhythm guitar - Thomen Stauch – drums and percussion