Radio Metal has published an interview with BLIND GUARDIAN singer Hansi Kürsch. An excerpt follows:

Q: Could we have an update on your work on this orchestral album which is expected to be released in 2012?

A: (huge sigh) "I would say 2012 is history already! (laughs) That’s how far I can go. We worked on the orchestral stuff as well as on stuff for a regular Blind Guardian album between our tours and the finalizing of Memories From A Time To Come. My goal would be to release either the regular Blind Guardian album or the orchestral album in 2013. It is doable, but it’s tough work for us. There are so many elements involved in the orchestral album, as well as in the regular album, all the way from songwriting to production… I’m really cautions when it comes to guessing release dates. But as I said, I assume it will be late 2013, possibly in the fall, before another Blind Guardian album."

Q: It sounds like you’re kind of exhausted by this orchestral project!

A: "I’m not exhausted, but it’s so much work. It’s fun doing it. We did like six songs in a concert hall already, and we recorded them, but I still have to do the vocals. I did a pre-production for these songs already. But we also have to complete the other songs we have done, and it takes a lot of time, in terms of finalizing the scores and all that. If we don’t feel the time is right to work on this, we prefer to work on the regular Blind Guardian stuff. That’s on the same priority level. Both are too important to rush. We never did that in our whole career, and we certainly won’t start after 25 years, even if we would like to release something next year. It’s not important to be as quick as possible, it’s more important to keep the quality."

Read the complete interview at this location.

Blind Guardian recently checked in with a quick update: "Sit back, relax and play video games? Nope, no rest for the (wicked) Guardian. More dates dates have just been announced. Check them out and hopefully you can catch a live show near you."

Blind Guardian tour dates:

March

29-30 - Stockholm, Sweden - Sweden Rock Cruise Sweden

April

8 - Mons, Belgium - Lotto Mons Expo (Power Prog & Metal Fest 2012)
21 - São Luís, Brazil - Parque Independência (Metal Open Air 2012)
23 - São Paulo, Brazil - TBA (with Grave Digger)
25 - Curitiba, Brazil - TBA (with Grave Digger)
27 - Montevideo, Uruguay - La Trastienda
29 - Santiago, Chile - Movistar Arena (Metal Fest Chile)

May

15 - Madrid, Spain - Palacio Vistalegre (with Judas Priest, U.D.O.)
16 - Barcelona, Spain - St. Jordi Club (with Judas Priest, U.D.O.)
18 - Sevilla, Spain - Auditorio Rocio Jurado (with Judas Priest, U.D.O.)
20 - San Sebastian, Spain - Velodromo Anoeta (with Judas Priest, U.D.O.)

June

1 - Jaworzno, Poland - Metalfest Poland
2 - Mining, Austria - Metalfest Austria
3 - Zadar, Croatia - Metalfest Croatia
5 - Monza, Italy - Metalfest Italy
7 - Loreley, Germany - Metalfest Germany West
9 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7 Konzertfabrik (Metalfest Switzerland)
10 - Pilzen, Czech Republic - Metalfest Czech Republic
29 - Dischingen, Germany - Rock am Härtsfeldsee

July

13 - Ballenstedt, Germany - Rockharz Festival

Blind Guardian are celebrating their 25th anniversary with the release of Memories Of A Time To Come, the ultimate collection of music from 1987 to 2011, which was released on January 20th via Virgin/EMI.

A teaser for the re-recorded version of the track 'Valhalla' can be heard streaming in the YouTube clip below:

Memories Of A Time To Come is available as a double CD, three-CD deluxe limited edition including the legendary Lucifer’s Heritage demos and as download.

Blind Guardian recently launched Guardian TV featuring the band fielding questions submitted by their fans on Facebook. Check out parts 1 - 3 below:

Memories Of A Time To Come tracklisting:

CD 1:

'Imaginations from the Other Side' (7:11) *

'Nightfall' (5:34) *

'Ride into Obsession' (4:46) *

'Somewhere Far Beyond' (7:32) *

'Majesty' (7:29) *

'Traveler in Time' (6:01) *

'Follow the Blind' (7:11) *

'The Last Candle' (6:03) *

CD 2:

'Sacred Worlds' (9:17)

'This Will Never End' (5:07) *

'Valhalla' (5:13) **

'Bright Eyes' (5:15) *

'Mirror Mirror' (5:09) *

'The Bard’s Song (In the Forest)' (3:26) *

'The Bard’s Song (The Hobbit)' (3:41) **

'And Then There Was Silence' (14:06) **

CD 3: (only available with the deluxe limited edition)

'Brian' ***

'Halloween (The Wizard’s Crown)' ***

'Lucifer’s Heritage' ***

'Symphonies of Doom' ***

'Dead of the Night' ***

'Majesty'

'Trial by the Archon'

'Battalions of Fear'

'Run for the Night'

'Lost in the Twilight Hall'

'Tommyknockers'

'Ashes to Ashes'

'Time What is Time'

'A Past and Future Secret'

'The Script for My Requiem'

* Remixed 2011

** Re-recorded 2011

*** Re-worked 2011