German power metal titans BLIND GUARDIAN are in the early stages of writing their follow-up to 2022's "The God Machine." Frontman Hansi Kürsch shared a new update revealing the band aims to complete pre-production by late 2026, with full recording sessions beginning in early 2027.
Kürsch acknowledged the band is still finding its footing: "We are just back from being completely lazy. We dived into songwriting very carefully. We are not too far yet," he said, requesting a few more months before sharing specifics. He did, however, hint at a clear new direction: "We shouldn't go further down the road when it comes to orchestration... it is time for the let-your-hair-down stuff."
Unlike their recent concept-driven epics, the new album will feature standalone songs with individual lyrics and a freer compositional approach. Separately, the band is also making solid progress on an acoustic reimagining of their beloved 1998 album "Nightfall In Middle-Earth."
BLIND GUARDIAN recently wrapped their fall 2025 North American tour, which spotlighted the classic album "Somewhere Far Beyond." No title or tracklist details for the new studio effort have been revealed yet.