André Olbrich (born 3 May 1967) is a German musician, best known as the co-founder and lead guitarist of
power metal
Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within a symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in co ...
band
Blind Guardian, in which he serves as one of the main composers with other founder
Hansi Kürsch.
Olbrich was ranked number 76 out of 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time by
Guitar World. He is also ranked number 64 in
Joel McIver's The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists. Olbrich's guitar work often reflects vocalist Hansi Kürsch's singing.
Olbrich's style is influenced by his favourite bands, which include
Queen
Queen most commonly refers to:
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen (band), a British rock band
Queen or QUEEN may also refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Q ...
,
Judas Priest,
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
and
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...
. Additionally, Olbrich relies heavily on
staccato
Staccato (; Italian for "detached") is a form of Articulation (music), musical articulation. In modern notation, it signifies a note of shortened duration, separated from the note that may follow by silence. It has been described by theorists and ...
technique.
Equipment
Olbrich's gear
*
ESP Guitars Original Series Horizon Custom
#Body: Alder
#Neck: Maple (Neck-thru)
#Pickups: 2x EMG 81
#Floyd Rose Tremolo System
#24 Jumbo Frets
#Original Jackson-style pointed headstock
*
ESP Guitars Original Series M-II Neck Thru
#Body: Alder with Maple Top
#Neck: Maple (Neck-thru)
#Pickups: 1x EMG 81 (bridge) 1x EMG SA (neck)
#Floyd Rose Tremolo System
#24 Jumbo Frets
*
ESP Guitars Original Series Explorer Custom
#Body: Mahogany
#Neck: Maple (Neck-thru)
#Pickups: 2x EMG 81
#Floyd Rose Tremolo System
#24 Jumbo Frets
*
Ovation Guitar Legend
#Strings: D'Addario .010 - .046
#Picks: Jim Dunlop Nylon 1 MM
#Amp: Engl Straight
#Cabinets: 2x Marshall 1960 ( A & B )
* Amplification
He is believed to use Marshall amps for his distortion/lead riffs:
#Marshall JCM 900 Dual Reverb
#Marshall TSL 60 (Triple Super Lead)
#Marshall cabinets 4x12 (with Celestion V30 speakers)
* Rack
#ENGL savage
#Furman Powerconditioner
#Shure LX Wireless System
#Rocktron Patchmate
#Yamaha SPX 990
#Ibanez Tubescreamer
#Hughes & Kettner "Red Box" Pro
#Morley Power Wah
#Dunlop crybaby 535q (used during A Twist In The Myth tour)
#Boss AC2 Acoustic Simulator
Trivia
In 2020, Russian malacologist Alexander Fedosov named four new species of
Clavus canalicularis mollusk in honour of four rock guitarists. One of them,
Clavus andreolbrichi, was named in honour of Andre Olbrich.
Post of A.Fedoseev about new species's taxonomy
/ref>
References
External links
Blind Guardian official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olbrich, Andre
Living people
German heavy metal guitarists
German male guitarists
Blind Guardian members
German lead guitarists
Musicians from Düsseldorf
1967 births