Lightmare: The Fool |

The German Symphony

(1997 – Treasure Hunt Records)

There are albums that stand the test of time, and like fine wine, the older they get, the better they taste. That’s what happens to me every time I play Lightmare’s album “The Fool” into my CD player. It’s like stepping into a world that only this album—and this band—can create. How many albums do you listen to from start to finish without getting bored or skipping tracks? Very few, actually, and this is one of those cases—with the added bonus of being almost a collector’s item, since Lightmare never occupied the music industry’s main stage. And today, looking back after the band’s breakup many years ago, this work stands out as their most enduring legacy.

Lightmare was a German band, formed in Frankfurt around 1991, which remained active throughout the ’90s, first with a demo and later with the release of an EP, “Certain Death” in 1993, before finally releasing this album, titled “The Fool,” in 1997 through the labels Treasure Hunt and D&S Recording. And that was the end of their short history.
Except for an appearance on a 1999 compilation, we heard nothing more from the band. Although, to tell the truth, one of Lightmare’s main members, guitarist Andi Gutjahr, threw himself wholeheartedly into his work with Tankard, the well-known German Thrash Metal band, which he has been a part of since 1998, in addition to his involvement with Seventh Avenue on “Southgate” and the “Treasure Seeker” project.
As for the rest of the members, there isn’t much to say, except for drummer Gerd Lücking, who, like Gutjahr, is currently playing with Tankard.
The truth is that Lightmare left behind “The Fool,” an album that is musically difficult to define with a simple label. It would be easy to just shelve them among the German power metal bands of the ’90s and leave it at that, but upon delving into this album, we’ll find that Lightmare goes beyond being just another band.

The guiding thread throughout “The Fool” is the classical and symphonic, without, of course, neglecting the metal, which oscillates between the classical and, yes, with traces of power metal, but without falling into the obviousness of that “epic” vibe typical of bands like Rhapsody, nor is it close to the Helloween/Gamma Ray duo. Personality is what reigns supreme on this Lightmare album, and as we get to know it better, we begin to appreciate what lies behind each composition that makes it up.
“Theme Of Rebellion” is merely the introduction, the calm before the storm unleashed by “Rebellion,” a fast-paced track with choruses worthy of the most intense Power Metal imaginable, yet without resorting to the stereotypes that flooded the genre in those years, such as full-throttle double bass drums and guitar licks here and there. The structure and original composition are a prime example of what we’ve been saying: Lightmare is something different from the norm.
And if anyone thinks the band is repeating itself at every turn, I invite you to pay close attention to what follows. “Terrion,” with its roots in classical and symphonic music, evokes the sensation of encountering something entirely unique—and, it must be said, with great taste. And so, the momentum builds, with another masterpiece like “Wasted Lives,” a sort of mid-tempo ballad, atmospheric and featuring a very interesting string section.
The classical virtuosity and commitment to the symphonic style are evident in the instrumental “Tones,” which in turn gives way to the title track, “The Fool,” which oscillates between Classic Metal and certain elements of the classical music foundation that Lightmare makes its own. Just listen to the foundations and the rhythmic sections, and you’ll find gold there. The accompanying guitar riffs even give it a superlative feel.

“Call From Solitude” starts off almost in the same vein as the previous track, as a sort of dark ballad that suddenly, and without warning, erupts into a kind of intensity that soothes the very feeling the song conveys.
The closest thing we’ll find to the epic-tinged Power Metal vibe is in “The One,” a short and charming track that also has the distinction of basically following the guidelines and sound Lightmare proposes on this album, and one of the standout tracks above all else. And what about “Take A Stand”? Well, there we have another example of Lightmare’s originality, in a track that oscillates between heavy riffs and a semi-staccato march that conceals another of the hidden gems on this album. Nor can we overlook “My Slowly Dying,” with an intriguing keyboard-driven intro and a melodic, classic foundation to the max, but whose pure riff-driven bursts, with strong, fierce choruses, take us through terrain that blends the melancholic with the epic.
Perhaps the best has been saved for last, as is often the case. “Dungeons Of Society” follows the path of traditional metal, and that’s evident from the very start. Much like what we’ve been hearing so far, the bursts of raw fury are a real highlight, and perhaps another of the best moments on “The Fool.” To wrap things up, there’s a heartfelt track where melancholy and emotion surface with just the sound of the keyboards and a gentle melodic foundation. That’s what “Please, Survive!” is all about—undoubtedly a masterful way to close out an album.

I don’t know if it’s accurate to say that Lightmare created a masterpiece with “The Fool,” but they certainly came close—very close, without a doubt. Perhaps being an underground band (like most metal bands, after all), not having much exposure, and various other factors that aren’t relevant here may have contributed to the band’s dissolution and to “The Fool” going unnoticed by many. That’s not the case for us, of course.
What’s interesting about this album is that Lightmare doesn’t stick to a single musical style. It’s true that the classical and symphonic foundation acts as a common thread tying together all the different directions each song takes, but the overall impression is of an album that’s varied in its composition and of great musical value.
And if that’s not enough, let’s turn to the lyrics. Few Christian bands can offer lyrics that cover such a wide range of topics—from political and social issues to abortion and biblical stories—providing a broad spectrum of possibilities, always from the band’s perspective, of course.
What perhaps falls a bit short is the sound. “The Fool” doesn’t have a great sound, and perhaps its indie status has worked against it a bit. Even so, the band sounds natural, without too many unnecessary effects, and with a very ’90s-style approach, but it’s not really anything extraordinary. What matters here are the songs, not the sound—that much is clear.
And visually, “The Fool” offers us one of those album covers that stick in your memory—the kind where, just by looking at it, you know exactly what it’s about and it’s burned into your visual memory. That alone says a lot.
The album is currently out of print. In addition to the edition we have, it was also released in 2001 by the Brazilian label Mega Hard. It was never released on vinyl, and so far, it hasn’t been reissued. Something that really stands out.

Lightmare made their move with “The Fool.” A masterstroke that, perhaps, with more support in terms of both publicity and distribution, things might have turned out differently. For that reason, the album never quite broke through, nor did it make a big enough impact for the band to become more than an underground group. But in any case, we’re talking about a unique album, with personality and a strength that, seen now with the passage of time, only gets better and better.
Indeed, the passing of the years has not taken its toll on this album. On the contrary. Today it may be seen as a “rarity” within the universe of Christian metal, but for us, it goes beyond that. It is one of the many albums that were left lying around, gathering dust, and which is now very hard to find, at least in physical format. And this is our way of remembering it, pulling it out of the archives and bringing it back, and also, to challenge those who don’t know it, to check out this masterful work of art that is “The Fool”…
There are no official music videos for any of the songs on this album, nor are there any live video recordings or footage, but at least we have a sort of medley that someone put together using some tracks from Lightmare, which is what follows below. By the way, the band maintains a website with a copyright date of 2026—could there be a comeback at some point? Who knows!!!!!