After two demos the band received a contract with AFM Records in 1995. Their first two albums were not very successful, but with Vain Glory Opera in 1998 they achieved a breakthrough, thanks in part to production (and additional lead guitar work) by Timo Tolkki of Stratovarius, as well as guest vocals by Hansi Kürsch of Blind Guardian. After another two albums they received a contract with the German label Nuclear Blast in 2004.

In 2001, Tobias Sammet released the first album of his side project Avantasia, a wide-scope metal opera including the participation of many well-known heavy metal musicians and vocalists.[1]

Since signing with Nuclear Blast, Edguy has released two full-length albums, followed by their latest, Tinnitus Sanctus, and has extended their contract for three more albums.[2]

They will be supporting Scorpions on their last tour in 2010.

Edguy's lyrics are often metaphorical, alluding to metaphysical or social themes: conformity ("The Headless Game", "Mysteria", "King of Fools"), dictation by the church ("The Kingdom", "The Pride of Creation", "Theater of Salvation"), and dangers of modern civilization ("Navigator", "The Devil and the Savant"). To express such themes, Edguy sometimes use esoteric and hermetic expressions. Yet some of their songs are light-hearted or comedic ("Das Reh", "Save Us Now", "Lavatory Love Machine", "Life and Times of a Bonus Track", "Trinidad"). Edguy does not claim to represent any ideology; Tobias Sammet claimed "[the band is] not political and we are not religious; at least there is no key message in our songs telling you what to think in terms of anything". Edguy also employs lengthy and epic sections in almost every album.

Hellfire Club revealed Edguy's interest in experimenting within music by integrating an orchestra into the production. The album featured a variation on Edguy's style, with a less grandiose, more traditional heavy metal approach being embraced. The band's album Rocket Ride features even less symphonic and power metal elements, and is arguably more oriented towards hard rock. Their latest album, Tinnitus Sanctus, contains even more hard rock oriented songs; the obvious lack of double bass drumming is evident, in contrast to Edguy's older albums such as Vain Glory Opera.