Dimmu Borgir is a Norwegian symphonic black metal band from Jessheim, formed in 1993. The name is derived from Dimmuborgir, a volcanic formation in Iceland, the name of which means "dark cities" or "dark castles/fortresses" in Icelandic, Faroese and Old Norse. The band has been through numerous lineup changes over the years; vocalist Shagrath and rhythm guitarist Silenoz are the only original members who still remain, with lead guitarist Galder being a longstanding member.
Rammstein is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band formed in Berlin in 1994. The band's lineup—consisting of lead vocalist Till Lindemann, lead guitarist Richard Kruspe, rhythm guitarist Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riedel, drummer Christoph Schneider, and keyboardist Christian "Flake" Lorenz—has remained unchanged throughout their history, along with their approach to songwriting, which consists of Lindemann writing and singing the lyrics over instrumental pieces the rest of the band has completed beforehand. Prior to their formation, some members were associated with the punk rock acts Feeling B and First Arsch.
Mutter is the third studio album by German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein. It was released on 2 April 2001 through Motor and Universal Music. The album's cover image is a photograph of a dead fetus, which was taken by Daniel & Geo Fuchs. The album has yielded six singles which, to date, are the most released from any Rammstein album.
Carach Angren is a Dutch symphonic black metal band, founded in 2003 by two members of the now-defunct bands Inger Indolia and Vaultage. Their style is characterized by prominent usage of orchestral arrangements, black metal vocals, and guitar riffs. Their studio albums are concept albums with lyrics based on ghost stories and folklore, such as the Flying Dutchman. The band sets itself apart from other symphonic black metal artists with the usage of multiple languages such as English, French, German, and Dutch. Most songs are based on English, with transitions into other languages during chorus and bridge sections.
Till Lindemann is a German singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist and lyricist of Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein and solo project Lindemann. Rammstein has sold over 25 million records worldwide, with five of their albums receiving platinum status, and Lindemann has been listed among the "50 Greatest Metal Frontmen of All Time" by Roadrunner Records. Lindemann has also appeared in minor roles in films and has also published three books of poetry. He has presented some of his original poems and scripts to galleries.
Marduk is a Swedish black metal band formed in Norrköping in 1990. The band released their debut full-length album, Dark Endless, in 1992 on No Fashion Records. Their name is derived from the Ancient Babylonian deity, Marduk.
Alf Peter Tägtgren is a Swedish musician and record producer. He is the founder, main songwriter, lead vocalist, and guitarist of death metal band Hypocrisy as well as the industrial metal band Pain in which he is the only member. He is also the owner of The Abyss recording studio and the co-founder of Lindemann, a music project between Tägtgren and Rammstein vocalist Till Lindemann. Tägtgren left Lindemann in 2020.
Lammendam is the debut studio album by Dutch symphonic black metal band Carach Angren. Released in 2008, it is a concept album about Lammendam, the remains of a castle that are haunted by a "ghost lady in a white dress". Dennis "Seregor" Droomers claims that he was inspired to write the album by a local legend that he has been familiar with since childhood. The legend centers around series of events that supposedly occurred in Schinveldse Bossen, a forest area northeast of the Dutch region of South Limburg and of the town of Schinveld, near the German border.
Death Came Through a Phantom Ship is the second studio album by Dutch symphonic black metal band Carach Angren, It was released in 2010.
Where the Corpses Sink Forever is the third studio album by Dutch symphonic black metal band Carach Angren. It was released on 18 May 2012 via Season of Mist. The concept of this album is not about a Dutch urban legend or ghost stories, like the previous two albums, but it deals with war. The album contains references to World Wars I and II, as well as the Vietnam War. The first track is a tape recording of a soldier who was ordered to shoot seven prisoners of war, and each shot can be heard. The soldier explains the strange and wicked sensations he felt as he shot each of the prisoners; they were grinning happily as he tried to kill them, and it seemed like the shots went through them, but they were actually demons who captured the soldier's soul in a time loop, making him suffer for eternity. Many of the songs in this album describe the deeds of each of the seven fiends; death, war, suffering.
Lindemann is a German musical project fronted by vocalist Till Lindemann. It was formed in 2013 as a super-duo alongside Swedish multi-instrumentalist Peter Tägtgren. Tägtgren originally defined their sound as a cross between his project Pain and Lindemann's main band Rammstein, adding "at least it's a mix of Rammstein vocals and Pain music." Together, they released the two albums Skills in Pills (2015) and F & M (2019). Tägtgren departed Lindemann in 2020, leaving Lindemann as a solo project.
Skills in Pills is the debut studio album by the European supergroup Lindemann, featuring Rammstein frontman Till Lindemann and Peter Tägtgren, founder of Hypocrisy and Pain. It was released on 23 June 2015 through Warner Central Europe. It was preceded by the lead single "Praise Abort", released on 28 May 2015, with "Fish On" receiving a single release later on 9 October. The album reached number one in Finland and Germany, also peaking within the top 10 in Austria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Hungary, Norway, and Switzerland. This was the only Lindemann album to have been recorded completely in English, as Till reverted to his usual native of German on the group's second studio album F & M.
This Is No Fairytale is the fourth studio album by Dutch symphonic black metal band Carach Angren. It was released on 23 February 2015 via Season of Mist. The witch's hand on the cover art of the album is actually the hand of Dennis "Seregor" Droomers' grandmother.
The Chase Vault Tragedy is the first demo by Dutch symphonic black metal band Carach Angren. The CD was released on 1 September 2004; it is a concept album about the mystery of the burial vault of Chase Vault in Barbados. Pro-printed CD-R comes without back cover artwork. It was limited to 100 copies.
Dance and Laugh Amongst the Rotten is the fifth studio album by Dutch symphonic black metal band Carach Angren. It was released on 16 June 2017 via Season of Mist. Although the album doesn't follow a linear story as their previous albums did, it is still a concept album. Clemens "Ardek" Wijers describes the album's concept as visitations from multiple ghosts of the dead; including the "Blood Queen" and Charles Francis Coghlan. The full album is focused on a nameless girl who plays with a Ouija board causing her to raise a variety of spirits and ends up getting possessed. The album ends by informing the listener that the box the CD came in is haunted by these same spirits, and that by opening the album, the listener has also released them.
Amsterdam Metalfest is a biannual metalfestival that takes place in the Netherlands' capital city, Amsterdam. As from 2015, it is held in the much acclaimed venue Melkweg and organised by Metal Amsterdam. Amsterdam Metalfest endeavors to provide a stage for local and (inter)national metalbands and, in doing so, re-establishing the Amsterdam metalscene. It was originally organized in The Sugarfactory, featuring Dutch bands like Cilice, The New Dominion, Red Eyes, Illucinoma and others. The May 2018 edition line-up is Fleshgod Apocalypse, Obscura, The Charm The Fury, Hideous Divinity, For I Am King, Onegodless.
Dennis "Seregor" Droomers is a Dutch vocalist, guitarist, artist, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist for Dutch symphonic black metal band, Carach Angren. The stage name "Seregor" comes from Tolkien's Silmarillion. It is a combination of the word sereg which means blood, and gor which means abhorrent. Before Carach Angren, Droomers played bass and was the vocalist for Inger Indolia from 1996 to 2001 and was the vocalist for Vaultage from 2003 to 2005 with fellow Carach Angren member Clemens "Ardek" Wijers on keyboards. Carach Angren began as his and Wijers' side project while they were playing in Vaultage, because the two connected over a shared love of horror and storytelling. Later, Vaultage was disbanded as Carach Angren became increasingly successful. It is known that he grew up close to Schildveldse Bossen near where the focus of Lammendam took place. It is also known that he was primarily raised by his grandparents and is close to his grandmother who appears on the album art of This Is No Fairytale as the hand of the witch. Typically, Droomers writes Carach Angren's lyrics and stories while bandmate Clemens "Ardek" Wijers writes the composition.
F & M is the second studio album by German-Swedish super-duo Lindemann. It was released on 22 November 2019 through Universal Music and Vertigo Berlin. The album was preceded by three singles; "Steh auf", "Ich weiß es nicht" and "Knebel", with "Steh auf" peaking at No. 8 in Germany. Vocalist Till Lindemann reverts to singing in German on this album unlike the group's debut album, Skills in Pills, which he sang entirely in English.
Franckensteina Strataemontanus is the sixth studio album by Dutch symphonic black metal band Carach Angren. Released on 26 June 2020 through Season of Mist, it is a concept album inspired by the life of late 17th-century/early 18th-century German occultist Johann Konrad Dippel, whose controversial experiments with corpses allegedly inspired Mary Shelley's influential 1818 Gothic novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus; its title is a reference to a Latin epithet adopted by Dippel later in life. It is also their final release with long-time drummer and founding member Ivo "Namtar" Wijers, who left the band as soon as the recording sessions ended citing "dissatisfactions with the music industry".
Zunge is the debut solo studio album by German singer and songwriter Till Lindemann, released independently on 3 November 2023. The album was preceded by the eponymous single on 8 September 2023, as well as three singles "Schweiss", "Nass" and "Lecker" on 29 September and "Sport frei" on 27 October. While Lindemann wrote the album's lyrics, the music were written and produced by Sky van Hoff, Daniel Karelly, Olsen Involtini, Lois Cass and Clemens Wijers.
