Crematory (band)
Encyclopedia
Crematory is a gothic
/melodic death metal
band formed in Mannheim
, Germany
in 1991.
, Tiamat
and Atrocity
. Much like the latter two groups, the band had begun as traditional death metal, then evolved with an industrial music
and gothic metal musical direction on later albums. The band would receive heavy rotation on MTV Germany, and would also make appearances at various extreme metal
festivals, including Germany's Wacken Open Air
in the years 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2008, in addition to inclusion on Nuclear Blast
compilation samplers.
The band re-signed to Massacre Records in 2006 after a 10 year stint with Nuclear Blast; Massacre had been the band's first label.
Active for almost 20 years (with a brief split between 2001 and 2003) they are among one of Europe's longest running bands affiliated with the gothic metal genre.
Gothic metal
Gothic metal or goth metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that combines the aggression of doom metal with the dark melancholy of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy metal music...
/melodic death metal
Melodic death metal
Melodic death metal is a heavy metal music style that combines elements from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal with elements of death metal. The style was developed during the early and mid-1990s, primarily in England and Scandinavia...
band formed in Mannheim
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1991.
History
The band received its earliest recognition in the mid-1990s by touring with My Dying BrideMy Dying Bride
My Dying Bride are an English doom metal band formed in 1990. To date, My Dying Bride have released eleven full-length studio albums, three EPs, one demo, one box set, four compilation albums, one live album, and one live CD/DVD release. The band released their tenth studio album, For Lies I Sire,...
, Tiamat
Tiamat (band)
-Biography:Initially, the band played straightforward black metal under the name Treblinka. After having recorded the album Sumerian Cry in 1989, vocalist/guitarist Johan Edlund and bassist Jörgen Thullberg parted ways with the other two founding members, and subsequently changed the name to Tiamat...
and Atrocity
Atrocity (band)
Atrocity is a German Heavy Metal band formed in Ludwigsburg.-History:First started in 1985 as Instigators and playing grindcore, Atrocity arose as a death metal band with their debut EP, Blue Blood, in 1989, followed soon by Hallucinations, a concept album about drug use...
. Much like the latter two groups, the band had begun as traditional death metal, then evolved with an industrial music
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
and gothic metal musical direction on later albums. The band would receive heavy rotation on MTV Germany, and would also make appearances at various extreme metal
Extreme metal
Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. The term usually refers to a more abrasive, harsher, underground, non-commercialized style or sound nearly always associated with genres like black metal,...
festivals, including Germany's Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air is a summer open air heavy metal music festival. It takes place annually in the small town of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany...
in the years 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2008, in addition to inclusion on Nuclear Blast
Nuclear Blast
Nuclear Blast is an independent record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The record label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on to releasing albums by melodic...
compilation samplers.
The band re-signed to Massacre Records in 2006 after a 10 year stint with Nuclear Blast; Massacre had been the band's first label.
Active for almost 20 years (with a brief split between 2001 and 2003) they are among one of Europe's longest running bands affiliated with the gothic metal genre.
Current members
- Gerhard Stass - vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
(1991–present) - Matthias Hechler - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and vocals (1998–present) - Katrin Goger - keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
(1992–present) - Harald Heine - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(1993–present) - Markus Jüllich - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(1991–present)
Former members
- Marc Zimmer - bass, vocals (1991–1993)
- Lothar "Lotte" Forst - guitar, vocals (1991–1998)
Studio Albums
- TransmigrationTransmigration (album)Transmigration is the debut studio album by Crematory, distributed through Massacre Records.-Track listing:#Bequest of the Wicked - 1:03#Eyes of Suffering - 4:03#Deformity - 4:41#Never Forgotten Place - 4:36#Hall of Torment - 3:42...
(1993) - …Just Dreaming…Just Dreaming-Personnel:*Gerhard "Felix" Stass – Vocals*Lothar "Lotte" Forst – guitars*Katrin Goger – keyboards*Harald Heine – Bass guitar*Markus Jüllich – drums...
(1994) - IllusionsIllusions (Crematory album)Illusions is Crematory's third studio album, distributed through Massacre Records.-Tracklisting:#Reflexionen - 1:54#Faces - 5:35#Tears of Time - 5:00#My Way - 5:02#Lost in Myself - 4:46#An Other...? - 5:20#The Atmosphere - 3:29...
(1995) - Crematory (Das Deutsche Album)Crematory (Crematory album)Crematory is the fourth studio album by Crematory, distributed through Massacre Records and Nuclear Blast Records. The album was also their first full German album.-Tracklisting:#Utopia - 1:38#Das Licht in Dir - 5:17#Flieg mit mir - 5:26...
(1996) - AwakeAwake (Crematory album)Awake is the fifth studio album by German band Crematory, distributed throughNuclear Blast Records.The release reflected the band's discontinuation with their doom/death metal, roots, opting for more keyboard-driven gothic metal with industrial music, ethnic fusion and clean baritone...
(1997) - Act SevenAct SevenAct Seven is the sixth studio album and seventh album overall by Crematory, distributed through Nuclear Blast Records.- Track listing :# Shining – 1:57# I Never Die – 5:50# Moonlight – 5:05# Fly – 5:49# Memory – 5:11...
(1999) - BelieveBelieve (Crematory album)Believe is the seventh studio album by German band Crematory, distributed through Nuclear Blast Records, and the last full length album before their 3-year hiatus...
(2000) - RevolutionRevolution (Crematory album)Revolution is the eighth studio album by Crematory, distributed through Nuclear Blast Records, and the first release after the band's 3 year dissolution...
(2004) - KlagebilderKlagebilderKlagebilder is the ninth studio album by Crematory, distributed through Massacre Records.- Track listing :# Klagebilder - 2:32# Die Abrechnung - 3:54# Hoffnungen - 4:07# Kein Liebeslied - 4:05# Kaltes Feuer - 4:10# Der Morgen Danach - 4:14...
(2006) - PrayPray (Crematory album)Pray is the 10th studio album by Crematory, distributed through Massacre Records.-Track listing:# When Darkness Falls - 5:10# Left The Ground - 4:24# Alone - 5:47# Pray - 4:20# Sleeping Solution - 5:20# Just Words - 3:41# Burning Bridges - 4:16...
(2008) - InfinityInfinity (Crematory album)Infinity is the 11th studio album by Crematory, distributed through Massacre Records. A preview of the song "Infinity" is listen-able on the bands myspace.-Track listing:- Reception :-Personnel:*Gerhard "Felix" Stass - Growling...
(2010)
Live
- Live... At The Out Of The Dark Festivals (1997)
- Remind (2001)
- LiveRevolution (2005)
Trivia
- One of the founding members was Bassist Marc Zimmer, who would leave the band in 1992 to focus on Mystic CircleMystic Circle- History:Mystic Circle was formed in 1992 in Ludwigshafen. They released several EPs before their debut LP was issued in 1997. Following their 1998 release they toured with Marduk and Old Man's Child and played several large rock festivals...
. - Jüllich and Goger are married.
- The band collaborated on the MetallicaMetallicaMetallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
tribute album, A Tribute to the Four HorsemenA Tribute to the Four HorsemenA Tribute to the Four Horsemen is a tribute album to heavy metal band Metallica. It was re-issued by Nuclear Blast Records in 2003 with a slightly different track listing. The album contains covers of songs by Metallica from Kill 'Em All to ReLoad, but omits Load.-Track listing:...
, with the song "One".