Dark Age (band)
Encyclopedia
Dark Age is a German
melodic death metal
band from Hamburg
, Germany
formed in 1994 by Eike Freese (guitar
, vocals), André Schumann (drums
) and Oliver Fliegel (bass guitar
).
band called Dyer's Eve. One year later the name was changed to Dark Age. The new name was inspired by a Vader
songtitle, while their older one was inspired by a Metallica
songtitle. In autumn 1995, they recorded their first demo
Doubtful Existence. In December 1995, keyboarder
Martin Reichert and in January 1996 guitarist
Finn Dierks joined the band. Oliver Fliegel left the band in 1996. After Finn Dierks moved to the US
he was replaced by Jörn Schubert.
In Summer 1998, Dark Age recorded their first album
entitled, The Fall, which was released after a contract
with Remedy Records. In 2000, the album Insurrection followed and they played at Wacken Open Air
. In 2002, the album The Silent Republic was recorded in the Stage One-studio. In 2003, they founded their own studio and played again at Wacken Open Air with more than 5000 spectators.
In 2003 Dark Age released their demo songs collection EP Remonstrations. They re-recorded their first demo songs. As a comparison they also included the original demo versions of the songs. Except for the first song which is a re-recording of a track from The Fall.
In 2004, their self-titled album Dark Age was recorded and released. One year later, the DVD Live, So Far... was recorded in the Markthalle in Hamburg
. In 2006, Thorsten Eggert left the band and Alex Henke joined. In 2008 the album Minus Exitus was released.
Their sixth full-length album Acedia was released in November 2009.
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...
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 from Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, 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...
formed in 1994 by Eike Freese (guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, vocals), André Schumann (drums
Drum kit
A 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 ....
) and Oliver Fliegel (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
).
History
In 1994, Eike Freese, André Schumann and Oliver Fliegel formed a death metalDeath metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
band called Dyer's Eve. One year later the name was changed to Dark Age. The new name was inspired by a Vader
Vader (band)
Vader is a Polish death metal band from Olsztyn, formed in 1983. According to Piotr Wiwczarek, the band's founding singer and guitar player, the band's name was inspired by Darth Vader from the Star Wars film series. Lyrical themes include stories by H. P. Lovecraft, WW2, horror and anti-christian...
songtitle, while their older one was inspired by a Metallica
Metallica
Metallica 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 ...
songtitle. In autumn 1995, they recorded their first demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
Doubtful Existence. In December 1995, keyboarder
Electronic keyboard
An electronic keyboard is an electronic or digital keyboard instrument.The major components of a typical modern electronic keyboard are:...
Martin Reichert and in January 1996 guitarist
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
Finn Dierks joined the band. Oliver Fliegel left the band in 1996. After Finn Dierks moved to the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
he was replaced by Jörn Schubert.
In Summer 1998, Dark Age recorded their first album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
entitled, The Fall, which was released after a contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with Remedy Records. In 2000, the album Insurrection followed and they played at 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 2002, the album The Silent Republic was recorded in the Stage One-studio. In 2003, they founded their own studio and played again at Wacken Open Air with more than 5000 spectators.
In 2003 Dark Age released their demo songs collection EP Remonstrations. They re-recorded their first demo songs. As a comparison they also included the original demo versions of the songs. Except for the first song which is a re-recording of a track from The Fall.
In 2004, their self-titled album Dark Age was recorded and released. One year later, the DVD Live, So Far... was recorded in the Markthalle in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. In 2006, Thorsten Eggert left the band and Alex Henke joined. In 2008 the album Minus Exitus was released.
Their sixth full-length album Acedia was released in November 2009.
Discography
- 1996: Doubtful Existence (Demo)
- 1996: Promotion Tape Winter '96/'97 (Demo)
- 1998: The Fall (Demo)
- 1999: The Fall (Remedy Records)
- 2000: Insurrection
- 2002: The Silent Republic
- 2003: Remonstrations (EP)
- 2004: Dark Age
- 2006: Live, So Far... (DVD)
- 2008: Minus Exitus
- 2009: Acedia