Eisregen
Encyclopedia
Eisregen is a German death metal
/ black metal
band which formed in 1995. The members are from Tambach-Dietharz, a village in Thuringia
.
". By using morbid German lyrics unlike those of other bands of this genre, they got the attention of German authorities, causing the indexing
of three of their albums.
Eisregen originally planned to disband after releasing a final album called "Menschenmaterial" (Human Resources, as in mineral/natural Resources, inhumanizating term referring to "spendable" humans), but now announced that they will continue to work together.
Interviews show the reasons giving for indexing differ from lyricist Michael Roth’s intentions. As an example, an excerpt from the indexing report referring to the song "Futter für die Schweine" (translates to "food for the pigs"):
Singer and lyricist Roth himself stated:
This indexing report shows the singer and the narrator as one person although this not the same thing.
The indexing of the album "Farbenfinsternis" (Color Darkness), which was along with "Krebskolonie" one of their most important releases, inflicted a financial damage to "Eisregen". The album "Menschenmaterial", originally thought to be their sixth and last album, was not released. The band announced to release one more album called "Blutbahnen" (Bloodlines) before, as they found a new motivation to make music.
On February 1, 2007 their release "Wundwasser" (Water from wounds) was indexed due to "youth endangering and condemnable contents" although the band tried to stop the indexing by engaging their attorneys.
", "Eisenkreuzkrieger
", "17 Kerzen am Dom
") in a fictional way.
Death 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....
/ black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
band which formed in 1995. The members are from Tambach-Dietharz, a village in Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
.
History
In English, Eisregen translates to "Ice RainFreezing rain
Freezing rain is the name given to rain that falls when surface temperatures are below freezing. The raindrops become supercooled while passing through a sub-freezing layer of air, many hundred feet , just above the surface, and then freeze upon impact with any object they encounter. The resulting...
". By using morbid German lyrics unlike those of other bands of this genre, they got the attention of German authorities, causing the indexing
Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien
The Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons is an upper-level German federal agency subordinate to the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. It is responsible for examining media works allegedly harmful to young people and entering these onto an...
of three of their albums.
Eisregen originally planned to disband after releasing a final album called "Menschenmaterial" (Human Resources, as in mineral/natural Resources, inhumanizating term referring to "spendable" humans), but now announced that they will continue to work together.
Style
Eisregen’s old albums were more black metal influenced than the newer ones. The violin parts, now typical for the band, came with "Krebskolonie" (Cancer Colony), considered as their best album by many of their fans.Censorship
Unlike "normal" indexing (which means publicity and selling to minors are forbidden), "Krebskolonie" is not allowed to be played publicly at all in Germany ("Verbreitungsverbot"). This means the band is not allowed to play any songs from this album live even for adult public. The reason given was the lyrics, described as "grausam, menschenverachtend, frauenfeindlich und verrohend" (cruel, inhuman, misogynistic, brutalising). The band could not fight the indexing as their label Last Episode (which they left afterwards) did not inform them.Interviews show the reasons giving for indexing differ from lyricist Michael Roth’s intentions. As an example, an excerpt from the indexing report referring to the song "Futter für die Schweine" (translates to "food for the pigs"):
- "Dieses Lied weist daneben auch Bezüge zur Frauenfeindlichkeit auf. So ist der Sänger der Meinung, dass das Leben einer Prostituierten so gering zu schätzen sei, dass sie nur als Schweinefutter tauge" (translates to: "This song also contains misogynistic references. In the singer’s opinion, a prostitute's life has so little value that she is only fit to be pig food.")
Singer and lyricist Roth himself stated:
- „Die Menschheit nimmt sich prinzipiell immer viel zu wichtig und stellt sich eben immer an die Spitze der Nahrungskette […]. Es war einfach ganz interessant, daß man mal ein Wesen darüberstellt. Den Mensch eben auch mal zum Futter degradiert […]. Das Thema hab ich auch wieder bei ‚Futter für die Schweine‘ aufgegriffen, daß sich die Nahrungskette eben mal anders darstellt, als sie gemeinhin aufgefaßt wird. Die Geschichte ist aus einer ziemlich kranken und zynischen Sicht geschrieben.“ (translates to: "Mankind normally takes itself far too serious and sees itself as the top of the food chain [...]. It was interesting to put another creature there [...]. I used that topic for Futter für die Schweine and showed the food chain in different way than it is generally seen. The story is told from a quite sick and cynical view."; see External links)
This indexing report shows the singer and the narrator as one person although this not the same thing.
The indexing of the album "Farbenfinsternis" (Color Darkness), which was along with "Krebskolonie" one of their most important releases, inflicted a financial damage to "Eisregen". The album "Menschenmaterial", originally thought to be their sixth and last album, was not released. The band announced to release one more album called "Blutbahnen" (Bloodlines) before, as they found a new motivation to make music.
On February 1, 2007 their release "Wundwasser" (Water from wounds) was indexed due to "youth endangering and condemnable contents" although the band tried to stop the indexing by engaging their attorneys.
Side projects
Ronny Fimmel founded a gothic metal band called Ewigheim in 1999 (Michael Roth and Theresa Trenks were featured as session musicians). Michael Roth and Michael Lenz play in a melodic death metal band called "Eisblut" since 2004, and Ronny Fimmel and Theresa Trenks founded Transilvanian Beat Club in 2005.Reception
Although Eisregen were criticized for their horror and splatter lyrics, their songs also have a certain (morbid and humoristic) background and sometimes even deal with social or historical topics (e. g. "Schwarze Rose", "vom Muttermord", "Ripper von RostowAndrei Chikatilo
Andrei Romanovich Chikatilo was a Ukrainian-born Soviet serial killer, nicknamed the Butcher of Rostov, The Red Ripper or The Rostov Ripper who murdered a minimum of 52 women and children between 1978 and 1990...
", "Eisenkreuzkrieger
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
", "17 Kerzen am Dom
Erfurt massacre
The Erfurt massacre was a school massacre that occurred on April 26, 2002 at the Gutenberg-Gymnasium in Erfurt, Germany. The gunman, 19-year-old expelled student Robert Steinhäuser, shot and killed sixteen people; comprising 13 faculty members, 2 students, and one police officer, before committing...
") in a fictional way.
Particularities
The indexed songs "Meine tote Russische Freundin" and "Futter für die Schweine" played Eisregen live on their concerts as "Meine schwedische Freundin" and "Nonnen für die Schweine". "Krebskolonie" (Cancer Colony) is often played as "Leprakolonie" (Leper Colony).Current lineup
- Michael „Blutkehle“ Roth (Vocals)
- Michael „Bursche“ Lenz (Guitars)
- Franzi „Dr. Franzenstein“ (Keyboard)
- Ronny „Yantit“ Fimmel (Drums)
Former members
- K. Matthes (1997–1998) Bass
- Michael "Der Hölzer" Brill (1999–2000) Bass (Ex-HardHolz)
- Sebastian "Berg" Morbach (1996–1997, 2000–2005) Bass
- Theresa "2T" Trenks (1997–2006) Violin (Ex-Transilvanian Beat Club)
- Daniel „DF“ Fröbing (1995–1999 and 2007) Keyboard
- Birgit Lages (2005–2006) Bass
- Jan-Vincent Simmen on Demo '95
Discography
- Promo 96 Demo (1996)
- Das Ende des WegesZerfallZerfall is the first studio album by the German dark metal band Eisregen, released through Last Episode in 1998.-Track listing:# "... und über allem weht der Wind so kalt " – 6:39# "Legende des Leides " – 4:30...
(The end of the Way) Demo (1996) (limited on 333 records) - Fleischhaus (Fleshhouse) Vinyl (1997) (limited on 1000 records)
- ZerfallZerfallZerfall is the first studio album by the German dark metal band Eisregen, released through Last Episode in 1998.-Track listing:# "... und über allem weht der Wind so kalt " – 6:39# "Legende des Leides " – 4:30...
(Decay) (1998) - KrebskolonieKrebskolonieKrebskolonie is the second studio album by the German dark metal band Eisregen, released through Last Episode in 1998.-Track listing:#"Vorabend der Schlacht" – 6:26#"Nachtgeburt" – 1:57#"Scharlachrotes Kleid" – 5:27#"Krebskolonie" – 7:35...
(Cancercolony) (1998) (indexed) - LeichenlagerLeichenlagerLeichenlager is the third studio album by the German dark metal band Eisregen, released through Last Episode in 2000.-Track listing:#"Des Heilands Haut" – 3:58#"Leichenlager" – 8:00#"Feindbild Mensch" – 3:28...
(Morgue, lit. Corpse Camp) (2000) - Fleischfestival (Flesh Festival) EP (2000)
- FarbenfinsternisFarbenfinsternisFarbenfinsternis is the fourth studio album by the German dark metal band Eisregen, released through Last Episode in 2001.-Track listing:#"Meine tote russische Freundin" – 3:56#"Im Reich der Fleischlichkeit" – 4:48#"Deutschland in Flammen" – 4:08...
(Darkened Colors, lit. Color Darkness) ( (2001) (indexed) - Lager Leipzig Video (2001)
- ZerfallZerfallZerfall is the first studio album by the German dark metal band Eisregen, released through Last Episode in 1998.-Track listing:# "... und über allem weht der Wind so kalt " – 6:39# "Legende des Leides " – 4:30...
Re-Release (2004) (Bonus: Das Ende des WegesZerfallZerfall is the first studio album by the German dark metal band Eisregen, released through Last Episode in 1998.-Track listing:# "... und über allem weht der Wind so kalt " – 6:39# "Legende des Leides " – 4:30...
Demo), remastered - WundwasserWundwasserWundwasser is the fifth studio album by the German dark metal band Eisregen, released through Massacre Records in 2004.-Track listing:#"Intro - Wahrheit ...?" – 0:30#"Mein Eichensarg" – 5:07#"Am Glockenseil" – 2:41#"Vom Muttermord" – 4:59...
(lit. Woundwater) (2004) (indexed) - Hexenhaus (Home of the Witch) EP + DVD (2005)
- BlutbahnenBlutbahnenBlutbahnen is the sixth studio album by the German dark metal band Eisregen, released through Massacre Records in 2007.-Track listing:#"Auftakt: Eine kleine Schlachtmusik" – 1:37#"Eisenkreuzkrieger" – 4:20#"Im Dornenwall" – 4:36...
(Blood Tracks) (2007) - Eine Erhalten (lit. One acquired) EP (2007)
- KnochenkultKnochenkultKnochenkult is the seventh studio album by the German dark metal band Eisregen, released as Jewelcase, Digipak with the Bonustrack `Blut ist Leben´ and a boxset with a shirt, the digipak which is limited to 1000 copies through Massacre Records in 2008....
(lit. Bone cult) (2008) - Bühnenblut (lit. Stage-Blood) (2009) (Live-CD)
- Schlangensonne (lit. Snakesun) (2010)