It looks like Eisbrecher’s new single “Kann Denn Liebe Sünde Sein?” could be delayed by one week. The new release date, according to Amazon.de, is July 18th, but EMP.de still says the 11th as of now. Neither site has a tracklisting yet, but if you’re a big Eisbrecher fan and you want to order the single as soon as possible, just head on over to Amazon.de and get it for 7.99 Euros. EMP is a Euro more and won’t ship to the USA anyway.

Amazon also gives us our first glimpse of the “Kann Denn Liebe Sünde Sein?” cover art. It seems pretty simplistic, nothing like previous Eisbrecher covers, but it is what it is. Click here or the image above to see a bigger version.

As for Eisbrecher’s forthcoming album Sünde…
There’s still not much info about it other than it will be available in 2 different versions. Both versions are available to pre-order from several sites including Amazon.de, AlphaMusic.de , and EMP.de.

Thanks to Nadja for keeping us up to date in this post.

3-CD Antikörper Summer Special

Eisbrecher also just released a 3 disc box set of their previous album Antikörper called the Antikörper Summer Special yesterday, June 27th. This limited edition item is essentially a combination of the album and its 2 related singles “Vergissmeinnicht” and “Leider”. You can find it on Amazon.de or EMP.de, both of which have it for the price of a typical album.

An introduction to Resonator

Resonator is a duo from Münster, Germany, who makes some of the most unique and creative music you can find. Kai typically writes music for theater and works on film soundtracks, while Anja is a formally trained musician who plays the accordion for the Resonator project. Ambient electronic music mixed with accordions is certainly not a common combination of sounds, but I can assure you it’s something very special when you hear it.

Enter the Red Room Diner

Red Room Diner is Resonator’s first full length album, originally released in 2003. It starts out with the mysterious sounding intro “Avis De Securite”. Coming in at under a minute in length, the song doesn’t really give you much of a clue about what you’re in for. This could be the introduction for anything, it’s very abstract. What’s to come? It might surprise you…

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The combination of Greg going MIA and me slacking off because of the holidays is not a good thing for Germaniac. Here’s the catch-up news post for some of the most important stuff that’s been happening in these couple of weeks. I hope we’ll be able to resume normal operations as soon as possible! All the tracklistings and ordering information relevant to this post can be found behind the link at the end, because with them this already horribly lengthy post would be, simply put, INSANE.

Oomph!’s album #10 to be Monster

Oomph!, one of the pioneering bands of the industrial metal and NDH genres, will be releasing their tenth album in August according to Oomph!’s official site. The record, of which we got a little taster with the single Wach auf! which was released earlier this year, will be titled Monster. Not much else is known of the upcoming record, except for some tidbits revealed in a German interview. Amongst others, we’re going to get an “electro metal tango” piece and a blues song as well.

No doubt in celebration of their tenth album and as a sign of gratitude to their fans, Dero, Crap and Flux are also offering fans a unique chance to permanently cement themselves in the Oomph! legacy by running a contest for the cover design of the new album. Anyone can send in their visions of what the cover should be until June 27th, and the boys themselves will then choose the final design that will adorn the album. A number of the submissions can already be checked out here, and they range from quite horrible to insanely cool. I for one am eager to find out what the final product will look (and sound!) like!

Megaherz single soon

Before the hotly anticipated new album Heuchler, Megaherz will release the single Mann von Welt on June 20th. There will be two versions of the single: a basic one with Mann von Welt and Es Brennt, a bonus track from the sold out limited edition of Herzwerk II, and an EP-length limited fan edition version with three additional songs from older albums. As far as I can see, the fan edition is not very necessary unless you’re new to Megaherz and need to sample the older stuff, but the single is a great opportunity to hear Es Brennt, which is an excellent song you might very well have missed the first time around. You can hear a preview of Mann von Welt on Megaherz’s Myspace and official site.

Eisbrecher’s single detailed

The first single from Eisbrecher’s upcoming album Sünde will be titled “Kann denn Liebe Sünde sein?”, and it will be released on July 11th. This is, however, a Germany-only release, so completionists will have to pay an extra buck or two (or more like ten) if they want to get their hands on this release. No cover or tracklisting has been made public as of yet, but if the previous singles by Eisbrecher are of any indication, this one should too sport a couple of remixes and possibly a bonus song or other small feature alongside the main track itself.

Die Apokalyptischen Reiter single

Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, a well-respected German trash metal outfit will release a single titled Der Weg on 27th June. The single features two songs from the upcoming full-lenght release Licht, which doesn’t have a release date yet, and two bonus tracks. The physical CD version of the single published by Nuclear Blast is limited to only 1000 copies, as it was originally planned to only be available via iTunes. Die Apokalyptischen Reiter also released a live DVD earlier this year.

Unheilig’s Spiegelbild EP revealed

The tracklisting and cover design for Unheilig’s Spiegelbild EP have been finally revealed. True to the style of the EPs before, this release is limited to just 3333 pieces and has a total of three different versions of the title song, a new version of the earlier single An deiner Seite and also a trio of completely new Unheilig tracks. Spiegelbild will be released on 26th July.

Laibach’s Dead in Trbovlje in July

Laibach have pushed back the release of their new DVD, which was originally slated for release on 16th June, to 26th July. Titled Dead in Trbovlje, the DVD will feature a full live concert from their widely acclaimed Volk tour, four music videos and on top of that, six of the background screens/videos Laibach used in their Volk shows. There’s also a short commentary on the tour.

Thanks to Nadja for all the tips!

That’s it for now. I know there’s a ton I missed, but at least we have something to cover up the massive time gap we’ve been experiencing. Here’s hoping that Greg will be back in full force soon!

Check out the tracklistings for these items after the jump…
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The old saying “time flies” is certainly true. It seems like Unheilig’s current album Puppenspieler was just released last week, but it has already been 3 long months since it came out on February 22nd. During that time, the band performed a very successful tour (until Der Graf’s vocals gave up and some concerts had to be cancelled, but thankfully he is doing much better now) with the bands goJA Moon Rockah and F.A.Q. as their opening acts. Now, these 3 bands have been brought together once more, but this time it’s not on stage, it’s on a round piece of plastic.

Just yesterday, May 20th, the split album Schattenspiel was released. The tracklisting, which is packed with unreleased and live versions of songs from all 3 bands, is set up just like it was in the concerts with the 2 opening bands first and then Unheilig being the main event at the end. The idea, of course, is for the lesser-known openers to get some extra exposure and gain some new fans. And it’s a good idea, too, especially because both goJA moon Rockah and F.A.Q. are very talented bands and definitely worth a listen. Be sure to visit both of the bands’ MySpace pages and listen to some of their music: goJA’s is here and F.A.Q.’s is here.

Once you’ve determined that you like all 3 bands and you want to snatch this album up (because it’s limited to just 3,333 units and is sure to sell out fast), head on over to Emso.de if you’re in Europe or Isotank.com if you call North America home. I know there are a lot of Unheilig fans here, you’ll really like this.

Schattenspiel split CD tracklisting

goJA moon Rockah section
01. Attackah Massakah
02. Rockah
03. Schwarz

F.A.Q. section
04. Ten bells
05. Leather Apron

Unheilig section
06. Schutzengel (live)
07. Kalt (exclusive)
08. Sage Ja (live)
09. Brief an Dich (exclusive)
10. Freiheit (live)
11. Leblos (exclusive)
12. Mein Stern (live)
13. Dornröschen (exclusive)

A few days ago, Eisbrecher’s website was updated with more news about their forthcoming third album. We now know that the name of it will be Suende (or more appropriately, Sünde, imo). Production of the album is nearly complete now, keeping the band on course for an expected release date in August. No artwork, tracklisting, or other details have been released yet, but we are all eagerly awaiting more info (and some previews, too!).

The first single from Eisbrecher’s new album will be released sometime in July, although the title and exact release date are still unknown. And if you’re lucky enough to be in Europe, be sure to check out their site’s news page for tourdates which are being scheduled for September.

Don’t forget to sign up for the street team
Eisbrecher’s international street team is still open for new members to join. Just check out our last Eisbrecher update or the Eisbrecher forum for details.

Straftanz’s EP released today

Straftanz released their EP Tanzt Kaputt, Was Euch Kaputt Macht! today (16th May). This is Straftanz’s second release since their self-titled debut EP. Straftanz’s music is straightforward industrial dance music with some clear EBM influences. You can get an idea of this sonic assault on their MySpace, where they have a couple of generous samples from the current EP and also some older material for you to listen.

You can order the fresh EP with a pretty atrocious cover from at least Alphamusic.de for 5,49 €, or if you’re in the States, you can find it at Isotank for $11,99.

I’ve hidden the tracklisting for Tanzt Kaputt, Was Euch Kaputt Macht! and also a video for the title song behind the link at the end of the post.

Unheilig’s next EP to be Spiegelbild

Following the smashingly successful album Puppenspiel and the accompanying single An Deiner Seite, Unheilig will be releasing a new EP in July. Spiegelbild, track #2 on Puppenspiel was chosen by the fans in an extensive voting to be the next EP, just like the previous Unheilig EPs Freiheit and Astronaut. And, just like those ones, Spiegelbild will boast numerous versions of the title song and other tracks from Puppenspiel and also some all-new material recorded specifically for the EP. Unfortunately, no tracklisting has been published as of yet. Spiegelbild will be released on 19th July, and it will be limited to just 3333 copies worldwide. The most certain way of obtaining this release seems to be through emso.de, but you’ll have to wait till June 1st to preorder it.

If you somehow still aren’t familiar with Unheilig’s magnificent, electronically enhanced rock antics, you can check out a few samples on Unheilig’s MySpace site. Additionally, you can watch the video for the latest single cut An deiner Seite hidden behind the link.

Eisblume’s Unter Dem Eis

And finally, just a reminder: the lovely gothic pop band Eisblume just released their debut EP Unter dem Eis today! See the previous post on the subject for track listing, a video for the title song and more.

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Endanger’s 4th studio album Revolt was supposed to be released today, but it looks like it has been delayed a week making the new release date May 16th. The album, which appears on Infacted Records, has 11 new songs including “Times Are Changing” which features Chandeen’s new singer Julia Beyer. (Check out Chandeen’s latest album here, if you don’t remember them.) There is also an additional remix of this song at the end of the album.

Head on over to Endanger’s MySpace page to hear a few of the songs from Revolt (in full length) and a pair of older ones. Then, if you like what you hear, you can order the album online at either Infrarot.de or AlphaMusic.de, both of which have it for 15.99 Euros. A bit closer to home for my American friends, Isotank.com has the album available to pre-order for $16.99.

If you’re the gambling type, you can try your chances and enter to win one of 5 copies of Revolt that the band is giving away on their website. Just visit Endanger.de to find out how to enter the drawing.

And finally on a related note, Nilaihah Records released an American version of Endanger’s last album Addicted To The Masses and Dancing Ferret released their album Motion from 2000, so we may possibly see an American version of Revolt emerging sometime in the future. I’m not sure yet, but I will investigate.

Endanger - Revolt tracklisting
01. Grüße nach Frankfurt
02. Mittendrin
03. We all fall down
04. In the West
05. Atemlos
06. Fool
07. Equal Ways
08. Purpose of the Creators
09. Revolt
10. Times are changing
11. Auf nimmer wiedersehen
12. Times are changing (Alphaluna Mix)

It’s been a while since Welle: Erdball’s last album Chaos Total came out in 2006. But now after 2 years, the originators of bitpop are back with their new single Ich Bin Aus Plastik. This 3-track 7″ vinyl will be released tomorrow, April 25th, and features a special cover of Kraftwerk’s famous “Die Roboter” which is sure to please fans of both bands considering their similar sounds.

Unfortunately for most people, no CD version is offered, just the pink colored 7″ vinyl which is limited to 1000 units. Also unfortunate, the only actual store I could find Ich Bin Aus Plastik at is Infrarot.de and they are already sold out just from pre-orders. Luckily, there are 3 currently available in the Amazon.de Marketplace if you really want it.

On the bright side, you can listen to the title track here, along with 14 other Welle: Erdball songs. The “Die Roboter” cover is not one of them, but it’s a really great place to listen to the band’s music.

For more info (in German only) about the new single, visit Welle-Erdball.de/Plastik.

Welle: Erdball - Ich Bin Aus Plastik single tracklisting
01. Ich Bin Aus Plastik
02. 0173-1923954
03. Die Roboter

Hecq is the artist name chosen by Ben Lukas Boysen, a Berlin-based musician who produces intelligent dance music (IDM) and, more recently, ambient electronic music. He is also fairly well known for his remixes for artists such as Haujobb, Black Lung, Snog, and In Strict Confidence (you may remember the Hecq Destruxxion remix album of ISC’s Exile Paradise which was released in June of 2007), but his latest work is all his own.

Night Falls is the name of Hecq’s new album and it is the fulfillment of his ventures into a more ambient sound that were started on his previous album 0000. Initial reports from his website put the release in March, but Infrarot.de has the release date listed as April 18th. Either way, you can now find the album there or on Ant Zen’s mailorder site (Ant Zen is in collaboration with Hecq’s label, Hymen Records, because they don’t have a mailorder site of their own).

You can listen to some of the songs on Night Falls at a number of different places. I recommend going to Hecq’s page on Virb or the page specifically for the album. You can also visit his MySpace page to hear some music. Just a note, though: He doesn’t use the standard MySpace music player. Instead, there’s a flash player in the left column underneath the name and contact buttons. Don’t miss it.

Hecq - Night Falls tracklisting
01. Night Falls
02. NeverLeave
03. Dis
04. Dis (Reverberation)
05. BendingTime
06. Aback
07. ComeHome
08. Giants
09. Magnetism
10. Redsky
11. Above
12. I Am You

Usually when a band describes their music as something new and hard to describe, it’s a load of bullshit. Amnistia is no different, then. The band’s own biography describes their music as being “without a main focus on trends in the clubscene.” And then immediately afterward, it says “kickdrums, hard basslines, snaresounds, discreet but striking placed samples and a charismatic voice are the attributes of their sound.” Is it just me, or did they completely contradict themselves there? I think they did. And a quick sampling of the music on their MySpace page confirms that all of this talk about sounding different and unique is meaningless. There are lots of bands that sound almost exactly like them. Why try to trick people into thinking otherwise?

The saving grace
You’re probably wondering by now if this band is even worth a listen, given my harsh criticism so far. Is it best to simply avoid Amnistia all together? No. Actually, their music is pretty good, and I would suggest having a listen. It may not be anything new, but a band’s sound doesn’t have to be new to be good. It just has to appeal to you, and if you like dark electro-industrial music, you will probably like Amnistia. So go and have a listen. Their new album Blackguard was just released on April 11th and is available at all the typical webshops.

The point
The whole point of my criticism is to show the stupidity of typical marketing campaign that tries to turn a band into something it’s not. Don’t lie (or let others lie for you) about your sound because you will be called out on it every time. You only stand to lose the respect of lots of would-be fans by doing this. You don’t have to be humble, just be genuine. Let people listen to your music and let them decide what genre you fit into or what bands you do or don’t sound like. Because at the end of the day when all is said and done, bands don’t place themselves into genres, fans do.

Amnistia - Blackguard tracklisting:
01. init²
02. emulate
03. anger management
04. blackguard
05. komplex
06. creed
07. fractured
08. zu staub
09. menacing
10. outrage
11. cold
12. our darkest path
13. scars [not just words]