Anyone who has been part of the online German music community for many years may remember GermanMetal.com which started in 2002. The original goal was to create complete fansites for German metal bands, but only the Oomph! and Herzer sections were ever finished before that first version of the site went offline.

Now, after a number of years in hibernation and lots of hard work more recently, site founder Joki has brought life back to GermanMetal.com in the form of a wiki. Just like any other wiki, anyone can add new pages and edit the information contained on the site, creating a knowledge base of German music that represents the areas of expertise of all its contributors. You can help add to the wiki, too. Just create an account to begin.

One thing to keep in mind: GermanMetal.com does not cover all styles of German music. As the name indicates, the site focuses specifically on some of the many various forms of metal that have become popular in Germany. Whether you call it industrial-metal, electro-metal, Neue Deutsche Härte, tanzmetall, or something completely different, it can be tricky figuring out if a band qualifies or not, especially when there are so many names for what seems to be basically the same thing. So if you want to write about a band, you should definitely read exactly what their definition of “German metal” is first. There’s also a priority artists list which can give you some suggestions for what bands to write about.

The GermanMetal.com wiki has lots of information about ASP, Samsas Traum and Unheilig already, and you can be sure that list will grow significantly over time. Check it out.

A new bit of info about Megaherz’s forthcoming 6th album: PowerMetal.de posted a very short article stating that the still untitled album will be released in July, stating Absolut Promotion as the source. It also lists a few song names, some of which were already known. They are “Der Mann von Welt”, “Heuchler”, “Fauler Zauber”, “Kaltes Grab”, “L’Aventure”, and of course “Ebenbild” which you can hear on Megaherz.de.

This anticipated release date seems to fit pretty well with the band’s announcement at the beginning of the month that they expect to be done in the studio by the end of June. The anticipation is building!

Laibach interprets J. S. Bach

Laibach, every Germaniac’s favourite not quite German but Slovenian super-political and awesome industrial/neo-classical/electronic/everything ensemble will be releasing a new record titled LAIBACHKUNSTDERFUGE. In 2006 Laibach performed at a festival celebrating the classic German composer Johann Sebastian Bach’s life and works, and now it will be available for everyone on CD or digital download. LAIBACHKUNSTDERFUGE is a laibachized (i.e. sodomized but a hell of a lot better than the original) interpretation of Bach’s composition Die Kunst der Fuge. The release will also be accompanied by a short LAIBACHKUNSTDERFUGE tour in Europe.

On 5th May, the CD will be available for digital purchase on Mute.com and later as a physical product on Laibach WTC Shop, which will be opened in May as well.

Visit LAIBACHKUNSTDERFUGE’s own page for information on the project, complete tracklisting and tour dates.

New material from Turmion Kätilöt this summer

Although the Finnish Turmion Kätilöt is far from German, their incredible music has some really strong ties to German industrial metal. In fact, I remember Greg once writing that B.O.S.C.H. is like the German equivalent of Turmion Kätilöt, so if you like B.O.S.C.H., (and chances are you do if you’re surfing Germaniac), Turmion Kätilöt should get you very, very excited if you aren’t already.

Turmion Kätilöt has now announced the release of a new single and album. The single, due for 21st May, will be titled Minä Määrään, and the new album USCH! will be released on 11th June. Turmion Kätilöt have had some major difficulties with their current record company Spinefarm, and the animosity between the band and the company will be solved in court. I hope everything goes well for them.

Tracklisting for the single and albums haven’t been published as of yet, but in the meantime you can check their website for information on the band and samples of every single song they’ve released if you aren’t familiar with them already. Trust me, you should be.

The rockers of Dementi are the latest German band to embrace the Creative Commons license and offer their music as free downloads online. Both of the band’s albums, their 2003 debut Zweigefühl and 2005’s Für Heute Reichts, are now available to anyone as long as you don’t use them for any commercial purposes. So go ahead and download Dementi’s music, just visit the download page of their website where you will receive the songs bundled together in a zip file. If you like the music, please don’t forget to support the band for their work by making a donation at the bottom of the same page.

I recommend their second album Für Heute Reichts. It’s the harder one of their two albums and also mixes in some nice electronic elements, it’s really great. I would compare it to Treibhaus, maybe Eisenherz or Megaherz… Check it out.

Don’t forget, Dementi is also working on a new album which is supposed to be released sometime later this year. Not much about it has been announced and I don’t know if they plan to release it for free the same way, but I’ll be sure to bring you the details later on when more information has been announced.

Anyone who is a fan of Megaherz has been anxiously awaiting news about their next album which will feature their new singer Lex. Finally, after some delay, the band has made an official 3-part announcement on the .de version of their site.

First of all, the biggest news is that Megaherz has sealed the deal on a new record contract with… guess who… their original label ZYX! I’m sure they are very happy to be back on a solid record label after their last 2 albums were released on newly established labels (Firestarter and S.A.D.) that closed down shortly after the albums got released. And ZYX does a really fantastic job with promotions as well. I’ve seen the press kits they have done for some of their other artists and they are very nicely done. All said, I think it’s a good move for both the band and their fans.

The second part of Megaherz’s announcement today is about getting into the studio. Obviously, the band has written songs and recorded demos already since we can hear the demo for “Ebenbild” on Megaherz.de, but they will now head into the studio for the next few months to professionally record all the tracks for the new album. They expect to be done in the studio by the end of June, so that means the new album should be released sometime in the Fall, or perhaps even the very end of summer if everything moves quickly.

Finally, there are some new photos of the band in their gallery as well. These include some new pics from a rehearsal, a drum recording session, and of course a bunch of live photos from their one-off concert in Ingolstadt.

All of this news will be posted on the American Megaherz site, Megaherz.com, soon. Stay tuned to either band website or right here on Germaniac for continued news on the sixth Megaherz album!

I hope you’re in the mood for some hard rock and industrial metal, because that’s exactly what you’ll find on the current Radio Goethe podcast. Arndt serves up a hearty portion of some of our favorite guitar-oriented German bands like Megaherz, Die Krupps, KMFDM, and of course Rammstein. Thrown into the mix this week are a few new(ish) songs including the Die Krupps cover of Pop Will Eat Itself’s “Ich Bin Ein Auslander” which was released on their 2CD anthology this past October.

As usual, you can listen to a new podcast every week on RadioGoethe.org or subscribe to it on iTunes.

This week’s Radio Goethe podcast playlist:
Megaherz: Dein Herz Schlägt (read more about Megaherz)
Megaherz: Herzblut
Brandenburg: Ein heisser Blick
Riefenstahl: Es ist vorbei (read more about Riefenstahl)
Richthofen: Hart am Wind
Schweisser: Gelbkarierte Sakkos
Schwarz: Schwarz
Keilerkopf: Godzilla
Massendefekt: Ein Leben lang ist nicht genug
Die!: Lass es regnen (read more about Die!)
Metallspürhunde: Rattenfänger (read more about Metallspürhunde)
Witt: Supergestört und superversaut (read more about Joachim Witt)
KMFDM: Anarchy (read more about KMFDM)
Rammstein: Rammstein (read more about Rammstein)
Die Krupps: Ich bin ein Ausländer (read more about Die Krupps)

Get ready for 3 awesome singles coming this Friday, March 28th…

1 - Nik Page - Vicious Girls
First up, we have Nik Page’s new single “Vicious Girls” which is the first we’ve heard from him since his collaboration with Kash on the single Kommunion which came out back in September 2007. This new electro-rock single features 6 songs including the title track, 3 remixes, and 2 B-sides. Head on over to Infrarot.de to listen to 45-second samples of all 6 songs (I particularly like “Get On II”) or Nik Page’s MySpace page to hear “Vicious girls” in its entirety. If you want this single, you’ll have to buy it from Infrarot too, because I haven’t found it anywhere else. It’s not even in the Wannsee shop (run by their label) yet.

Nik Page - Vicious Girls single tracklisting
01. Vicious Girls (Radio Edit)
02. Vicious Girls (Razorblade Classic Extended Version)
03. Medusa (feat. Menichal Servants)
04. Vicious Girls (Razorblade Miss Evil Mix)
05. Vicious Girls (Short & Dirty Version)
06. Get On II

2 - Songs Of Lemuria - Footprints
Next is Songs Of Lemuria, another band that Nik Page is a singer in, along with Michaela Laubach. “Footprints” is actually short for “Footprints On The Moon” which comes from the band’s debut album Deep. This single doesn’t have any remixes, but it does include a previous unreleased song called “Twist In My Sobriety” and one other song from the album. Once again, finding this single was a pain because nobody has it except Infrarot.de (and you can find the 45-second samples there, too). Wannsee could definitely use some better distribution.

Songs Of Lemuria - Footprints single tracklisting
01. Footprints On The Moon (Radio Edit)
02. Twist In My Sobriety
03. Hunting High And Low
04. Footprints On The Moon (Basic Version)

3 - Unheilig - An Deiner Seite
Just as a reminder, Unheilig is releasing their new single “An Deiner Seite” to support their amazing new album Puppenspiel. This is a great song and the single even includes its music video. For details and the complete tracklisting, be sure to see Valtteri’s post about “An Deiner Seite”.

February 29th was KMFDM’s 24th anniversary, and to celebrate, the band has announced 24/7, a series of 24 singles on 7″ vinyl records. One remastered single from the band’s extensive catalog will be released on the first day of every month for the next 2 years, ending in February 2010 with a brand new single. Each month’s release will be strictly limited to 250 units each and they will surely sell fast. The first single, “Kickin’ Ass” which was made available in the KMFDM Store on March 1st has already sold out.

The singles are being released in order, so the next one for April should be “Don’t Blow Your Top”. If you’re a big fan of KMFDM, be sure to head over to their store on April 1st so you can get it before it’s sold out. And if you missed the release of “Kickin’ Ass” you can now hear it on KMFDM’s MySpace page.

We have been experiencing a major influx of German bands touring over here in North America in recent months. So far in 2008, we have seen The Jeans Team, De/Vision, and And One all successfully complete their tours, but the fun has just begun! 4 more German bands have recently confirmed that they will also be touring America. They are: Seabound, Doro, Accessory, and Destroid. In addition to these confirmed bands, Unheilig fans also know that there have been rumors of an American tour later in the year for that band. And as an extra boost to all of this excitement, the Finnish cello rock band Apocalyptica (which has a lot of connections with German bands) will also be going on an extensive 30-concert tour across the continent. 2008 has just gotten a lot better!

I will certainly post the full tourdates for all of the bands listed above in the coming weeks, but the next band to arrive is Seabound so I need to tell you about them first…

Seabound is the next German band to tour America
Seabound is a synthpop duo which has produced 4 studio albums to date. With a rapidly expanding fanbase worldwide thanks to the support of Metropolis Records, they are now preparing to embark on their first tour overseas. The “Alliance Tour 2008″ will take Seabound across the United States for 14 concerts. Shortly after the tour concludes, the band will release their first live album Come Forward - Live In Berlin on April 8th. The electro group Iris will be opening for Seabound throughout the entire tour, except the Connecticut show because that’s a larger festival with lots of bands.

You can listen to some of Seabound’s music on their MySpace page. Seabound.de also has lots of info about the band, from photos and lyrics to album reviews and additional MP3 samples. Take some time to check this band out, and head to one of their concerts if you like their music. I’ve heard they put on really great shows.

Seabound “Alliance Tour 2008″ dates:
Click the link on the venue for ticket info

Mar 12 - Shampoo - Philadelphia, PA
Mar 13 - Rock and Roll Hotel - Washington D.C.
Mar 14 - Blacksun Festival - New Haven, CT
Mar 15 - The Madison - New York City, NY
Mar 16 - Water Street - Rochester, NY
Mar 18 - Pegasus - Pittsburgh, PA
Mar 19 - Luna - Detroit, MI
Mar 20 - Darkroom - Chicago, IL
Mar 22 - Elysium - Austin, TX
Mar 24 - Club Dada - Dallas, TX
Mar 26 - El Corazon - Seattle, WA
Mar 27 - Mt. Tabor - Portland, OR
Mar 29 - DNA Lounge - San Francisco, CA
Mar 30 - Safari Sam’s - Los Angeles, CA

Yes, German metal fans should really be looking forward to this Friday. Not only does the 29th of February mark the release of Atrocity’s new album Werk 80 II, but this is also the day when the band will re-release many of their older albums again.

First, some info about the re-releases
Among the Atrocity albums to see life for the second time is the original Werk 80 which features lots of metal covers of songs from the ’80s, just like the new Werk 80 II. Also getting re-released are Willenskraft, Blut, Die Liebe (feat. Das Ich), Calling The Rain (feat. Yasmin), and Hallucinations/The Hunt. Several of these albums have extra bonus tracks that were not available on the original versions. For example, the Werk 80 re-release includes the 3 bonus tracks that were previously only on the limited festival edition of the album, plus 2 other remixes from related singles. Take a look at the end of this post for the full tracklisting of all the albums.

Some of these re-releases really go back to the time when Atrocity was a proper death metal band. I just had to start listening to Willenskraft as I type this post, and I am now remembering how much I love it. “Scorching Breath” is just an awesome track, the guitar riffs are insane. If this doesn’t get you moving, you’ve got to be comatose. I wish I could find someplace that has samples from this and the other albums for you to listen to, but I haven’t found any.

Where to find the 6 re-releases
You can find the 6 re-releases online in several different shops. Both AlphaMusic.de and EMP.de have them for 9.99 Euros each, except for Hallucinations/The Hunt which is slightly more because it has 2 CDs.

Now, an update about Werk 80 II
As you know, Werk 80 II is a followup to Atrocity’s first ’80s cover album, Werk 80. The standard album features 11 tracks, while the limited edition digipack has an extra bonus track. There is also a third version of the album that I just recently found out about, called the deluxe edition, in which you will actually get both Werk 80 albums (I and II) together in a special slipcase plus an alternate album cover. In case you were wondering, if you choose to get this deluxe double disc version, you will get the limited edition version of Werk 80 II with the bonus track, but only the standard version of the original Werk 80. This is a really great combination if you love metal and classic ’80s hits. I would definitely buy it if I didn’t already have the limited festival edition of the original Werk 80, which has 3 bonus tracks of its own.

Listen to Werk 80 II
Atrocity’s MySpace page provides a few medleys from Werk 80 II for your listening pleasure, plus some songs from their previous album Atlantis which is also really great.

Where to find Werk 80 II
EMP.de has Werk 80 II for the lowest price I’ve found online (13.99 Euros), but if you want to get the CD shipped to America you’ll have to go to the next site, AlphaMusic.de. Ironically, they actually have the limited edition for cheaper than the regular version, so you may as well pay less to get more, while you can.

All of the tracklists are going to make this a very long post, so I hid them below. (more…)