Love Is Colder Than Death

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Love Is Colder Than Death
General information
origin Leipzig , Germany
Genre (s) World music , dark wave
founding 1989 as Six Bones
Founding members
Susann Porter (née Heinrich) (until 1996, 2001–2011)
Instruments, vocals
 Sven Mertens (until 1993, 1997-2011)
Instruments
 Maik Hartung
Current occupation
Vocals, instruments
 Ralf Jehnert
Instruments
 Maik Hartung
former members
singing
 Ralf Donis (1990-1993)
Instruments
 Andrew Porter (1993-1995)
singing
 Manuela Budich (1997-2000)
singing
 Helen Landen (2000-2001)
Justus Kriewald (2010–2012)
Singing, percussion
Anja Herrmann (2011-2013)
Percussion, flute , vocals
 Uli Stornowski (2011-2013)

Love Is Colder Than Death is a German music group. Stylistically, the band was initially assigned to the dark-wave environment, especially neoclassical music, and over time developed into a semi-acoustic performance group that combined components of world music with a freestyle attitude chosen for itself.

history

The early years

In the summer of 1989 the group was founded by Maik Hartung, Sven Mertens and Susann Heinrich under the name Six Bones in Leipzig . In 1990 Ralf Donis joined as the fourth member , the name was then changed to Love Is Colder Than Death and is derived from the film of the same name Love is colder than death .

After signing a contract with the Hypnobeat label or its sub-label Hyperium Records , the first official release appeared in 1991 under the title “Wild World”, which stylistically still tended strongly towards the electro-wave environment, but also had neoclassical elements that were later found Works should stand out more clearly and make the band known internationally.

The focus of her work was initially on the setting of verses by English romantics such as William Blake , but Love Is Colder Than Death soon began to concentrate on writing her own texts. At the end of 1991 the debut work "Teignmouth" appeared, with the appearance of which Hyperium Records started the concept of the " Heavenly Voices " series.

In 1992 Love Is Colder Than Death performed at documenta IX in Kassel, an exhibition for contemporary art. In the same year the second album "Mental Traveler" followed, from which the track "Veronensis" found its way to several compilations. For the French market, “Mental Traveler” and the third work “Oxeia” were licensed to the Paris label Semantic .

Split and reorganization

In 1993 Sven Mertens and Ralf Donis left the band and were replaced by Andrew Porter, the former drummer of the gothic rock band The Rose of Avalanche . Meanwhile, Sven Mertens decided to devote himself to his own project In Deyagora , Ralf Donis founded and led the crossover formation Think About Mutation , which had some commercial successes at the end of the 1990s.

With the following works "Oxeia" (1994) and "Spellbound" (1995) and a tour through South America, Love Is Colder Than Death succeeded in increasing its popularity on an international level. Hyperium Records then licensed the releases "Teignmouth", "Mental Traveler" and "Oxeia" to the newly founded North American label Metropolis Records .

Despite the increasing success, Susann Heinrich and Andrew Porter left the band in 1995 because they pursued different musical goals. Maik Hartung remained the only member who found a new member in Manuela Budich. The first stage of Love Is Colder Than Death was sealed with "Auter (A Collection)", a compilation released for the Mexican market.

Sven Mertens, who left the band in 1993, also appeared live for the first time in the same year with project partner Ralf Jehnert under the name In Deyagora . Maik Hartung and Susann Heinrich also attended this performance. Soon after, there were considerations of a merger between In Deyagora and the remaining members of Love Is Colder Than Death. The merger came a short time later, but Susann Heinrich only rejoined the band as Susan Porter in 2000 - after their marriage and the birth of their child .

New beginning

In 1997, Love Is Colder Than Death ended their long-term collaboration with Hyperium Records and switched to Chrom Records , but without entering into a contractual relationship. With the expansion of her own recording studio, the recording of the fourth album "Atopos" began in 1998, on which Manuela Budich took over the vocal part. After the release of “Atopos” Love Is Colder Than Death started their own label In Deyagora Music , on which all subsequent works “Eclipse” (2003), “Inside The Bell” (2004) and “Time” (2006) appeared .

The appearances on "Eclipse" in 2003 at the Völkerschlachtdenkmal in Leipzig and at the Wave-Gotik-Treffen in 2003 and 2005 in the Leipziger Schauspielhaus were the band's most elaborate live concerts to date. The percussionists Anja Herrmann Sarband and Michael Metzler supported Love Is Colder Than Death in their performances. “Eclipse” reached # 2 on the Mexican New Age Sales Charts just three months after its release .

2012 - in preparation for the album "Tempest", Anja Herrmann and Uli Stornowski were brought into the band to give live concerts again. In the summer of 2013 both ended the collaboration with Love Is Colder Than Death.

style

Love Is Colder Than Death were often relegated to the Middle Ages by the press and listeners and compared with artists like Dead Can Dance . Often, however, the band used elements from different eras and incorporated them into their music:

“ We dealt very intensively with the musical styles of other cultures, especially those from Africa and the Balkans. We are not fixated on a certain time, but sample every instrument for a piece that fascinates us, whether it comes from the 18th century or the 11th century. "

At the end of the 1990s, folkloric components gradually gained in importance and Love Is Colder Than Death began to break away almost completely from conventional electronic sounds. During this time Maik Hartung increasingly occupied himself with acoustic instruments from different countries, such as Iran, India, Russia, Bulgaria, China or Japan, and on this basis played the work "Atopos" with the other band members.

Discography

  • 1990: Two Faces but No Guitars (MC - limited to 20 copies)
  • 1991: Wild World (EP, Hyperium Records)
  • 1991: Teignmouth (LP / CD, Hyperium Records - 1995 on Metropolis Records)
  • 1992: Mental Traveler (CD, Hyperium Records - 1992 also on Semantic and 1995 on Metropolis Records)
  • 1993: Cenobites (Exclusive Remix) (Exclusive version on the compilation "Art & Dance Volume 4", CD, Gothic Arts Records)
  • 1994: Oxeia (CD / MC, Hyperium Records - 1994 also on Semantic and 1995 on Metropolis Records)
  • 1995: Spellbound (EP, Hyperium Records)
  • 1995: Auter (A Collection) (CD, Opción Sónica)
  • 1999: Atopos (CD, Chrom Records / Samadhi Music)
  • 2003: Eclipse (CD, In Deyagora Music / Samadhi Music)
  • 2004: Inside the Bell (CD, In Deyagora Music - limited live album)
  • 2006: Time (2CD Collection, In Deyagora Music - limited to 1,000 copies)
  • 2013: Tempest (CD, In Deyagora Music)

Web links

Commons : Love Is Colder Than Death  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

swell

  1. ↑ Source: Zillo Musikmagazin · Issue no. 2 Interview with Love Is Colder Than Death Page 37 February 1992