Lacrimosa
Encyclopedia
Lacrimosa is a duo led by German Tilo Wolff
, the main composer, and Finnish Anne Nurmi
, currently based in Switzerland, but originally from Germany. Originally counted among the bands of the Neue Deutsche Todeskunst
genre, Lacrimosa have developed their style more towards powerful metal, but Gothic elements still remain.
Their current musical style mixes gothic rock
and heavy metal along with violin
, trumpet
and more classical
instruments, although their musical development throughout the years has also led to changes in instrumentation. Lacrimosa's lyrics are written almost exclusively in German, although since the 1995 album Inferno every album has featured one or two songs in English, generally written by Anne Nurmi. Finnish has also appeared in the spoken intro to two songs ("Schakal" on Inferno and "The Turning Point" on Elodia) and on a bonus track in a limited edition release of Fassade
called Vankina. Their lyrics are mainly about loneliness, sadness, darkness, despair and love.
The band has sold more than 20,000 copies of each album in Germany but has also gained a large fanbase in Mexico
and China
.
With Stille, Lacrimosa releases an album that might easily be classified as 'metal', a style which they'll keep using for their own purposes from then on. Heavy guitars supplemented by more bombastic arrangements for classical instruments have come to dominate the music, showing a close affinity to symphonic metal
. Thematically, the emphasis on the darker side of human emotions is lowered if not abandoned, with Stille featuring several uplifting songs. "Stolzes Herz" ("Proud heart") and "Die Strasse der Zeit" ("The Lane of Time") especially sing the praise of individual and cultural strength respectively. "Die Strasse der Zeit" describes a journey backwards through a history ravaged by war, greed and stupidity, until the protagonist finds solace in the youthful hope and strength of ancient Greek
culture - an image which reminds one more of Nietzsche than of the depressed songs on Angst.
The next album, Elodia
, reduces the role of metal-style guitars and increases that of symphonic, classical arrangements, this time recorded in part by the London Symphony Orchestra
. Presented as a play in three parts, Elodia revolves around the theme of love
. The gothic element is still present, though, and the themes of loss and death feature prominently in the latter half of the 'play', which nevertheless ends with an affirmation of hope.
The musical style of Elodia is still evident on the 2001 album Fassade
, which features a wide variety of musical visions, from the harsh metal sound of "Liebesspiel" ("Love Game") to gently flowing keyboards of "Senses", to the symphonic
interplay between guitars and orchestra on the title song "Fassade". This latter composition, a piece in three movements which are arranged on the album as tracks 1, 5 and 8, also constitutes a new thematic excursion of Lacrimosa as they move from the personal emotions they normally explore to a critique of modern society. It ends, however, with the affirmation of individuality and the protagonist's retreat from society.
Echos
bears witness to a further musical development, as guitars and other rock elements take centre stage less and less often, whereas classical instruments feature more prominently. The orchestral arrangements move away from the standard symphonic arrangements which are often found in contemporary metal music, as is clearly shown by the album's first track, the long orchestral "Kyrie - Overture". The music on Echos also shows an influence from electronic and industrial music
, as is especially obvious in the song "Ein Hauch von Menschlichkeit" ("A Touch of Humanity"). Overall, this album is more personal, more 'classical' and more quiet than those that came before it. Thematically, there is less change as Lacrimosa continues to explore love and its associated emotions with gothic twists.
Lacrimosa's ninth album, Lichtgestalt
, largely retains the classical orientation of Echos, but rock elements begin to resurface. In particular the first track, Sapphire, begins as a slow, mostly classical song but around halfway through moves into a far more metal-sounding
section; the pace of the song increases, a heavy guitar
backing takes over and Wolff switches from singing into a rasping, high-pitched death grunt for a few minutes. The segment is a significant change of direction for Lacrimosa; this vocal style had not been seen in Lacrimosa songs since Copycat on the 1995 album Inferno, recorded ten years before. The remaining songs display a similar mix of styles to previous albums, with some upbeat songs, a song written and sung in English mainly by Anne Nurmi (though Wolff duets with her on this track) and some slower-paced, more depressive pieces.
In 2005, a new EP, "Lichtgestalten" is released, that brings a new electronic version of the song "Lichtgestalt", produced by Tilo in the scope of his solo project, Snakeskin
.
In 2006, a DVD Musikkurzfilme is released, which contains all the video clips that Lacrimosa shot throughout its career including the video for the "Lichtgestalt" song.
Sehnsucht, the latest album is released in 2009. Singer and producer Tilo Wolff
wanted to create an album that was less conceptual and more spontaneous than the previous releases by Lacrimosa and so Sehnsucht features a great variability of musical expressions like a sarcastic track "Feuer" and a smooth song "Call Me With The Voice Of Love".
The main musical development of Lacrimosa might be summarised as follows: starting from the minimal, slow, keyboard driven style of Angst, guitars and other metal influences came to play a more and more prominent role, until they reached a peak on Stille. From then on, the emphasis has shifted from guitars and metal to symphonic and classical writing, which is clearly shown in Fassade. Finally, Echos takes a turn towards the personal and away from the symphonic and heavy aspects of the previous albums, achieving a quite unique mixture of musical elements which is hard to classify. The pace of Lacrimosa's development is slow enough that each album is recognisably linked to its predecessor and successor, yet fast enough that for instance Angst, Stille and Echoes might well have been written by completely different bands.
In 2008 the Lacrimosa-run Hall of Sermon label reclaimed the rights on all the band's Nuclear Blast releases. Unavailable for quite some time, two albums and two singles will be re-released. In March 2008, Lacrimosa started working on their next studio album entitled "Sehnsucht" which was released May 8, 2009.
Tilo Wolff
Tilo Wolff is a German musician currently living in Switzerland.His longest-running project is the band Lacrimosa, which since its debut in 1990 has produced 9 albums, which embrace a diverse range of gothic, darkwave and orchestral musical styles...
, the main composer, and Finnish Anne Nurmi
Anne Nurmi
Anne Marjanna Nurmi is a Finnish singer, composer and keyboard player who is a member of the band Lacrimosa. She lives in Switzerland.In her youth she sang in church choirs and began playing keyboard....
, currently based in Switzerland, but originally from Germany. Originally counted among the bands of the Neue Deutsche Todeskunst
Neue Deutsche Todeskunst
Neue Deutsche Todeskunst is a musical genre that was developed in Germany in the early 1990s.-History:...
genre, Lacrimosa have developed their style more towards powerful metal, but Gothic elements still remain.
Their current musical style mixes gothic rock
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
and heavy metal along with violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
and more classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
instruments, although their musical development throughout the years has also led to changes in instrumentation. Lacrimosa's lyrics are written almost exclusively in German, although since the 1995 album Inferno every album has featured one or two songs in English, generally written by Anne Nurmi. Finnish has also appeared in the spoken intro to two songs ("Schakal" on Inferno and "The Turning Point" on Elodia) and on a bonus track in a limited edition release of Fassade
Fassade
Fassade is the seventh album by German duo Lacrimosa.- Themes :Whereas the previous album Elodia centred on love, Fassade's theme is that of a lonely individual feeling overwhelmed by society, exemplified by the central song, Fassade, divided into three Sätze , and the album's artwork...
called Vankina. Their lyrics are mainly about loneliness, sadness, darkness, despair and love.
The band has sold more than 20,000 copies of each album in Germany but has also gained a large fanbase in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
Brief timeline
- 1990: Tilo Wolff releases a tape called Clamor using the band name of Lacrimosa.
- 1991: Tilo Wolff founds a new record company called Hall of SermonHall of SermonHall of Sermon is the record label founded by Tilo Wolff of Lacrimosa in 1991. Lacrimosa edits all of their albums in it.-Bands on label:* Lacrimosa* Artrosis* Dreams of Sanity* The Gallery* Snakeskin* The Breath of Life* Evergrey* Girls Under Glass...
, as an independent label to publish Lacrimosa's records. - 1993: Anne Nurmi joins the solo project to play keyboard, becoming a permanent member soon after.
Musical and thematic development
Lacrimosa's first album, Angst, is a very gloomy piece of slow, rather minimal music, dominated by keyboards and a depressed, sometimes frantic and insane, voice. In this early period, the themes explored through lyrics and music are of a very bleak nature, such as fear; helplessness; loneliness; the non-existence, unattainability or illusionary nature of love; and death. The same thematic preoccupations can be found on the next three albums, Einsamkeit, Satura and Inferno, but now and then a more positive note begins to sound in the dismal tapestry. Musically, this period is characterised by the introduction of electric guitars and basses, with more and more rock elements being added to the slow, keyboard-based music of the earliest album.With Stille, Lacrimosa releases an album that might easily be classified as 'metal', a style which they'll keep using for their own purposes from then on. Heavy guitars supplemented by more bombastic arrangements for classical instruments have come to dominate the music, showing a close affinity to symphonic metal
Symphonic metal
Symphonic metal is a term used to describe heavy metal music that has symphonic elements; that is, elements that are either borrowed from classical music or, as with progressive rock music, create a style reminiscent of it, e.g...
. Thematically, the emphasis on the darker side of human emotions is lowered if not abandoned, with Stille featuring several uplifting songs. "Stolzes Herz" ("Proud heart") and "Die Strasse der Zeit" ("The Lane of Time") especially sing the praise of individual and cultural strength respectively. "Die Strasse der Zeit" describes a journey backwards through a history ravaged by war, greed and stupidity, until the protagonist finds solace in the youthful hope and strength of ancient Greek
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
culture - an image which reminds one more of Nietzsche than of the depressed songs on Angst.
The next album, Elodia
Elodia
- Personnel :*Andrew Chudy – drums*Sascha Gerbig – rhythm guitar*Thomas Gramatzki – clarinet, flute*Anja-Christine Hitzer – celli*Gottfried Koch – acoustic guitar*David Snell – Director*Tilo Wolff – Arranger, Producer, vocals...
, reduces the role of metal-style guitars and increases that of symphonic, classical arrangements, this time recorded in part by the London Symphony Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
. Presented as a play in three parts, Elodia revolves around the theme of love
Love
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
. The gothic element is still present, though, and the themes of loss and death feature prominently in the latter half of the 'play', which nevertheless ends with an affirmation of hope.
The musical style of Elodia is still evident on the 2001 album Fassade
Fassade
Fassade is the seventh album by German duo Lacrimosa.- Themes :Whereas the previous album Elodia centred on love, Fassade's theme is that of a lonely individual feeling overwhelmed by society, exemplified by the central song, Fassade, divided into three Sätze , and the album's artwork...
, which features a wide variety of musical visions, from the harsh metal sound of "Liebesspiel" ("Love Game") to gently flowing keyboards of "Senses", to the symphonic
Symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
interplay between guitars and orchestra on the title song "Fassade". This latter composition, a piece in three movements which are arranged on the album as tracks 1, 5 and 8, also constitutes a new thematic excursion of Lacrimosa as they move from the personal emotions they normally explore to a critique of modern society. It ends, however, with the affirmation of individuality and the protagonist's retreat from society.
Echos
Echos (Lacrimosa album)
Echos is the eighth studio album by Switzerland-based Gothic rock band Lacrimosa. It features classically influenced Gothic-themed rock music. The title is German for "echoes".-Style:...
bears witness to a further musical development, as guitars and other rock elements take centre stage less and less often, whereas classical instruments feature more prominently. The orchestral arrangements move away from the standard symphonic arrangements which are often found in contemporary metal music, as is clearly shown by the album's first track, the long orchestral "Kyrie - Overture". The music on Echos also shows an influence from electronic and industrial music
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
, as is especially obvious in the song "Ein Hauch von Menschlichkeit" ("A Touch of Humanity"). Overall, this album is more personal, more 'classical' and more quiet than those that came before it. Thematically, there is less change as Lacrimosa continues to explore love and its associated emotions with gothic twists.
Lacrimosa's ninth album, Lichtgestalt
Lichtgestalt
Lichtgestalt is a 2005 album by German gothic rock duo Lacrimosa.- Music :Recorded in 2005, it consists of 9 tracks, including the two different versions of The Party Is Over. The album has strong elements of symphonic metal...
, largely retains the classical orientation of Echos, but rock elements begin to resurface. In particular the first track, Sapphire, begins as a slow, mostly classical song but around halfway through moves into a far more metal-sounding
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
section; the pace of the song increases, a heavy guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
backing takes over and Wolff switches from singing into a rasping, high-pitched death grunt for a few minutes. The segment is a significant change of direction for Lacrimosa; this vocal style had not been seen in Lacrimosa songs since Copycat on the 1995 album Inferno, recorded ten years before. The remaining songs display a similar mix of styles to previous albums, with some upbeat songs, a song written and sung in English mainly by Anne Nurmi (though Wolff duets with her on this track) and some slower-paced, more depressive pieces.
In 2005, a new EP, "Lichtgestalten" is released, that brings a new electronic version of the song "Lichtgestalt", produced by Tilo in the scope of his solo project, Snakeskin
Snakeskin
Snakeskin may refer to:*Snakeskin, a material that is made from the skin of a snake*Snakeskin , a song by Australian band Gyroscope*Snakeskin , a New Zealand film*Snakeskin , a side project of Tilo Wolff from Lacrimosa*Snakeskin Glacier...
.
In 2006, a DVD Musikkurzfilme is released, which contains all the video clips that Lacrimosa shot throughout its career including the video for the "Lichtgestalt" song.
Sehnsucht, the latest album is released in 2009. Singer and producer Tilo Wolff
Tilo Wolff
Tilo Wolff is a German musician currently living in Switzerland.His longest-running project is the band Lacrimosa, which since its debut in 1990 has produced 9 albums, which embrace a diverse range of gothic, darkwave and orchestral musical styles...
wanted to create an album that was less conceptual and more spontaneous than the previous releases by Lacrimosa and so Sehnsucht features a great variability of musical expressions like a sarcastic track "Feuer" and a smooth song "Call Me With The Voice Of Love".
The main musical development of Lacrimosa might be summarised as follows: starting from the minimal, slow, keyboard driven style of Angst, guitars and other metal influences came to play a more and more prominent role, until they reached a peak on Stille. From then on, the emphasis has shifted from guitars and metal to symphonic and classical writing, which is clearly shown in Fassade. Finally, Echos takes a turn towards the personal and away from the symphonic and heavy aspects of the previous albums, achieving a quite unique mixture of musical elements which is hard to classify. The pace of Lacrimosa's development is slow enough that each album is recognisably linked to its predecessor and successor, yet fast enough that for instance Angst, Stille and Echoes might well have been written by completely different bands.
In 2008 the Lacrimosa-run Hall of Sermon label reclaimed the rights on all the band's Nuclear Blast releases. Unavailable for quite some time, two albums and two singles will be re-released. In March 2008, Lacrimosa started working on their next studio album entitled "Sehnsucht" which was released May 8, 2009.
Albums
| Year | Title | Peak positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GER Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
SWI |
AUT Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
MEX | POL OLiS OLiS is the official list of the highest selling music albums in Poland. The list exists since October 23, 2000 and is provided by ZPAV.... |
||
| 1991 | Angst | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1992 | Einsamkeit | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1993 | Satura | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1995 | Inferno | 81 | – | – | – | – |
| 1997 | Stille | 64 | – | – | – | – |
| 1999 | Elodia Elodia - Personnel :*Andrew Chudy – drums*Sascha Gerbig – rhythm guitar*Thomas Gramatzki – clarinet, flute*Anja-Christine Hitzer – celli*Gottfried Koch – acoustic guitar*David Snell – Director*Tilo Wolff – Arranger, Producer, vocals... |
12 | – | – | – | – |
| 2001 | Fassade Fassade Fassade is the seventh album by German duo Lacrimosa.- Themes :Whereas the previous album Elodia centred on love, Fassade's theme is that of a lonely individual feeling overwhelmed by society, exemplified by the central song, Fassade, divided into three Sätze , and the album's artwork... |
20 | – | – | – | 31 |
| 2003 | Echos Echos (Lacrimosa album) Echos is the eighth studio album by Switzerland-based Gothic rock band Lacrimosa. It features classically influenced Gothic-themed rock music. The title is German for "echoes".-Style:... |
13 | – | – | – | – |
| 2005 | Lichtgestalt Lichtgestalt Lichtgestalt is a 2005 album by German gothic rock duo Lacrimosa.- Music :Recorded in 2005, it consists of 9 tracks, including the two different versions of The Party Is Over. The album has strong elements of symphonic metal... |
30 | – | – | – | 21 |
| 2009 | Sehnsucht Sehnsucht (Lacrimosa album) Sehnsucht is the tenth album by the German gothic rock duo Lacrimosa, released on May 8, 2009. Singer and producer Tilo Wolff wanted to create an album that was less conceptual and more spontaneous than the previous releases by Lacrimosa... |
35 | 82 | 68 | 49 | – |
Live albums
| Year | Title | Peak positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GER Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
|||
| 1998 | Live (2 CD) | – | |
| 2007 | Lichtjahre (2 CD) | 70 | |
Compilation albums
| Year | Title | Peak positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GER Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
|||
| 2002 | Vintage Classix (7 LPs) | – | |
| 2010 | Schattenspiel | 51 | |
Singles
| Year | | Title | | Album | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|---|
| GER Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
|||
| 1993 | "Alles Lüge" (All Lies) | Angst | – |
| 1994 | "Schakal" (Jackal) | Einsamkeit | – |
| 1996 | "Stolzes Herz" (Proud Heart) | Stille | 9 |
| 1999 | "Alleine zu zweit" (Together Alone) | Elodia Elodia - Personnel :*Andrew Chudy – drums*Sascha Gerbig – rhythm guitar*Thomas Gramatzki – clarinet, flute*Anja-Christine Hitzer – celli*Gottfried Koch – acoustic guitar*David Snell – Director*Tilo Wolff – Arranger, Producer, vocals... |
52 |
| 2001 | "Der Morgen danach" (The Morning After) | Fassade Fassade Fassade is the seventh album by German duo Lacrimosa.- Themes :Whereas the previous album Elodia centred on love, Fassade's theme is that of a lonely individual feeling overwhelmed by society, exemplified by the central song, Fassade, divided into three Sätze , and the album's artwork... |
50 |
| 2002 | "Durch Nacht und Flut" (Through Night and Flood) | Echos Echos (Lacrimosa album) Echos is the eighth studio album by Switzerland-based Gothic rock band Lacrimosa. It features classically influenced Gothic-themed rock music. The title is German for "echoes".-Style:... |
52 |
| 2006 | "Lichtgestalten" (Luminous beings) | (EP Extended play An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact... ) |
– |
| 2009 | "Feuer" (Fire) | Sehnsucht Sehnsucht (Lacrimosa album) Sehnsucht is the tenth album by the German gothic rock duo Lacrimosa, released on May 8, 2009. Singer and producer Tilo Wolff wanted to create an album that was less conceptual and more spontaneous than the previous releases by Lacrimosa... |
– |
| 2009 | "I Lost My Star" | Sehnsucht | – |
Demo and extended play
| Year | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | "Clamor" | Two track demo tape |
| 2006 | Lichtgestalten (Luminous beings) | EP |
VHS
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1995 | The Clips 1993-1995 |
| 1997 | Silent Clips |
DVD
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2000 | The Live History |
| 2005 | Musikkurzfilme (Short Music Films) |
| 2007 | Lichtjahre (Lightyears) |
External links
- Snakeskin, a side project of Tilo Wolff
- Interview with Tilo Wolff "Emotional Concept" June 4, 2010