Artist info:
Also known as
Verified yes
Genre−
Rank2,142 (new)
Albums19
Songs103
AboutActually, despite what the official bio claims, the band's history begins centuries earlier, some time around the 8th century - that's how far back date the texts of their songs. The band itself was born in 1996 in East Berlin, thus coming from the highly fertile land behind the former Wall (there's a whole bunch of Ost-Berlin bands, the most well-known being, of course, Rammstein - check out www.achtung-wir-kommen.de for more details included into the film featuring R+, In Extremo, and Feeling B).
Before forming In Extremo per se, its members-to-be were not strangers to each other. Das Letzte Einhorn and Teufel (pic) were at one time a part of a project called PULLARIUS FORZILLO (pseudo-Latin, whatever it can mean...'pullarius' is Latin for a guy watching over sacred chickens, and "forzillo' has something to do with a fork...). Apparently, nothing came out of it but a short song "A vis a lo lop", but the idea grew, got ripe, and what everybody involved first thought a by-project, slowly became a thing in itself. Thus, Einhorn got In Ex, and Teufel got Tanzwut, and fans got a difficult dilemma of choice as well as sustained rumours about the two's mutual dislike.
The responsibility for starting the germ of In Ex (and many other German folk-rock bands) lies heavily on the system of education in the DDR. As early as in school, pupils were encouraged to show interest in the nation's medieval roots, including the relevant decor like castles, monasteries, costumes and music.
One of the typical and fascinating features of German culture is the so-called 'Mittelaltermarkt' - medieval markets, festivals held in imitation of real medieval fairs with minstrels entertaining people in the streets with acrobatics, fire tricks, and music. This is like a big role-playing action going on nationwide, and this is where In Ex began to perform, obviously acoustic and without much vocals, but with all the necessary paraphernalia of a medieval show.
Mittelalter Markt: photo from Communitas Monacensis
In Extremo at Runneburg show: photo from Oberirr.de
Contrary to, for example, Skyclad or Subway to Sally, In Ex have done their musical fusion in a different proportion: instead of folklorising rock, they have remained true to their folk origins and added rock elements as flavour. Staying true to the tradition can be seen also in the instruments they play, which are mostly handmade by bandmembers themselves. Another In Ex's historically authentic feature is that its members don't limit themselves to playing one (or two, at the best) musical instruments, each being a real Jack-of-all-trades onstage.
Branching out from playing in the street to the rock stage, In Ex have added another visual hook to their show - a prominent pyrotechnical component. Lacking the diversity of Rammstein, their fiery stock is a decent example of the fire-worship mania that seems to have become the trademark of German bands. Distinctly different from Rammstein is the accent In Ex put on fire: where Rammstein use pyrotechnics as part of their industrial image, showing off clever technical equipment like flame-throwers, In Extremo make fire a more personal element, risking physical contact with it in such clearly dangerous tricks as fire spitting in the old-fashioned way (see pic here or read more in the Pyrotechnics section)
Despite clearly shifting towards rock in their last album "Suender ohne Zuegel", In Ex have been stubborn enough to stick to their original preference to old languages over the normal German texts. Obviously not everybody, except for only the most devoted fans, can understand or sing along to a song in Latin or Icelandic, and still every live concert is a solid proof that the audience can happily chant along even without knowing what they are saying, carried away by the dark enchantment of old fables.
Due to its more rock-oriented (and so more traditional) sound "Suender ohne Zuegel" has won a new audience for In Ex, at the same time insulting old fans of medieval heritage. The band themselves try to find balance between the two poles and plan to return to their acustic roots in the future.
SIMILAR bands
Similar bands: Subway to Sally (medieval lyrics, modern rock and instruments); Letzte Instanz (modern rock with some medieval flavour); Schandmaul (medieval lyrics, some medieval instruments); Corvus Corax (early Tanzwut, medieval musical instruments and melodies);Tanzwut (medieval instruments, original modern lyrics and music).
From this list, In Ex are the only band to have their present setlist consisting of 2/3 of authentic medieval folk and literary material. Being indeed very much similar to Corvus Corax in their 'markt shows' stage - mostly acoustic instrumental melodies - now In Ex have transformed the same songs into rock performance, while Tanzwut have their present setlist written from scratch and make almost no use of the earlier C.Corax stuff.
WHO:
Surprise! What you read inside the cd's cover is not the guys' actual names, but a major conspiracy, which for many years has been making fans post naive inquiries in the band's official site's forum. Careful research has revealed this:
Das letzte Einhorn a.k.a. The Last Unicorn (vocals) - Micha(el) Robert Rhein, the name stems from his favourite T-shirt design by Klaus Kinski, as can be seen here. If you need more holidays to celebrate, you can add your fave singer's birthday on 22.05.1964 to the list.
Yellow Pfeiffer a.k.a. Yellow Whistler (bagpipes, nyckelharp, flute, shawm) - Boris Pfeiffer. Named so because the first time the other bandmembers beheld him, he was wearing yellow clothes. Well, looking at the concert photos, he still does.
Morgenstern a.k.a. Morning Star (drums, percussion, tympanum, the Horse) - it hangs on his neck. Look closely. In secular world is known as Rainer Morgenroth. With us since 05.02.1964.
Die Lutter, a.k.a. Singling (bass) - Kay Lutter. Now try to explain the 'die' article...Born on 24.09.1965.
Flex der Biegsame, a.k.a. Flex the Flexible (bagpipes, shawm, flute) - Marco Ernst-Felix, and he has such nickname because he,well, is flexible and thus responsible for various acrobatics during the show. As far as I know, the youngest member of the band - 04.12.1972.
Der Lange, a.k.a. The Long One (guitar) - Sebastian Lange. It's just his normal surname.
Dr. Pymonte, a.k.a. Dr. Pymonte (bagpipe, shawm, flute, harp) - Andre Strugalla (thanks for the revelation from the gods..heh, I mean, the official site).Came into the world on 05.07.1962.
Sway the mouse over the picture to see who's who
On the records, Einhorn sings in all songs, even the background vocals. As he has confessed in the interview with Amazon.de, he doesn't know the old languages he sings in (for one moment I thought that...no, it'd be a miracle). The band uses help of friends familiar with the languages, works with the translation to make it more singable, and then goes back to the original. It must be taking a lot of practice to avoid phonetical blunders...I wonder what they use for training - transliteration?
WHAT:
So far In Extremo have released 8 albums, the first two were self-distributed (i.e., sold to the audience after the concerts).
Albums:
2003 Sieben [7] Motor.de|Universal
2002 Live 2002 (cd + DVD)
2001 Suender Ohne Zuegel (Unbridled Sinner)
1999 Verehrt Und Angespien (Honoured and Spat Upon)
1998 Die Verrueckten Sind In Der Stadt (live) (The Madmen
are in Town)
1998 Weckt Die Toten! (Wake the Dead)
1998 Hameln (acoustic)
1997 In Extremo (acoustic) Singles:
1998 Ai Vis Lo Lop [Stars in the DarkCDM03209-2, including remixes and instrumental version]
1999 Merseburger Zaubersprueche [MegaluxCDM, including a radio version and a remix]
1999 This Corrosion [MegaluxCDM]
2000 Vollmond [MegaluxCDM562893-2, including a remix] 2003.06 Kuess mich cd/DVD single
2003.09 Erdbeermund [not yet released]
There are also 4 video clips, This Corrosion, Vollmond (screenshots here), Kuess Mich and Erdbeermund, plus quite a generous footage of live shows, mostly downloadable from KaZaa.
WHERE:
In Extremo have toured extensively over Europe, and have also branched out to America. Notably, they're doing a second Mexico tour in September 2002...what is so special about Mexican fans that German bands like so much?!
SIDE PROJECTS
There have been several guest appearances of the In Ex members on various projects, and not only musical ones. I'm listing the ones I could find info on, if there's anything missing, please let me know.
InEx are also now heroes in a computer game "Gothic" (screenshot), released by Pihranna (Tip for the game: you must first become guardian or fire mage (for "Old settlement") or soldier ("New settlement") or templar ("Swamp settlement"), then come back to Old settlement, go to the stage in the marketplace and watch. Also background music is Herr Mannelig in a somewhat slow arrangement). Alledgedly, they will appear again on Gothic III
Einhorn is playing in a movie "Kinder der Nacht II" (Children of the Night) - a vampire story about a hidden civilization of legendary creatures, existing alongside with the human one and having its own laws, rules, and goverment, where Einhorn's character is but the second in command...together with Felix Flaucher (Silke Bischof), Artaud (Garden of Delight), Till (Eisheilig) and Bela B (die Aertze). The film is being shot in Germany's Ruhrgebiet with its exquisite industrial scenery and should be expected to be released some time in the beginning of 2003.
[pic 1] [pic 2] [pic 3]
Schandmaul's recent DVD/CD Hexenkessel features Michael Rhein as a guest singer in the song "Willst du's Extrem?"
And yet more guest-singing of das Letzte Einhorn on Grave Digger's albub, "Rheingold" - listen for the chorus in the refrain of the title song, especially towards the end.
ASSORTED FACTS
* Although the band is originally from Berlin, now only 6 members stay there, while d.l. Einhorn lives in Koeln. He swears he telephones his band every day...
* In 2001 In Ex have won the German Alternative Music Award (GAMA) for the best live show against Rammstein.
* In 28. 03. 1999 in Mannhem d.l. Einhorn had a bad pyro accident and had to spend several weeks in hospital, while the rest of the band feared for the band's future. Now Rammstein's decision to make Till get a special pyrotechnics license seems a wise thing to do...
* The band make their bizarre instruments themselves. Sometimes used instruments are offered for sale - check out forums on the official site and ocult. de
Before forming In Extremo per se, its members-to-be were not strangers to each other. Das Letzte Einhorn and Teufel (pic) were at one time a part of a project called PULLARIUS FORZILLO (pseudo-Latin, whatever it can mean...'pullarius' is Latin for a guy watching over sacred chickens, and "forzillo' has something to do with a fork...). Apparently, nothing came out of it but a short song "A vis a lo lop", but the idea grew, got ripe, and what everybody involved first thought a by-project, slowly became a thing in itself. Thus, Einhorn got In Ex, and Teufel got Tanzwut, and fans got a difficult dilemma of choice as well as sustained rumours about the two's mutual dislike.
The responsibility for starting the germ of In Ex (and many other German folk-rock bands) lies heavily on the system of education in the DDR. As early as in school, pupils were encouraged to show interest in the nation's medieval roots, including the relevant decor like castles, monasteries, costumes and music.
One of the typical and fascinating features of German culture is the so-called 'Mittelaltermarkt' - medieval markets, festivals held in imitation of real medieval fairs with minstrels entertaining people in the streets with acrobatics, fire tricks, and music. This is like a big role-playing action going on nationwide, and this is where In Ex began to perform, obviously acoustic and without much vocals, but with all the necessary paraphernalia of a medieval show.
Mittelalter Markt: photo from Communitas Monacensis
In Extremo at Runneburg show: photo from Oberirr.de
Contrary to, for example, Skyclad or Subway to Sally, In Ex have done their musical fusion in a different proportion: instead of folklorising rock, they have remained true to their folk origins and added rock elements as flavour. Staying true to the tradition can be seen also in the instruments they play, which are mostly handmade by bandmembers themselves. Another In Ex's historically authentic feature is that its members don't limit themselves to playing one (or two, at the best) musical instruments, each being a real Jack-of-all-trades onstage.
Branching out from playing in the street to the rock stage, In Ex have added another visual hook to their show - a prominent pyrotechnical component. Lacking the diversity of Rammstein, their fiery stock is a decent example of the fire-worship mania that seems to have become the trademark of German bands. Distinctly different from Rammstein is the accent In Ex put on fire: where Rammstein use pyrotechnics as part of their industrial image, showing off clever technical equipment like flame-throwers, In Extremo make fire a more personal element, risking physical contact with it in such clearly dangerous tricks as fire spitting in the old-fashioned way (see pic here or read more in the Pyrotechnics section)
Despite clearly shifting towards rock in their last album "Suender ohne Zuegel", In Ex have been stubborn enough to stick to their original preference to old languages over the normal German texts. Obviously not everybody, except for only the most devoted fans, can understand or sing along to a song in Latin or Icelandic, and still every live concert is a solid proof that the audience can happily chant along even without knowing what they are saying, carried away by the dark enchantment of old fables.
Due to its more rock-oriented (and so more traditional) sound "Suender ohne Zuegel" has won a new audience for In Ex, at the same time insulting old fans of medieval heritage. The band themselves try to find balance between the two poles and plan to return to their acustic roots in the future.
SIMILAR bands
Similar bands: Subway to Sally (medieval lyrics, modern rock and instruments); Letzte Instanz (modern rock with some medieval flavour); Schandmaul (medieval lyrics, some medieval instruments); Corvus Corax (early Tanzwut, medieval musical instruments and melodies);Tanzwut (medieval instruments, original modern lyrics and music).
From this list, In Ex are the only band to have their present setlist consisting of 2/3 of authentic medieval folk and literary material. Being indeed very much similar to Corvus Corax in their 'markt shows' stage - mostly acoustic instrumental melodies - now In Ex have transformed the same songs into rock performance, while Tanzwut have their present setlist written from scratch and make almost no use of the earlier C.Corax stuff.
WHO:
Surprise! What you read inside the cd's cover is not the guys' actual names, but a major conspiracy, which for many years has been making fans post naive inquiries in the band's official site's forum. Careful research has revealed this:
Das letzte Einhorn a.k.a. The Last Unicorn (vocals) - Micha(el) Robert Rhein, the name stems from his favourite T-shirt design by Klaus Kinski, as can be seen here. If you need more holidays to celebrate, you can add your fave singer's birthday on 22.05.1964 to the list.
Yellow Pfeiffer a.k.a. Yellow Whistler (bagpipes, nyckelharp, flute, shawm) - Boris Pfeiffer. Named so because the first time the other bandmembers beheld him, he was wearing yellow clothes. Well, looking at the concert photos, he still does.
Morgenstern a.k.a. Morning Star (drums, percussion, tympanum, the Horse) - it hangs on his neck. Look closely. In secular world is known as Rainer Morgenroth. With us since 05.02.1964.
Die Lutter, a.k.a. Singling (bass) - Kay Lutter. Now try to explain the 'die' article...Born on 24.09.1965.
Flex der Biegsame, a.k.a. Flex the Flexible (bagpipes, shawm, flute) - Marco Ernst-Felix, and he has such nickname because he,well, is flexible and thus responsible for various acrobatics during the show. As far as I know, the youngest member of the band - 04.12.1972.
Der Lange, a.k.a. The Long One (guitar) - Sebastian Lange. It's just his normal surname.
Dr. Pymonte, a.k.a. Dr. Pymonte (bagpipe, shawm, flute, harp) - Andre Strugalla (thanks for the revelation from the gods..heh, I mean, the official site).Came into the world on 05.07.1962.
Sway the mouse over the picture to see who's who
On the records, Einhorn sings in all songs, even the background vocals. As he has confessed in the interview with Amazon.de, he doesn't know the old languages he sings in (for one moment I thought that...no, it'd be a miracle). The band uses help of friends familiar with the languages, works with the translation to make it more singable, and then goes back to the original. It must be taking a lot of practice to avoid phonetical blunders...I wonder what they use for training - transliteration?
WHAT:
So far In Extremo have released 8 albums, the first two were self-distributed (i.e., sold to the audience after the concerts).
Albums:
2003 Sieben [7] Motor.de|Universal
2002 Live 2002 (cd + DVD)
2001 Suender Ohne Zuegel (Unbridled Sinner)
1999 Verehrt Und Angespien (Honoured and Spat Upon)
1998 Die Verrueckten Sind In Der Stadt (live) (The Madmen
are in Town)
1998 Weckt Die Toten! (Wake the Dead)
1998 Hameln (acoustic)
1997 In Extremo (acoustic) Singles:
1998 Ai Vis Lo Lop [Stars in the DarkCDM03209-2, including remixes and instrumental version]
1999 Merseburger Zaubersprueche [MegaluxCDM, including a radio version and a remix]
1999 This Corrosion [MegaluxCDM]
2000 Vollmond [MegaluxCDM562893-2, including a remix] 2003.06 Kuess mich cd/DVD single
2003.09 Erdbeermund [not yet released]
There are also 4 video clips, This Corrosion, Vollmond (screenshots here), Kuess Mich and Erdbeermund, plus quite a generous footage of live shows, mostly downloadable from KaZaa.
WHERE:
In Extremo have toured extensively over Europe, and have also branched out to America. Notably, they're doing a second Mexico tour in September 2002...what is so special about Mexican fans that German bands like so much?!
SIDE PROJECTS
There have been several guest appearances of the In Ex members on various projects, and not only musical ones. I'm listing the ones I could find info on, if there's anything missing, please let me know.
InEx are also now heroes in a computer game "Gothic" (screenshot), released by Pihranna (Tip for the game: you must first become guardian or fire mage (for "Old settlement") or soldier ("New settlement") or templar ("Swamp settlement"), then come back to Old settlement, go to the stage in the marketplace and watch. Also background music is Herr Mannelig in a somewhat slow arrangement). Alledgedly, they will appear again on Gothic III
Einhorn is playing in a movie "Kinder der Nacht II" (Children of the Night) - a vampire story about a hidden civilization of legendary creatures, existing alongside with the human one and having its own laws, rules, and goverment, where Einhorn's character is but the second in command...together with Felix Flaucher (Silke Bischof), Artaud (Garden of Delight), Till (Eisheilig) and Bela B (die Aertze). The film is being shot in Germany's Ruhrgebiet with its exquisite industrial scenery and should be expected to be released some time in the beginning of 2003.
[pic 1] [pic 2] [pic 3]
Schandmaul's recent DVD/CD Hexenkessel features Michael Rhein as a guest singer in the song "Willst du's Extrem?"
And yet more guest-singing of das Letzte Einhorn on Grave Digger's albub, "Rheingold" - listen for the chorus in the refrain of the title song, especially towards the end.
ASSORTED FACTS
* Although the band is originally from Berlin, now only 6 members stay there, while d.l. Einhorn lives in Koeln. He swears he telephones his band every day...
* In 2001 In Ex have won the German Alternative Music Award (GAMA) for the best live show against Rammstein.
* In 28. 03. 1999 in Mannhem d.l. Einhorn had a bad pyro accident and had to spend several weeks in hospital, while the rest of the band feared for the band's future. Now Rammstein's decision to make Till get a special pyrotechnics license seems a wise thing to do...
* The band make their bizarre instruments themselves. Sometimes used instruments are offered for sale - check out forums on the official site and ocult. de
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